Jersey Bulls 1
Watling 73‘
Three Bridges 1
Leighton 76‘
HT: 0-0
Attendance: 758
Player of the match: Euan Van Der Vliet
JERSEY Bulls’ brutal early-season schedule showed no let-up as they battled to a
deserved 1–1 draw with league leaders Three Bridges — another display of resilience
from a side that’s faced almost every team in the division’s top half.
But after holding the leaders at Springfield, head coach Elliot Powell said his side have “crossed that bridge” — a fitting pun — as a more forgiving run of fixtures offers the Bulls a real chance to build momentum heading into 2026.
Centre-back Jamie Watling powered home a header to put the Bulls ahead on 73
minutes, a key moment against the division’s top side.
But the lead lasted just three minutes, with Bridges captain Noel Leighton turning in a cross to restore parity, leaving the points shared.
Despite conceding so quickly after taking the lead, Powell was full of praise for his
players’ resilience and the lessons learned during a gruelling start to the season.
“Of course I’m a bit frustrated with the goal. We were a little too narrow at that moment –
which can be a tendency after scoring.
“They’re a very well coached side. You could clearly see that. They had four or five
different ways of trying to break us down and that makes it very hard to contain them.
“But I can’t fault the lads. For 75 of the 90 minutes we were under pressure, yet we still
carried a threat. I’m really proud of them.
“Over the last six or seven weeks, we’ve faced the toughest run of fixtures you could ask
for, and we’ve learned a lot. We’ve swallowed pride, set aside ego, and shown real
character.”
“It’s required a cultural shift for the squad. There’s a natural desire here in Jersey to
dominate, but at this level you must manage games, and I’m seeing that improvement.
“We’re starting to look like a hardened step-four side. The first objective is staying up.
You can see with Guernsey FC how difficult it is to recover if you go down — but we’re
developing as a team and a group of players. The positives outweigh the negatives, and
if we keep building, I think this run will be remembered as a strong start to the season.”
“We’re still unbeaten at home and have shown we can compete with the best. Now it’s
about taking that experience and going on to win the games ahead that we should, really
pushing on between now and Christmas and see where we’re at.”
While Elliot Powell’s men spent much of the 90 minutes with their backs to the wall,
those in red embraced the challenge.
Young centre-half Jamie Watling, despite picking up a caution within six minutes,
looked calm and assured against a potent Three Bridges attack that had already scored
an impressive 39 goals in 13 games.
He’s enjoyed a consistent run alongside the experienced Luke Campbell, with captain
James Querée seeing more time at right full-back. The minutes have clearly proved
valuable, helping Watling grow into the role.
Given the difficulty of Jersey’s opening set of fixtures, it has been imperative that every player was ready to fight defensively — and Watling’s proved more than capable.
“It was a memorable day for the defender, as he notched his first goal for the club,
heading home a pinpoint Rai Dos Santos free-kick to give Jersey a 1–0 lead.
Somewhat cruelly, the Bulls’ advantage was only brief. Three Bridges resorted
increasingly to balls over the top as the game progressed — an indication of how
difficult Jersey made it to break them down through the middle of the park.
Eventually, a ball over the top found Reece Hallard, who drove to the byline and fired a
low cross that captain Leighton turned in from close range.
It was a frustrating blemish on eventual player of the match Euan Van Der Vliet’s
desired clean sheet, but the experienced shot-stopper had been crucial throughout,
producing a string of vital saves to ensure Jersey went to bed with a valuable point.
“I think these pair of draws against Three Bridges could be two big points come the end
of the season,” said Bulls’ number one.
“They’re flying at the top, so to take something from both games against them is solid.
“Obviously it’s disappointing to concede so soon after going 1–0 up — that’s something
we need to work on — but overall it’s a result we can be proud of.”
“This next period, from now to Christmas, is going to be massive for us,” he added.
“We’ve faced a lot of the top sides already, and now it’s about turning good
performances into wins against teams around us in the table. We know we can
compete with the best — we just need to start putting those lower-half teams away and
picking up three points.”
Occupying 15th might look like a sluggish start on paper, but given the strength of
opposition faced — and the fact they hold multiple games in hand over many of the
sides above them — there are plenty of reasons to stay bullish about Powell’s team.
The Islanders welcome 16th-placed Sevenoaks Town to Springfield on Saturday,
marking the start of a run that sees them face ten bottom-half sides in their remaining
13 league games before the new year.
Jersey Bulls: Euan Van Der Vliet, James Querée (c), Luke Campbell, Jamie Watling,
Jay Giles, Luke Watson, Adam Trotter, Fraser Barlow, Miguel Carvalho (James
Sunley 63) Rai Dos Santos, Lorne Bickley. Unused: James Carr, Joe Kilshaw, Daniel
Jinadu, Harry MacKenzie.
Three Bridges: Samuel Roberts, Daniel Ferreira, Josh Hallard, Sam Bull, Hayden
Neathey, Nabeel Ghannan (Kevin Rivera 68), Bryan Villavicencio, Noel Leighton (c)
(Ben Holden (84), Reece Hallard, Ade Adeyinka, Hayden Velvick. Unused: Naythan
Bryson, Harvey Woollard, Ben Irving
