Latest news with #PaulMcKay
BBC News
10-06-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Bulls boss set to give youngsters a chance in new league
Jersey Bulls manager Elliot Powell says his side's promotion to the Isthmian League will give him the chance to develop the island's best young beat Cobham 1-0 in the Combined Counties Premier South play-off final to earn promotion to Isthmian League South up to the fourth tier of non-league football is the highest the club has been since it was founded in 2019. "We've got a great pool of local talent - I think we used 38 players last season and 36 were based on the island at the start of the season," said Powell, who brought in former professionals Kurtis Guthrie and Paul McKay in February after they moved to Jersey."We know there's another generation of talented youngsters coming through and they're going to be really important for us in the next couple of years, and also probably in this first season as well where we'll need some fresh energy to kick-start us again after a short turnaround."There's a good five, six, maybe seven lads that will be knocking on the door for a place who will probably be playing at the Island Games for the Jersey FA side and get their opportunity to impress and maybe force their way in at the start of the season." Powell is realistic about the Bulls' chances of promotion next club does not pay its players, whereas many of the other sides in their league - which forms part of the eighth tier of the English football pyramid - will have substantial financial resources to put towards their squads."There's some big sides with some big budgets," Powell told BBC Radio Jersey."Whyteleafe will come up with us and we know they'll strengthen and they'll be looking for back-to-back promotions, and if not even higher than that."We know there'll be teams with huge financial power in our league, there's going to be teams that are physically a lot bigger than us."But we've shown that we can mix it up in various different ways, whether it's a physical game like Redhill or Fleet Town, we've shown we can compete, and when it's more of a footballing game like Cobham in the final, we came out on the right side of that as well."So we're really looking forward to it, it's going to test us in a number of different ways."But these are the opportunities that the club has been gearing up for and trying to provide for local players, and it's one we're really relishing and looking forward to taking come August."
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jersey Bulls make play-off final after penalty shootout
Euan van der Vliet saved three penalties as Jersey Bulls beat Fleet Town 3-0 in a shootout to reach the Combined Counties Premier South play-off final. The two sides finished level at 1-1 after 90 minutes at Springfield and will face with Redhill or Cobham in St Helier next week. The win means Jersey Bulls' hopes of promotion stay alive after they were denied the league title after being docked three points for fielding an ineligible player - seeing them drop from the top of the table. The islanders have gone further than last season when they were beaten at the semi-final stage of the play-offs by AFC Croydon Athletic having finished second in the league. Paul McKay, Kurtis Guthrie and Francis Lekimamati all scored from the spot as van der Vliet was unbeatable from 12 yards. The game should not have gone to penalties but the hosts failed to take their chances, especially during the first half as Lorne Bickley, Miguel Carvalho and Fraser Barlow all went close goalless period before the break. Bulls finally took the lead 13 minutes into the second period as Ross Stepney turned into his own net after good work by Fraser Barlow. But Fleet upped the pressure as Bulls tried to consolidate their lead and were rewarded when Tom Smith levelled in the 88th minute to send the fixture into a shootout. Jersey Bulls
BBC News
07-02-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Jersey Bulls sign former pros Guthrie and McKay
Jersey Bulls have added two former professional players to their forward Kurtis Guthrie returns to the island 14 years after leaving while Scottish midfielder Paul McKay has also joined the 31, played for the likes of Accrington Stanley, Forest Green Rovers, Colchester United, Stevenage, Bradford City and Port McKay, 28, has just moved to the island after a career that began with Doncaster Rovers and included stints at Leeds United, Cardiff City, Airdrieonians, Queen of the South and pair could make their debuts against Cobham in Combined Counties Premier South on Saturday at Springfield. Bulls are currently third in the table having lost just once in the league all season, with games in hand on the sides above them.
