This Saturday, Newport welcome Ascot Utd of the Combined Counties Premier Division North to Smallbrook, for the 1st Round proper of the FA Vase.
Ascot will be a difficult team to beat as they play in a Step 5 league, 1 higher than the Port. Ascot currently lie in 3rd place, having notched up 21 points from 8 league games – exactly the same as Newport so far in their campaign. The Berkshire side aren’t goal-shy, having netted 19 times in their league campaign, with 6 of their 7 league wins coming on their travels.
Ascot have an excellent record in the FA Vase having reached the Quarter Finals in 2012/13. 2014/15 and again last year.
Newport have hardly been goal-shy themselves of late, scoring 17 goals in October so far. The County Town club’s best performances in the FA Vase came in 1991/92 and 1992/93 when they reached the 5th round.
The Yachtsmen will be travelling to the London Borough of Harrow, where they play Rayners Lane of Combined Counties League Division 1 – 1 step below Cowes in the league pyramid. A coach will be carrying around 25 supporters to Greater London to cheer on the Island’s highest-ranking side in their 1st round FA Vase tie.
Rayners Lane currently lie in 12th place in their division but are unbeaten in 5. The furthest the Harrow-based side has ever reached in the FA Vase competition is the 2nd round in 1974/75.
Cowes have experienced 2 successive defeats since beating Laverstock & Ford 2-1 on 4th October. The Yachtsmen’s best performance in the FA Vase came back in 1999/2000 when they reached the 5th round.
In Wessex Division 1, Vics face 3rd-placed Folland Sports at Beatrice Avenue. The Planemakers have 23 points from the 11 fixtures they have played in the season to date. In their last game, Folland Sports lost 1-3 at home to Southern League Bashley.
Folland have already experienced victory at Beatrice Avenue when they beat Newport 1-3 back in August – the Port’s sole league defeat of the season.
3rd-from-bottom Vics have not won a league game since 13th August when they beat bottom club Fleet Spurs 0-2. The East Cowes side have yet to record a home league victory.
Wessex League fixtures for Saturday 22nd October 2022
Isuzu FA Vase First Round
Newport (IoW) v Ascot United
Rayners Lane v Cowes Sports
Division One
East Cowes Victoria v Folland Sports
Isle of Wight fixtures for Saturday 22nd October 2022
Harwoods Renault Division 1
Brading Town v West Wight
ECS v Northwood St Johns
Oakfield v Bembridge
Pan Community v Binstead & COB
Sandown & Lake v Shanklin
Whitecroft & Barton Sports v Vectis
Harwoods Renault Division 2
AFC Wootton v Niton Community
High Park v Carisbrooke United
Osborne Coburg v Yarmouth & Calbourne
Seaview v East Cowes Vics Reserves
Ventnor v Newchurch
Harwoods Renault Combination 1
Bembridge v Oakfield
Binstead & COB v Brading Town
Shanklin v ECS
Sandown & Lake v Vectis
West Wight v Northwood St Johns
No Fixture: Whitecroft & Barton Sports
Harwoods Renault Combination 2
Newchurch v AFC Wootton
Niton Community v Pan Community
Ryde Saints v Ventnor
No Fixture: Bembridge ‘A’ and Osborne Coburg
