St Paul’s striker Kieran Lester – JEP Golden Boot winner for the third time in five years last season with 28 goals – is one of 30 players opting for pastures new via Jersey Bulls this summer and he holds excitement over the club’s potential in Combined Counties League Division One.
As the Bulls aim to match Guernsey FC’s record of winning promotion from the tenth tier at the first attempt they have attracted a healthy handful of proven goalscorers, with Lester (below) standing in good company for 2019/20.
Seven of the top ten Combination goalscorers for 2018/19 have registered to play mainland league football, including Jack Boyle and Sol Solomon, who netted 50 senior goals between them last term.
The squad will appear together for the first time this weekend, when they host League Two club Stevenage for a pre-season friendly.
‘It looks like we’ve got a great squad with a great mix,’ said Lester.
‘A lot of us have played together before, for our clubs or the Island team and there are a few young lads coming in. I think it’ll be good.
‘At the start we were going into the unknown, but we had a meeting to hear about it and I was right on board after that.
‘It’s interesting and something different for us as players. St Paul’s has been great but this is a new challenge … it’s something we haven’t done, playing different players each week and having different experiences. It will be a great opportunity for us.’
Discussing his thoughts on working under fresh guidance through Bulls manager Gary Freeman, Lester said: ‘I’ve never worked with any of the coaches but I’ve heard great things from St Peter. Gary’s done a good job there and I’m looking forward to working with him and the team. It’s always good to work with new coaches to see different styles.’
He added: ‘I’ve never been involved in something like this before, but hopefully it’s something to look forward to. It’s all being done professionally and in the right way and as a player that’s all you can ask for.’
