JERSEY Bulls Women will look to continue their impeccable form tomorrow, as they prepare to face South Park Reigate FC in front of a home crowd at Springfield Stadium.
It’s fair to say that the Bulls Women have made a dream introduction to the English football pyramid, notching two wins while scoring an immense 13 goals, only conceding one.
It seems the team is flourishing, as skipper Holly Sundby mentioned the keys to their success: “I think that, because we’re not playing at the level we want to be, it’s nice to allow players to play with confidence and express themselves.
“As everyone has got game time these first couple games, all the players are confident and that’s great for training. As it’s so competitive, with players not being guaranteed the 90 minutes, everyone is giving their all and putting their best foot forward.
Manager Chad Morris added: “All the players are used to playing together, with most taking part in this year’s Island Games, so we’ve been able to carry all the training and work from that easily into this side.
“Another huge thing has been the support, it’s been massive for us and it really lifts everyone’s performance.”
Confidence will be riding high entering this home clash, after the Caesareans successfully adjusted from 11 to 9-a-side to beat Ash United 6-1.
The Bulls Women have encountered their challenges in training and preparation for new opposition, but it’s been nothing they can’t handle.
“What we’re finding with this league is there’s nothing out there on these teams, we’ve been scrolling through everything but can’t find any footage,” said Morris.
“As we can’t really analyse their performance as much as we’d like, training is all about concentrating on ourselves and setting up a couple game plans, as we have a game model to work to.
“We’re always going into the unknown, but we find that exciting. We’re quite an adjustable, flexible side, so we are able to tweak things and change as we go.”
A win here would ensure the local side maintain pressure on the top two promotion spots, as they have the advantage of holding a game in hand to both Milford & Witley and Meadow Sports.
That is a bit of a contrast to the recent form of South Park Reigate, as they’re coming into Springfield Stadium looking to bounce back from a 4-2 loss to Meadow Sports.
Although it hasn’t been a flawless start for the Islanders’ opponents, it doesn’t mean they should be underestimated, as their recent loss will only further fuel the fire to get a result.
In addition to that, Reigate’s premier football club have shown they can get the job done on away soil, after coming out on top against Horley Town in a narrow 3-2 victory, so they’ll surely be a test.
“We haven’t had any footage, but we’ve seen their stats last season. They came third, so obviously they’re a good side, but they scored as many goals as they conceded,” Morris observed.
“From that, it’s clear they have great attacking threats, but aren’t as tight at the back. So, we want to exploit that and play aggressively, be on the front foot and take the game to them.”
If you’d like evidence of the local outfit’s aggressive playstyle, then look no further than the results, as there have been five different goalscorers in the opening two fixtures.
Among those, Holly Sundby will be brimming with confidence, after scoring a phenomenal hat-trick last time out, taking her tally to four goals so far this season, as well as two assists.
Anita Tavares has also been a huge contributor in attack, notching three goals and a further three assists to open her account with the Bulls, proving herself as a lethal presence in the final third.
As mentioned before, the crowd have been a major boost to play, as the captain added: “The supporters and fanbase have been huge for us, people are paying to watch us so we owe them a good game of football. We want as many families to come up, and we want to play well and get them to keep returning to our games.”
With this new side introducing a proper pathway for women and girls in football locally, the Jersey Bulls Women are breaking new ground.
“Inspiring youngsters, both boys and girls, is so important. However, it’s also to show women that it’s possible, as even in this generation, many weren’t allowed to play the game, so we want to break that down.
“We want to go on and grow the game, so inspiring more to take part is important.”
Jersey Bulls Women are scheduled to face South Park Reigate tomorrow at Springfield Stadium, with kick-off set for 2pm.
Jersey Bulls Women: Aine Ruth, Ana Malta, Anita Tavares, Chantelle Renouard, Coco Leonard, Danny Bradshaw, Ella Brennand, Emily Le Page, Holly Sundby, Leah Morris, Natasha Keen, Rachael McCarten, Samantha Silva-Pinto, Sophie Thornton, Sorya De Conceicao, Tiffany Sundby.
