AFTER the disappointment of their Isuzu FA Vase fixture on Saturday being postponed due to the weather, the Jersey Bulls return straight back to Premier Division South action tomorrow evening with an away trip to tackle Chipstead.
Set to face Whitstable Town in the Vase third round, the brutal winds from “Storm Darragh” caused the team to remain in the Island and gain an extra day of rest ahead of a crucially important period for Elliot Powell’s side.
Tomorrow evening, the Bulls will travel, weather permitting, to Coulsdon in Surrey to take on a Chipstead side they have only recently squared off against.
Keen-eyed readers will remember the Bulls securing a solid 2-0 home victory over the same opposition back on 26 October, Karl Hinds and Luke Watson scoring either side of half-time to secure that win.
The Bulls will be looking to secure the league double over a Chipstead side currently wedged in the bottom half of the table in 13th place.
The records between the two sides stretch even further than their league positions at this stage of the season.
The Bulls still boast the best defensive record in the league by some way, having astonishingly conceded just ten goals from their 18 matches so far.
That incredible statistic of course included the ten-game clean sheet streak, which only ended recently in the epic 4-3 away win over Corinthian-Casuals.
Chipstead, however, have fared very differently in their own defensive prowess, shipping 52 goals so far, the joint second worst record in the division.
This includes a difficult 7-0 battering away at AFC Whyteleafe recently, as well as conceding five goals in three other matches earlier in the campaign.
To add to the stats padding, Powell’s side have netted an impressive 27 goals away from home so far, the second highest in the league, just one behind leaders Redhill.
Considering the challenges facing this group this season, particularly on the injury front, their unbeaten record remains impressive.
Speaking to assistant coach Dan Garton, he agreed and was full of praise for his men.
“The group have been fantastic, the resilience of this group has been superb dealing with a number of challenging situations even in this first half of the campaign,” he said.
“It’s required a proper squad effort and every single member has bought into what we are trying to do, which we as coaches are very proud of.
“At this stage of the year, I think we’re in a good position where we’re slowly getting players back every few weeks.
“It’s been such a challenging few months with injuries, but now we are slowly getting players back which is great.”
The Bulls currently sit nicely placed in the play-off spots, currently occupying third place behind AFC Whyteleafe, who they beat earlier in the season, and the leaders Redhill.
Despite being ten points off top spot, Powell and Co. still have four games in hand over the two teams above them. Four wins from those clashes would move the Bulls into top spot.
Garton continued: “We are looking to pick up as many points as possible, especially around Christmas.
“We’re quite a few games behind Redhill and Whyteleafe. It can be a little demoralising as they keep winning, but we have them in our sights and we fully intend to keep pushing forwards and give ourselves every chance of making those games in hand count in our favour.”
It may be easy to look at the league table and the previous meeting between the Bulls and Chipstead and assume the result off the bat.
However, Garton and his fellow coaches are wary of the different challenges this away trip may present, including the weather and the impact that may have had on Chipstead’s grass surface.
“In all honesty, we’re planning for a poor pitch as an effect of the awful weather conditions. We expect it to be a very physical game, just as it was last time at our place.
“It’ll be a battle of attrition and we’re ready for it, we have had some extra rest which will only help us and this is another excellent opportunity to continue our upward trajectory this season.”
The home side will be feeling a boost of confidence, however, after an excellent 2-0 win away from home over Horley Town last week.
The Bulls come into tomorrow evening off the back of six consecutive league wins, scoring 22 goals in that time, while conceding just four.
Action from Chipstead Football Club is scheduled for a 7.45pm kick-off tomorrow night.
Jersey Bulls squad: Pierce Roche, Francis Lekimamati, Fraser Barlow, Harry Curtis, James Carr, James Querée (c), Joe Kilshaw, Jonny Le Quesne, Karl Hinds, Kieran Lester, Luke Campbell, Luke Watson, Rai Dos Santos, Sammy Sutcliffe, Toby Ritzema
