Jersey Bulls’ Powell Would Trade October Honor for League Title
Jersey Bulls manager Elliot Powell has expressed his willingness to exchange his October Manager of the Month award for a league title triumph.
Powell secured the accolade after guiding his unbeaten team to the top of the Isthmian League South Central, having played 15 matches this season.
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The team has maintained an impressive 34-match unbeaten streak, including league and play-off games dating back to last season, and currently holds a one-point lead over Bognor Regis Town with a game in hand.
“It’s obviously a good testament to the work that we’ve done as a coaching team, and as a playing team as well,” Powell stated on BBC Radio Jersey.
“But there are other awards I’d prefer, and if I could swap one out for May time, I would do that right now. I’d bite your hand off for it.
“It’s nice to get recognized, but ultimately there are bigger prizes to be won and hopefully we’ll be in the reckoning come May.”
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Powell’s team has not faced defeat in any non-cup matches since December 30. However, they narrowly avoided loss last Saturday, needing a late equalizer to secure a 1-1 draw against Hayes and Yeading United.
This weekend, the Bulls will face 16th-placed Hartley Wintney, marking the first of three consecutive matches against teams in the bottom seven, before hosting title challengers Bognor Regis on November 28.
“The run that we’re on is impressive and that always gives us a little bit of notice, but we want to keep that going,” he said.
“We aim to extend that to 35 games this weekend, followed by a couple of crucial home fixtures.”
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“We want to get as close to 40 games unbeaten as we can, and if we achieve that, we’re going to be in a very strong position come Christmas time.”
‘We don’t want to mess around with the play-offs this year’
Sammy Henia-Kamau (left) was among Jersey Bulls’ goalscorers [Frank Pilnick]
The Bulls have yet to claim a league title, having previously been promoted from the Combined Counties League Division One South after the Covid-19 pandemic forced a restructure, where they led the table prior to its onset in their inaugural season.
They secured promotion to the eighth tier in 2025 after previously being eliminated in the semi-finals of the Combined Counties Premier Division.
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Last season, the Bulls fell short in the play-offs, losing on penalties to AFC Whyteleafe after finishing third in the Isthmian League South East.
Powell, who previously stated he would consider stepping down if Jersey Bulls failed to win promotion this season, hopes for a different fate this year.
“I said right after the play-off defeat last year that we don’t want to mess around with the play-offs this year,” he added.
“This is a message I’ve relayed clearly to the players, and we’ve emphasized it this week. If we’re serious about it, we need to elevate our performance levels from Saturday and return to the standard we’ve shown during our other 14 matches this season.
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“We’ve performed exceptionally well in many instances, appearing tough to beat and capable of causing significant challenges going forward. We need to reconnect with that this Saturday and elevate our performance to a level we know we can achieve.”
