Jersey Bulls are facing their toughest opponent in a competitive in their short history tomorrow as they welcome National League South side Worthing FC to Springfield Stadium in the FA Cup Second Qualifying Round.
Dan caught up with one of the newest faces in the Bulls squad, Jamie Watling, about his introduction into the team over the last month, the exciting challenge that Saturday’s game brings and how vital the home crowd could be at Springfield.
Firstly, how good was it to get the call up to the Bulls?
It was a proud moment for me to get the original call up to represent the Bulls. Considering how far they have come since they formed, it was a privilege to join the squad on their upward journey. The quality within the squad means that training is such a high standard and I’m looking forward to developing as a player within the set-up.
How have you settled in around the squad?
The squad have been really welcoming to me. The benefit of having a limited player pool is that I was familiar with a fair few of the squad already, which made it easier to join the lads and the mix of the squad is ideal with a good balance of youth and experience. Having such a professional set-up around an amateur side is a huge factor behind how we punch above our weight considering the player pool.
Big FA Cup game this weekend – how’s preparation been going?
Obviously we all know it’s a massive tie and opportunity to size ourselves up against a well recognised opposition. We know a fair bit about how we think they will set up and have been working on ways to create chances and show how dangerous we can be going forward. It’s been a good start to the season and we’ve found some form of late, so this opportunity couldn’t come at a better time.
On a personal note, how good is it to play in such big games?
For me, big games like this weekend are a good way of measuring yourself against top quality opposition. It poses a different challenge to local football as you are playing against players who you are not familiar with, so it tests your ability to adapt within the 90 minutes.
How much do you enjoy playing in front of the Springfield Stadium crowd, and how important could they be come Saturday?
Playing for a team which represents an island will always bring a good-sized crowd with a community feel. The more people coming down to Springfield and supporting the lads will always benefit us, especially in a big cup game like this Saturday. Hopefully we can get as many people down to the game and put on a good performance for them.
Good luck to the Bulls tomorrow. Kick off is at 3:30pm, go and give your support to the team!
