4 Isle of Wight teams battled through at the weekend to reach the 4th round of the Hampshire Trophy: Bembridge, Brading Town, Shanklin and Whitecroft & Barton.
Bembridge took revenge on a West Wight side who had beaten them 0-5 at Steyne Park the previous Saturday in the Isle of Wight League.
Bembridge went 1-0 up on 20 minutes through a Shem Michail goal direct from a corner. 10 minutes later, Bembridge scored a 2nd through a Macauley Watterson shot from close range. The home side then gave away a silly free kick on the edge of the box on 35 minutes, which was put away by West Wight with the keeper blinded by the sun to give Bembridge a 2-1 halftime lead.
The second half was a real battle, with West Wight playing a lot of long balls with the wind behind them, but Bembridge held firm to preserve their goal advantage until the end of the game.
FT: Bembridge 2 – 1 West Wight
After the match, Bembridge manager Justin Malin said:
“I thought we played really well in the first half and deserved to go in at half time in front. In the second half, West Wight put us under more pressure with lots of long balls, but we defended superbly well. I’m really proud of all my players today”
Hampshire Trophy: Hedge End Rangers 3-5 Brading Town
Hampshire Trophy holders Brading battled through to the fourth round by beating Hedge End Rangers on a difficult pitch after twice falling behind.
The Romans found themselves 2-0 down after 15 minutes. However, Brading got a foothold when skipper Dan Vale was brought down in the penalty area and confidently despatched the resulting free kick (2-1). The Island side then levelled the scores on half time when Dan Vale sent a superb through ball to Aaron Bennett, who finished with aplomb (2-2).
The Romans found themselves trailing again at the start of the 2nd half (3-2) but then levelled the score with a close-range effort from Billy Chugg that appeared offside (3-3) after which a Hedge End player was sinbinned for dissent. Brading then went ahead through a fortunate penalty scored by Dan Vale (3-4). The Hedge End manager was sent off for disputing the decision. Man-of-the-match Vale completed his hat-trick when he finished well after being sent clear by James Ranson’s excellent pass (3-5).
After the match Brading Town manager Steve Lawton said:
“We were awful for 30 minutes but showed a lot of character to get back in the game. The lads never gave up and all played their part in another victory.”
Hampshire Trophy: Shanklin 2-0 Denmead
Shanklin showed that Isle of Wight Division 1 teams can more than match sides from the Hampshire Premier league by disposing of Denmead in a closely fought encounter at the County Ground.
Neither side could break the deadlock in a goalless 1st half in which Shanklin had the lion’s share of the chances. Kyle Drew came close to breaking the deadlock early in the 2nd half but had a shot heading for the top corner blocked by an excellent save from the Denmead keeper. Shanklin centre forward Drew then put the Island side into the lead by wrong-footing a Denmead defender before striking the ball into the top corner of the goal from the edge of the penalty area (1-0). Denmead threw men forward in an attempt to find an equaliser, which left them vulnerable at the back; Shanklin capitalised when substitute Cory Sanderson cut inside from the left and curled a shot into the far top corner (2-0).
In other Hampshire Trophy games …
Isle of Wight champions Whitecroft & Barton Sports trounced BTC Southampton 1-10. The W&B scorers were Josh Appell (5), Oli Wilson (3), Jack East and Finn Kalaker.
Oakfield were the only Isle of Wight side to be beaten by mainland opposition in the Trophy, losing 4-0 to Bishop Waltham Dynamos.
In The Hampshire Vase …
Pan Community walzed through to the 4th round of the competition by thrashing Carberry 10-1 at Downside. The scorers for Pan were: Robbie Shepherd (4), Ashley Gulliver (2), Mark Taylor, Jack Davies, Sam Gwilliam and Josh Gwilliam. Pan have now scored 105 goals this season in 14 league and 4 cup games.
Isle of Wight results for Saturday 4th December 2021
Hampshire FA Saturday Trophy – Round 3: Bembridge First 2-1 West Wight First; Bishops Waltham Dynamos First 4-0 Oakfield First; BTC (Southampton) 1-10 Whitecroft & Barton Sports; Hedge End Rangers First 3-5 Brading Town First; Shanklin First 2-0 Denmead First
Hampshire FA Saturday Vase – Round 2: East Cowes Vics Reserves 1-4 Burrfields First; Inmar First 2-2 AFC Wootton First (Wootton win 2-3 on penalties); Pan Community First 10-1 Carberry First; West Wight Reserves 2-2 Winsor United Green (Winsor win 0-3 on penalties); Whitecroft & Barton Sports Reserves 0-1 St Francis Men First
Harwoods Renault IOW Saturday League Division 1: Binstead & COB 3-3 Vectis; Cowes Sports Reserves 3-3 Northwood St Johns
Division 2: East Cowes Sports 0-1 Osborne Coburg; High Park 5-1 Carisbrooke United; Seaview 1-3 Ventnor; Yarmouth & Calbourne 12-1 Newport Reserves
Combination Division 1: Northwood St Johns 3-3 Shanklin; Oakfield H-W Brading Town; Osborne Coburg 1-4 Bembridge; Ryde Saints 2-5 Sandown & Lake
Combination Division 2: AFC Wootton 1-3 Yarmouth & Calbourne; Carisbrooke United A-W Pan Community; Niton Community 7-3 Ventnor
