A PRAGMATIC Gary Freeman is very happy with what his side have shown thus far in pre-season.
The Bulls hosted the inaugural Bulls Cup over the weekend, welcoming FC United of Manchester, Hashtag United and Cray Wanderers to Jersey.
The hosts enjoyed a 3-1 victory over Hashtag United in the semi-finals – a side who play one step above to the Islanders in the English football pyramid.
Jersey, however, succumbed 6-1 in the final to FC United of Manchester, a squad littered with talent, which included a former Stoke City forward in the shape of Max McCarthy.
‘We were missing a bunch of players, especially defensively,’ said Freeman.
‘Josh Coutanche filled in at last minute as we lost James Carr on the day and he hasn’t really trained with us, so we really appreciated him coming in to help.
‘Obviously we want to win every game we play, but this was much more about the valuable experience our players gained.
‘I take responsibility because we are playing the type of football I would like to see this season.
‘We could have reacted and changed tactics in the game, but preparing for the season was the focus and in patches during the final, we played some lovely stuff.
‘Unfortunately, there are some things out of our control and we have been very stretched defensively.
‘Hopefully they can start to come back and we can keep them fit for the season.
‘However, in the midfield and up front, I am really happy with the options we have available to us and how everyone is looking in pre-season.
If their first full season proved anything, it was the importance of having strength in depth, and options should injuries arise.
What the Bulls have shown already, is that full focus will be placed on league football – following their withdrawal from the FA Cup qualifying draw.
Freeman said: ‘We have been training with a squad of 23 that we are hoping will be our core group for the year ahead.
‘Last year it was closer to a group of 16, so we would like to have more options.
‘It is a delicate balance as we still want to keep the players happy, but I think a few of them who have picked up niggles now realise the importance of rest and rotation throughout the season.’
Bulls are back in action this weekend, when they welcome National League North side Kettering Town to Springfield Stadium for the last of their pre-season friendlies.
Their Combined Counties Premier Division South league campaign then starts with an away trip to Farnham Town on Tuesday 2 August.
