Jersey Bulls win promotion after play-off victory
Jersey Bulls have won promotion to the eighth tier of English football for the first time as they beat Cobham 2-1 in their play-off final.
The islanders had topped the Combined Counties Premier South table at the end of the season, but a three point deduction for playing suspended player dropped them to second place and into the play-offs.
But a capacity crowd at St Helier's Springfield Stadium saw them reach their highest level since joining the English football league system in 2019.
It means the islanders will play in Isthmian League Division One South East next season facing sides based mainly in Kent, Sussex and south London.
Joe Kilshaw blasted Bulls ahead in the 11th minute as he got on the end of Miguel Carvalho's pass inside the penalty area.
Lorne Bickley almost doubled the lead four minutes later before Elijah Simpson had a good effort for Cobham.
Cobham began to up the pressure and Bulls needed a superb goal line clearance from James Queree and an excellent save from goalkeeper Euan van der Vilet from the rebound to keep them ahead at half time.
The islanders started the second half off better and were rewarded with a second goal when Fraser Barlow flicked home from close range after good work by Bickley.
Bulls hit the post soon after but a nervy finish was ensured when Cobham were awarded a 70th-minute penalty which van der Vliet saved, but Patrick Murray converted from the rebound.
Despite Cobham's continued pressure as they searched for an equaliser Bulls held out to ensure scenes of joy for their home fans.
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The victory represents a second promotion for the island side since they were formed in 2019 - but a first done via on field performance.
The club had won all 36 of their matches in Combined Counties Division One in the 2019-20 season before the Covid-19 pandemic saw the campaign annulled.
After the 2020-21 season was also wiped out by the pandemic Jersey Bulls were promoted to their current level after a restructuring of the leagues in the summer of 2021.
They finished fourth in their first season in the ninth tier and third a year later - both seasons saw the top two teams win promotion automatically.
Last season they were second, but a play-off was introduced and the islanders were knocked out by AFC Croydon Athletic in the semi-finals.
This season, after just two league defeats under new boss Elliott Powell, the island side thought they had finally won their first-ever title before their points deduction.
But they have managed to put that disappointment behind them as Powell won promotion in his first season in charge.
"It was obviously good to start quick and always nice to get a goal," goalscorer Kilshaw told BBC Radio Jersey.
"I thought we were good and maybe should have killed the game and put it 3-0, but luckily we saw it out at then end.
"I'm sure most of the lads will tell you that it's taken over our lives for the last 11 months.
"What we've been through in the last month or so has been pretty brutal, not just for ourselves but our families having to deal with what we're going through, so to get over the line is brilliant.
"This is our biggest achievement in football, no-one in Jersey's ever been promoted to step four.
"I don't know when it'll sink in, but we'll have a good night and enjoy it."
In total Jersey Bulls suffered just three defeats all season - they lost to title rivals Whyteleafe and Redhill in the league and were knocked out of the FA Vase by Whitstable Town, who went on to win the title at Wembley.
It ended a superb first season as manager for Powell, who succeeded Gary Freeman as Bulls manager last year after guiding Jersey to an Island Games gold medal in 2023.
"In terms of a Jersey football achievement I think this has to be number one," Powell told BBC Radio Jersey
"Cobham were a great side and commiserations to them - they're the best-coached side we've played in the league, they've got patterns of play, they're really efficient at set pieces and defensively they're solid - we really had to be at our very best today to beat them.
"Whatever's happened can't happen again - yes we've got over the line, but we shouldn't have been playing in these games, so there's a lot of things that as an island we ned to improve on now.
"We're not going to get a group of players like this again, let's make sure we use the absolute most of them.
"I said before the game the James Queree's, Luke Campbell's and Luke Watson's, they're Jersey football Hall of Famers, they're once in a generation-type players so we need to make sure that as an island we get right behind them.
"This was Jersey at it's best, a sea of red and everyone getting right behind us and that last five or 10 minutes was nervy, but those fans got us over it."
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