THE importance of squad depth was a key point heading into this season for Gary Freeman, and a much-changed starting line-up proved more than capable with a 5-1 victory over Brook House in the Combined Counties Cup.
Although the manager ‘wouldn’t want to do it every week’, the strong performance after several changes left him delighted with the outcome.
He said: ‘There was a fair bit of logistical work that went into it, but fair play to the players involved, because they were brilliant.
‘I think it is such a testament to the strength of football on the Island, that we can have two midweek games after a league fixture last weekend, and come out with a pair of good wins.
‘It is very tough to try and keep everyone happy when you have a big squad, but I think cup games like this provide the perfect opportunity to keep them fresh and match fit.
‘We saw last season that in a gruelling schedule, players will miss time through injuries and it feels like we have the depth now to continue to compete on all fronts.’
The Bulls came out of the gates strongly, testing the Brook House goal on several occasions inside the opening 20 minutes.
However, it was the lower league side who opened the scoring in irregular fashion.
The ball was floated in from the right, as Bulls ‘keeper Robbie Scott stood still expecting to see it go out of play, but it dropped in and past him off the post.
The Islanders responded well, as left back JJ Lloyd was given too much space, shifted the ball onto his right foot and delivered a powerful strike into the top corner.
With the scores level at half-time, the Bulls showed their class in the second period.
Pressure told on 57 minutes as Kieran Stephens found Lorne Bickley with a cross, who hammered home.
The centre forward grabbed his brace on 71 minutes, from a free-kick.
His low strike skipped past the opposition number one from 25 yards to give Freeman’s team some breathing space.
There was still some time left for some new ‘firsts’ for the away side.
Harrison Moon grabbed his first goal for the side on 88 minutes, while Seany McColgan came off the bench to score on his first-team debut to wrap the match up 5-1.
Fellow U23 member Joel McKinlay also made his debut from the bench.
Freeman said: ‘I think it was a good blend of personnel in the squad.
‘We had Luke Campbell, Lorne Bickley and Ruben Mendes in there with lots of experience.
‘Then we had the youth side of things, and they really seemed to complement each other well.
‘It was great to introduce Seany and Joel also. The more opportunities we can provide them, the more they will progress.
The Bulls will now face more familiar opposition in Tadley Calleva in round two.
The pair met in the league in early October, with the match ending 0-0 at Springfield Stadium.
