PRAYING FOR THE JERSEY
Meet player who thinks null and void is load of Bull despite the fact he’s a Rangers supporter GARY RALSTON
SCOTTISH central defender Luke Campbell is cursing his status as the unluckiest footballer in the world.
His side have won 27 league games out of 27 played, scored 99 goals and conceded just seven and are so far ahead at the top of the table they’re sending postcards to Farnham Town in second place.
However, the FA have just told Jersey Bulls their achievements in the last eight months count for nothing after English football’s administrators scrapped lowerleague seasons as a result of the coronavirus crisis.
There is a growing revolt against the FA’s decision with 60 non-league outfits, including the Bulls, writing to complain ahead of a formal hearing later this week.
Campbell, a 30-year-old surveyor who lives in St Helier, must be the only Rangers fan who reckons a null and void campaign sucks.
He said: “It feels like all the hard work, dedication and commitment from players, sponsors, management and staff at the club has counted for nothing.
“I know football isn’t important in the grand scheme at the moment but I hope the club seeks justification from the FA for its decision.”
The FA announced last week they were calling a halt to all football played between steps three-seven in their pyramid system as well as their women’s and grassroots game.
In effect, all football in England played below Premier g.ralston@dailyrecord.co.uk
League, Football League and National League level has been scrapped and players told to start all over again when the COVID-19 crisis has passed.
The decision was expected to be ratified by the FA Council in the coming days but that was before the clubs joined forces to complain about the processes used.
It’s especially harsh on Jersey Bulls, formed less than two years ago as an umbrella outfit, taking the best players from existing sides on the island to compete for the first time in the English pyramid system.
An amateur side playing in the first division of the Combined Counties League, they cover the
cost of travel to play games in the south east – and also foot the bill when teams come to Jersey for league and cup fixtures. Campbell, who comes from Rutherglen but moved to the Channel Islands aged eight, lists his favourite players as Ally McCoist, Brian Laudrup, Paul Gascoigne and Barry Ferguson He said: “I still come over for games every now and then. “My favourite memory as a Rangers fan was being at Parkhead when Pedro Mendes scored and we won 4-2 in 2008. “I know the arguments going on about null and void in the Premiership just now but I’m not in favour. “I accept it will take a lot of organisation and planning but the only fair way is to play the season to its end, even if we have to wait until after coronavirus. “There was disappointment and frustration at our club when the FA released its statement because we have worked so hard to get to this point and I hope it doesn’t derail the progress we’ve made in the last couple of years. Hopefully it will serve to galvanise us. “We were 20 points clear at the top and arithmetically had already won promotion. “I understand the position of the FA and Combined Counties League. We were due to be promoted but the sides at the bottom of the Premier were all
still battling to avoid relegation. Each team could potentially have pulled away from the danger zone and it would have been a harsh call to put them down. You can’t bend the rules for one club but it’s still tough on us.
“I also don’t understand why the FA have only set this precedent in steps three to seven of their pyramid and not made a judgment on the Premier League or English Football League.”
It costs around five grand in travel costs alone for every game the Bulls play and, when you factor in other running expenses, they’re more than £250,000 for the season to date.
At 30, Campbell’s dreams of playing at the highest level possible rests with Jersey Bulls fulfilling their potential and climbing through the ranks after being admitted to the Combined Counties League at the start of the season.
He said: “We couldn’t celebrate our promotion because it came during the week when a result involving our closest challengers went our way.
“We’d used our What’sApp group to plan a night out and there’s great disappointment among the lads we won’t at this stage get the chance to play in the Premier Division next season. But if the FA stands by its decision we’re determined to do the same all over again next time round.
“There’s a great camaraderie among the lads. It’s a fantastic group and flying to and from the mainland for games has only increased our team spirit.”