Jersey Bulls boss ready for higher level after promotion

Elliott Powell has lost just three games since taking charge of Jersey Bulls last year

Jersey Bulls manager Elliott Powell says his side will focus on consolidating their league position next season.

Powell led the island side to promotion to the Isthmian League South East on Wednesday night after a 2-1 win over Cobham in their play-off final.

Bulls had topped the Combined Counties League Premier South before being docked three points for fielding a suspended player, forcing them to go into the play-offs.

But they will now play in the fourth tier of non-league football for the first time since the club was formed in 2019.

"For us at step four the aim's going to be different," Powell told BBC Radio Jersey.

"We're not going to try and get promoted in year one from step four, I think it's going to be a gradual build up to that over a number of years and probably over a number of tenures now.

"For us now it's about stabilising, consolidating next year without that pressure to win every single week.

"We can probably blood a few more youngsters and hopefully you'll see more of the Will Yates', the Fergus Boyles, the Tom Goncalves, the Connor Lloyds of the world.

"It's important for us, it gives them more development opportunities now."

A sold-out Springfield saw Jersey Bulls win promotion

Powell says it is also important that the club learn from the mistakes of this season.

They were docked points after mistakenly playing midfielder Toby Ritzema while he was banned - the club wrongly included a yellow card he had been given in a cup game as counting towards the threshold for a league suspension.

But Powell is hopeful Jersey Bulls can be successful at the higher level.

Step four - the eighth tier of the English pyramid - is the highest any side from the Channel Islands or Isle of Man has reached.

Guernsey FC were relegated from Isthmian League South Central this season after 12 years at that level.

"Next season's been planned for a while now," Powell explained.

"We have a five-week break, so we know when we're coming in for pre-season that starts on 1 July.

"Pre-season fixtures are being planned now by the club.

"We know that we've got a few things to work out behind the scenes at the club now to make sure that we're ready for step four.

"We've had a warning shot this year with the processing of an ineligible player and all that sort of stuff, now it's about gearing up so that on the pitch, off the pitch, we're ready for step four and hopefully higher heights form there."