Jersey Bulls begin season with 1-1 Margate draw

Jersey Bulls were playing in the eighth tier for the first time in their history

Jersey Bulls' first-ever match in the eighth tier of English football ended in a 1-1 draw at Margate.

The island side were promoted to Isthmian League South East last season after winning the Combined Counties Premier South play-offs.

Luke Campbell went close with a header in the third minute for the islanders before Fraser Barlow gave Bulls the lead.

He calmly slotted home after being set up by an impressive run from Miguel Carvalho down the right.

The hosts almost equalised on the stroke of half-time when Ben Greenhalgh chipped debutant goalkeeper Daniel Jinadu but saw his effort come back off the post.

But the hosts did level three minutes after the break when Sam Blackman reacted quickest to poke home after a corner had been kept alive by Harry Hudson.

Margate had a decent chance to take all three points in the 87th minute but substitute Kieron Agbebi headed Blu Hursthwaite's cross over the bar.

"I'm really happy with it," Bulls manager Elliot Powell told BBC Radio Jersey.

"I think we came here with a game plan to frustrate, but actually I think we carried a lot more threat than that.

"I'd be disappointed if anyone thought we just parked the bus, I thought we were the side that created more of the clear-cut chances and actually I was really happy with how we took the game.

"I thought we dominated the game in terms of not the ball and not possession, that would be unfair to say, but I think dominated the game in terms of where we wanted it played and how we wanted it played.

"It was very much what we wanted pre-game, and I think we exploited weaknesses that we thought they had pre-game, so credit to the analysis team at home and people who have given us intel on Margate, it sort of went to a tee really."