FA Cup: Jersey Bulls use island's Uefa rejection to inspire ambitious club side

Jersey Bulls have not been able to play a home game since March 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic

It is hard to believe that a decision made at Uefa's annual congress in Bratislava in February 2018 could have a material effect on the extra preliminary round of the 2021-22 FA Cup.

But the powerbrokers of European football's decision not to grant international status for the Channel Island of Jersey kickstarted plans for the island to have their own club side playing in the English league system.

Forward on two-and-a-half years and the most southerly tie in the FA Cup's history takes place on Saturday when Jersey Bulls - set up in the wake of that Uefa rejection to offer a better level of football for island players - host Horsham YMCA at St Helier's Springfield stadium in the extra preliminary round.

"It would have given the local lads something different to aspire to," says Bulls' chief executive Ian Horswell as he looks back on the island's Uefa aspirations.

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"The national team would have international matches and the club sides would have been in European qualifiers.

"But we've always been envious of Guernsey FC being in Jersey and seeing what they've done rising through two leagues and being in the Isthmian League.

"They've entered the FA Cup, FA Trophy and FA Vase and we're delighted we're in there."

37 games, 36 victories

James Queree was on Bournemouth's books as a youngster and also played in the United States college system

Since being formed in 2019 Jersey Bulls have followed their Channel Island neighbours Guernsey FC into the Combined Counties League which is based around the south and west of London.

The islanders won their first 36 matches over two Covid-19 affected seasons - finally getting promotion after a restructure of non-league football this summer to play in the ninth tier Combined Counties League Premier Division South.

But having not played a game of any sort since last September, the Bulls suffered their first loss last week when they went down 1-0 at Beckenham Town, and Saturday's FA Cup tie will be their first home game since 7 March, 2020 - a gap of 518 days.

"Being born and raised in Jersey there was always that cry out for Jersey footballers to play against tough opposition week in, week out," says Bulls captain James Queree.

The 31-year-old is one of the few players in the side who have had a taste of higher level football - he was on Bournemouth's books as a teenager and played college soccer in the United States before returning home and now works in the island's finance industry.

"The FA Cup's a magical competition, it's what we watch every year on TV supporting our teams," he says with his side six matches away from the first round or eight games off a potential tie with a Premier League side in January.

"You always see the stories of the underdog, so we start our journey on Saturday with a lot of respect for Horsham, but we're excited to get going and see where it goes.

"You hear it every year, the underdogs, the non-league teams coming through and those great stories, and hopefully we can create one this season."

'In the same competition as Man City and Spurs'

Gary Freeman has been Jersey Bulls manager since the club began in 2019

It is hard to overstate how big a game this is in the history of Jersey football - which has lagged behind the success of rugby union and cricket on the island.

Jersey's rugby club is fully professional and plays in the Championship - one league below England's top flight - while the cricketers play internationally and have twice been just a few games away from qualifying for the Twenty20 World Cup.

But football tended to be insular until the Bulls came along with the annual grudge match against Guernsey for the Muratti Vase often seen as the highlight.

"My brother-in-law was trying to explain to my sister that we're going to be in the same competition as Man City and Spurs," says Bulls manager Gary Freeman.

"She thinks we might be playing them pretty soon, but maybe one day that could happen, but it's just great to be involved.

"I think the first game in the league was always big, but this is just something a little bit historic isn't it?"

The Bulls boss was a free-scoring forward in his playing days in the island's league before managing local club St Peter to victory in the 2018 Kent Intermediate Challenge Shield and the semi-finals of the Kent Senior Trophy the following year.

"The FA Cup is huge, for us to get this and for it to be the first time it's ever come to Jersey in the men's game is massive for the club," he added.

So what is the future of this club? Guernsey FC won back-to-back promotions and now play in step four of non-league in the lower level of the Isthmian League, one step above Jersey Bulls.

"We believe Jersey lads can take us up through the leagues," says Horswell.

"We don't know how far they can go, genuinely some of our players are capable of playing at step two. Guernsey got to the play-offs in step four, so why can't Jersey Bulls?

"We've got to find our feet, and what's great about Jersey is now the youngsters have something to aspire to - to play for the Bulls and in the league system.

"That gives them a better chance to be spotted and move up to the professional ranks.

"We've got four lads at the moment from Jersey in EFL academies and another four from Jersey playing in the National League or EFL professionally.

"We want to see how far we can go, we've got an under-23s team this season to blood them earlier and we'll continue to do that.

"When certainty returns after Covid-19 we'll look to grow the club again, whether that's more youth teams, a women's side, an academy, they're the kind of things we can use on-island resources to develop to push through the leagues as well."