JERSEY Bulls face Burnham FC in the First Round Qualifying of the FA Cup at the 1878 Stadium this Saturday at 2:15pm.
Following a 2-0 win at home to Fisher FC thanks to goals from Jay Giles and Rai Dos Santos, the Bulls enter the next round of fixtures.
There are 224 teams fighting for qualification into the Second Round of qualifiers on the 13th of September, and the Jersey side will be hopeful that they can advance.
Burnham FC, based in Buckinghamshire, play at step five in the Combined Counties League Premier Division North. Having faced two step five teams in their previous FA Cup fixtures, the Bulls will be confident headed into the away fixture.
However, Burnham FC have had a blistering start to their season as they remain unbeaten. The side that plays in blue and white have won five from five in the Combined Counties League.
Assistant Coach Dan Garton is aware of the threat that Burnham carry: “We’ve looked at some footage of Burnham, they’ve got some quality across the pitch. They’ve won every game this season so they will be confident.”
The squad is slightly rejuvenated after the absence of players over the weekend. “We’re pleased to welcome back Fraser Barlow and Toby Ritzema to the squad; they will give us a little bit more experience.”
“Euan Van Der Vliet and Lorne Bickley aren’t far away now and James Sunley has returned to training after a 10 month layoff which is brilliant.”
With a number of usual starters still unavailable, such as Luke Campbell and Jonny Le Quesne, Garton has been impressed with their replacements: “Jamie Watling and Jack Lumsden have stepped up in their absence and have been tremendous thus far.”
With a stadium that boasts a capacity of 2,500, there will surely be an enthusiastic home crowd to unsettle the travelling, Bulls.
Despite the lack of home-field advantage Garton remains positive ahead of Saturday: “We are full of confidence from Monday, coming back from 2-0 felt like a win at the time.”
With a congested fixture list recently, Garton is adamant that the squad are fit for this weekend: “We have a very fit squad who look after themselves so the schedule isn’t an issue and will never be an excuse. They’ve worked really hard in pre-season with a lot of loads on their bodies to ensure they’re robust enough.”
“The lads have had a few days off since Monday, we’ve managed to rotate really well even though we’ve been depleted at times.”
Archie’s Predicted XI
With a number of returning players, I am somewhat confident that this week will be my first full-house.
Daniel Jinadu will start in goal, being the only goalkeeper in the squad. I think Jinadu will boast a quartet of J’s in front of him.
Jay Giles will hold down the left-back spot, with the young pairing of Jamie Watling and Jack Lumsden at the heart of the defense. And finally, James Queree will add experience to the back line.
I’ve gone with the midfield trio of Luke Watson, Adam Trotter and Joe Kilshaw. I was tempted by the return of Toby Ritzema, but the experience of these three as a trio, is difficult to ignore.
Miguel Carvalho has locked down his place on the right-hand side once again, Rai Dos Santos looks a promising threat through the middle with Fraser Barlow playing off the left. Although the two of them could certainly interchange come Saturday.
