JERSEY BULLS return to Springfield Stadium this weekend looking to build on a pair of hugely contrasting away victories.
The Islanders, who are set to welcome Balham FC on Saturday afternoon [4pm kick-off], cruised past Sheerwater with a resounding 8-0 victory a fortnight ago, before requiring a 95th-minute strike from Lorne Bickley to edge past Camberley Town.
Gary Freeman’s men have won four on the bounce since a highly-competitive draw against Farnham Town in January and will be looking to maintain momentum when south-Londoners Balham arrive.
The Bulls currently sit third in Combined Counties Premier South; one point behind Walton & Hersham – with three games in hand – and a further point behind leaders Beckenham Town, who have played one game more.
Jersey won the reverse fixture 3-0 in October but Freeman insists Balham are not a side to take lightly.
‘They were missing Tom Read last time out, who scores a lot of their goals [19 in 25 games], as well as their captain,’ said Freeman.
‘There were about three or four good chances they had in that first half, so if Tom was in that side, it might have been a different story.
‘The league table may paint a different picture, but these lads are a side in form.
‘They have won their last three league games, all without conceding, so we are ready for a challenge.
‘We have heard they have a guy up front who scores a lot of goals and various types of goals. I think that will be a challenge that Luke [Campbell] and James [Quérée] will relish, to try and keep him quiet.
‘It will be nice to return home, the pitch last week [at Camberley] was really tough to play on, but both sides were keen to get the game played, so it was just a case of having to adapt to the conditions.’
The Bulls are due to host Raynes Park Vale on Saturday 5 March before Springfield closes for renovation work which must be completed by 31 March. It is likely they will face five consecutive away dates, before ending the campaign with up to seven home games in eight weeks.
The fate of Bulls’ fixture against Beckenham Town has yet to be decided, following the latter’s refusal to travel to Jersey in January.
‘Getting the news through that the Springfield upgrades are all on schedule is brilliant,’ Freeman added. ‘We have the potential for bigger crowds in there come the end of the season, where we have a run of home games.
‘They will be the crunch games when fighting for promotion and we are relishing the opportunity to play in front of the home fans during that battle.’
