HONEST feedback was the port of call for Jersey Bulls manager Elliot Powell and his coaching staff, after a rugged and determined 3-0 home win over Tadley Calleva on Saturday, securing their tenth clean sheet in-a-row.
In a highly physical contest absent of the typical quality expected from both sides, Powell was enormously complimentary of his team’s work ethic and high standards.
“In all honesty, I think we looked a bit flat,” said Powell. “I thought, particularly in the first-half, we controlled the game, but certainly rode our luck at times.
“I thought we were fairly lucky to go into half-time 1-0 up. We maintained a steady grip on the game, without being on the front foot as much as we would usually like to be.
“However, the most important thing is the three points, I’m delighted about that.”
One aspect that was plain to see for all in attendance at Springfield, was the level of commitment in challenges from the Jerseymen, not allowing Tadley to bully them off the ball and working extremely effectively as a unit.
“It all comes down to discipline,” said assistant coach, Adam Lester. “Whether it’s in training or on the pitch, the boys set incredibly high standards of each other and for themselves.
“When you have a talented group all pulling in the same direction, it’s a great thing to be a part of.”
Those sentiments were echoed by performance coach, Andy Dewhurst, who added: “Winning is infectious, right?
“You can see it now with this group, the confidence is flowing through the squad right now,” he said.
“It’s cohesion, it’s teamwork and it’s a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes.
“Even without our captain [James Querée] out there, we still have so many leaders.”
One key ingredient addressed by all three coaches post-match was the importance of a large squad in their success so far this campaign, a facet latched on by Lester.
“I think it’s getting hard to tell who our best players are at the moment.
“We have lads who are sidelined through injury, which always happens in long seasons, but the boys who are coming in are performing superbly well.
“It makes for a great selection headache for us as coaches.
“But the boys are all working towards the same goal and it’s a special environment to be involved with.”
Dewhurst added a similar insight: “Our squad size was something we addressed at the beginning of the season and knew it was an area we needed to strengthen.
“You can’t play the number of games at the standard that these lads do without having a big squad.
“Injuries and unavailabilities come – that’s part of the game we play. But you have to have people who can come in and sustain those standards, which I believe we have in abundance.”
Powell echoed the proud words of his coaching team with immense maturity and accountability, highlighting his opposition’s tactics.
“I thought Tadley actually came with a really good game plan for us. They tried to hit us on the counter and I thought we were a bit careless at times.
“But, on the whole, I thought we dealt with it brilliantly. These are the levels we are setting for ourselves, and the lads are all right behind these ideas. That speaks volumes in their performances.
“Even with someone like young Will Yates coming on for the last few minutes, flying into tackles and sprinting all over the pitch for the team – it’s outstanding and it’s a clear testament to the attitude of the whole group.
“We know we have fresh bodies coming back into the group soon and they can’t come soon enough, it’s only going to continue to strengthen us moving forward.”
Concluding with a comedic note, Dewhurst was wax lyrical about the importance of maintaining standards and becoming a hard team to beat.
“We have proven, through our dedication to not conceding, that for any team to take points off us this season is going to be a very hard task and they’re going to have to play an outstanding match,” he added.
“Home or away, we’re not going to roll over and have our tummy’s tickled.
“We want to be the best team in this league, and our current attitude is pushing us to those heights – that’s all you can ask for as a coach really.”
