Jersey Bulls end season with win after title disappointment

Jersey Bulls have the best record of any side in Combined Counties Premier South this season

Jersey Bulls ended the season with a 1-0 win over Sandhurst Town as they wait to see if they will enter the Combined Counties Premier South play-offs.

While the island side will end the campaign with the best record in the league, they are unlikely to be promoted having been docked three points after fielding an ineligible player last month.

If they do not appeal the decision, or an appeal is unsuccessful, they will finish the season in third place.

Redhill are set to be champions after a goal in the third minute of second-half stoppage time saw them win 1-0 at Guildford City.

Meanwhile Whyteleafe are likely to end the season in second position after winning 2-0 at Fleet Town.

It means the islanders are set to face fourth-placed Cobham in the play-offs, with the winners meeting either Whyteleafe or Fleet Town in the final.

Bulls tried to put the disappointment of the previous 24 hours behind them as they came out to their highest attendance of the season.

Those at Springfield, who had been there anticipating a league title celebration before their points deduction, saw few clear cut first-half chances despite the islanders having the better of the play.

Karl Hinds had a shot deflected wide while Luke Campbell went close with a header from a corner shortly before half time as Jonny Le Quesne's follow-up was saved.

Campbell went close from a Fraser Barlow free kick 10 minutes after the restart while Luke Watson headed a Barlow delivery against the post five minutes later.

But the deadlock was broken soon after as Lorne Bickley broke through, and while goalkeeper Harry White saved his effort, Joe Kilshaw was there to slam home the rebound.

Joe Kilshaw's goal broke the deadlock at Springfield

Goalkeeper Piers Roche did well to deny Sandhurst with 19 minutes to go before Bulls had a series of chances in stoppage time.

The islanders hit the post before Bickley brought two excellent close-range saves from White while Francis Lekimamati hit the bar.

But while Bulls earned their 30th victory of the season, it was Redhill who were celebrating as they look to have won the title.

"We've done our jobs on the pitch. It wasn't our best performance, but that's pretty understandable, we've not had the best preparation as everyone's probably aware," Jersey Bulls manager Elliot Powell told BBC Radio Jersey.

"What it has given me is an immense sense of pride in that changing room.

"I don't know what the next couple of weeks holds in terms of the play-offs, but we've won the league on the pitch and for those boys to achieve that I'm so, so proud of them and it's a privilege to work with them.

"We've gone and won a league against teams who've got significantly bigger budgets and can pull in players at the last minute, we can't do that.

"There's 25 lads here that have represented their island and won the league on the pitch, have finished top of the league, but we've lost it in the boardroom."