SEVEN HEAVEN is in the sights of the Jersey Bulls Women, who travel to Hersham tomorrow looking to make it seven consecutive wins in Surrey Division 1.
The Bulls Women have had a stellar time of it in the Surrey league this campaign and currently sit three points clear at the summit of the division, remaining the only team with an unbroken record.
A total of 35 goals have been scored in those six games, second in the league, while their defensive record of just seven conceded at the other end is the best in the division.
Five of those six games have been hosted at Springfield Stadium, with just the one away game so far at Milford & Witley back at the end of October.
Captain Holly Sundby says her side are “feeling good” ahead of tomorrow’s clash with ninth-placed Hersham, but admits it’s “bittersweet” to know the majority of their home fixtures have already been played.
Including tomorrow’s game, the Bulls will face their next six fixtures on the road, before one final home game against Cranleigh to conclude the campaign on 8th February.
“We love playing at home,” said the skipper, who has enjoyed a dazzling season so far herself, contributing seven goals and five assists. “We’ve really enjoyed playing in front of our home fans so often and we’ve had a really successful time of it. But we know now we have a big run of games on the road and we have to prepare ourselves for that challenge.
We are looking forward to the away days though,” she continued. “It’s a chance for this team to unite a bit more and become even more of a team.”
Away days present different challenges for the islanders, particularly due to conditions, notably more grass pitches compared to the smooth surface of Springfield’s all-weather 3G pitch.
“Playing away from home always poses a variety of new challenges,” Sundby added, “playing on a grass pitch is always different to Springfield and the potential challenges of an uneven surface are things we need to be wary of.
“Also, the lack of fans is something to note also and something we know we just have to channel into focusing on ourselves. But we are well up for the challenge and are ready to bring back another win tomorrow.”
Although Chad Morris’ side have won all their league games so far, they have come in differing levels of difficulty and have required admitted differing styles of play. The first four games of the season saw wins of 7–0, 6–1, 9–3, and 7–1.
However, the previous two matches have been closer affairs, with a 4–2 win over third-placed Meadow Sports and most recently, a tight 2–0 win over Horley Town last weekend.
Morris has commented in recent weeks he has been impressed with his side’s ability to adapt their style of play and knows they are not going to be able to play the dynamic, free-flowing style of football they enjoy. Being able to dig deep and grind out wins has proved just as crucial and is always critical in a side going on to win consistently over a league format.
“Hersham are in the bottom half of the league, but I think we have learnt you can never underestimate any team in this league,” Sundby noted. “We are always looking to play with our best performance, so we will focus on ourselves and we know if we can produce that, we can beat any team.”
One key area of this Bulls side is their ability to score goals from multiple sources. Their 35 league goals this season have included nine different scorers from across the squad.
Anita Tavares currently leads the club scoring charts with 8 goals and 8 assists, but skipper Sundby is just back on 7 goals (5 assists), Leah Morris close also on 6 goals (6 assists), and Sam Silva has also been in fine form with 5 goals (4 assists).
Hersham boast some firepower of their own in Chloe Verschoyle, who sits second in the division’s scoring list with 9 in just seven games (12 in all competitions) including four in their last game on 2 November, a thumping 7–1 away win over Guildford Saints.
If any team can nullify this attacking prowess, however, the league’s best defensive record will fancy themselves to manage the threat.
Action from Walton Lane at Hersham FC tomorrow is scheduled for a 2pm kick-off.
Jersey Bulls women’s squad to face Hersham: Holly Sundby (c), Ella Brennand, Lara Couvert, Amy Guthrie, Emily Le Page, Leah Morris, Chantelle Renouard, Aine Ruth, Tiffany Sundby, Danielle Bradshaw, Coco Leonard, Lauren Queree, Samantha Silva, Anita Tavares
