It feels like yesterday that Jersey FA won gold at the Island Games. Three weeks and a day on, pretty much the same group are back in action in a huge FA Cup match away at Sittingbourne, kick off at 2pm.
Dan caught up with captain James Queree ahead of the game to reflect on last season, the summer representing Jersey and previewing the season ahead in an extended interview.
Firstly, a little look back at last season? How did you reflect on it as a team?
The 2022/23 season was a bit of a strange one as we had a great first half of the season and were well placed in the league and cup entering the New Year. Unfortunately we went out of the FA Vase and had a couple of poor results in the league (by our own standards) which quite quickly left us chasing. Combined with ten back to back midweek fixtures on the bounce, it which didn’t help us change momentum. However, there are no excuses, credit to Raynes Park and Badshot because they got stronger as the season went on and deserved to go up.
The positives for us were having the joint best defensive record in the league and one of the best away records, but we recognise we need to continue to learn and grow to succeed at this level. Our biggest takeaway’s entering the new season are to be consistent for nine months and not just the first five months to ensure we do better against the ‘top 6’, particularly at Springfield.
It’s not been much of a break this summer, but just how good has it been!
The ‘summer’ for most of the squad consisted of the Muratti Vase and Island Games, which was fantastic for a few reasons. Firstly, it provided us the opportunity to win two medals and thankfully we came back with both. Secondly, it provided an opportunity to continue to represent the island in our ‘off season’. Whether that is the Jersey FA or the Jersey Bulls, the lads are proud and will always do their best for our island!
Finally, for those who weren’t involved it has really given them the opportunity to have a bit of a break and a chance to get even fitter, working with Joe and Kev up at Strive. You can already see there is a real hunger and drive from everyone, which improves us collectively and positions us to get off to a good start for the 2023/24 season.
Back with the Bulls now, how was the run out last Friday?
We all trained together last week, in preparation for our only preseason game, which I believe will stand us well for the start of the season. The result was not ideal but credit to Steinhousemuir FC, they were a very fit and organised outfit who are further along in their season preparations. For us, it was a great opportunity to try a different formation, learn some important lessons and give everyone valuable minutes.
How big a boost are having Harry Curtis and James Carr back from uni for the squad?
Each season we are lucky to add two or three quality home-grown players which is a testament to the Jersey FA. Both Harry & James have been around the island set up for a number of years but it is great to have them back on the island full time. James will provided quality cover for Jay Giles on the left and will offer us something out wide with his pace. Harry is someone I rate really highly. He is a quality defender but most importantly he is a great character to have around the dressing room. It will be important for both of them to step up this season. You will also see young players like Pierce Roche, Miguel Carvalho & Harry Scott have a positive impact throughout the season.
FA Cup this weekend – how good is it to play in the competition and is there hope for a cup run?
From a players perspective, both the FA Cup and FA Vase are great to be part of. An opportunity to play a one off game, often against unknown quality opposition is always an attractive proposition. Like we did in 2021/2022 we will go and enjoy the FA Cup, we will hope for a run but know we have a very tough opposition on Saturday.
League wise – what have you learnt from the past two seasons going into this one?
This league is difficult, a marathon and probably doesn’t get the credit it deserves from the outside. For us to be successful and get one of those two promotion places it comes down to fine margins. There are always a couple of teams who are backed with big budgets and will be favourites but the biggest thing I have taken away from prior seasons is that I truly believe we have the quality and depth to get out of this league which is our number one goal.
Credit to the board and the club as they continue to provide a professional environment for players. This season we will be wearing the GPS vests and heart rate monitors to manage players workloads. We have brought Sam Bickley in. Sam will help management with our game analysis this season, looking at how we play and where we can improve on and off the ball.
Is the hunger there for promotion? How determined are this squad to make it happen?
We can’t think about promotion at this moment. It is important to learn from the lessons we have talked about, don’t lose sight in continuing to do the little things. Our only focus is on Saturday and getting off to a winning start, this will allow us to build momentum for our first league game the following Saturday.
Good luck to the Bulls this season!
