JERSEY BULLS face a quick turnaround from Saturday’s comprehensive league win, as attention shifts to the Premier Challenge Cup first round.
Standing in their way is an away fixture at Brook House tonight, with some added complications.
Also in action this evening are the Bulls U23s, away to Marlow FC U23s in the Suburban League Challenge Cup, a competition in which they made it to the final last season, falling to Aldershot.
First team manager Gary Freeman joked after the Frimley Green league win that ‘it will be hard to give Migs [Carvalho] back’ to Paul Renton’s side.
The 17-year-old made an immediate impact for the first team on his home debut, scoring a hat-trick to secure the man-of-the match award, but he will return to the U23s to assist Renton’s side on their cup adventure.
Fortunately for Freeman, the Bulls should have the firepower in reserve to get past a Brook House team struggling in the tier below them.
The mainland outfit have won just two out of their opening 13 fixtures in Combined Counties Division One, languishing in 19th placeand just two points off the bottom.
Freeman said: ‘The competition the U23s are in, is a very good one.
‘They should certainly take a strong team, even if that means using first-team players also.
‘We have plenty of senior lads to cope and can bring in Max [Thompson] and Kieran [Stephens], who were not involved on Saturday.
‘In an ideal world, the two fixtures wouldn’t coincide, but we feel like we have more options this year and a deeper squad.
‘It is for instances such as this as to why that is important.
‘We will be bringing some players back into the fold, as well as looking at a couple more U18 players to bring up.
‘Opportunities like this really highlight the continuation of the pathway created by the JFA and cup matches like this provide these youngsters with an additional platform to perform on.’
The Island side have named a thin squad of just 13 for the trip, losing Sammy Sutcliffe, Miguel Carvalho and Sammy Henia-Kamau to the u23 side.
Captain James Queree is also not able to travel.
New signing Harrison Moon is included, with Robbie Scott replacing Euan Van Der Vliet in the net.
Max Thompson and Kieran Stephens have returned to the squad to give Freeman some much needed depth.
Jersey Bulls squad to face Brook House: Robbie Scott, Ben Le Rougetel, Jay Giles, John Lloyd, Luke Campbell, Max Thompson, Adam Trotter, Kieran Stephens, Ruben Mendes, Francis Lekimamati, Harrison Moon, Lorne Bickley.
