A strong Whitecroft & Barton side, packed with experienced Wessex League players, proved far too strong for an improving Ryde Saints side at Smallbrook Stadium on Saturday.
W&B could call on the services of 3 of Newport’s best in their starting line-up: defender Ryan Hughes, midfielder Joe Craig, and captain Martin McDonough. Newport midfielder, Jake Wright, and Cowes striker, Michael McEnery, were left on the W&B substitutes’ bench.
Ryde have added Port’s prolific striker, Connor Kelly, to their squad, but he was unavailable through injury.
W&B’s first goal came courtesy of a 12th minute Matt Evans penalty after Joe Craig had been bundled over in the penalty area by Dave Sweet. (0-1).
The visiting champions had to wait almost half an hour to score their second when Josh Appell set up Matt Evans to blast the ball into the back of the net from ten yards. (0-2)
W&B then added a third shortly before halftime when Josh Appell put Aidan Sainsbury through for the midfielder to beat Saints’ goalkeeper, Ben Orton, in a one-on-one situation.
HT: Ryde Saints 0-3 W&B
It took the visitors 10 minutes to add to their goal tally after the break when Charlie Urry latched onto a cross at the far post to smash the ball into the back of the net with a volley from 10 yards. (0-4)
Saints then pulled a goal back in the 58th minute through a shot from the middle of the penalty area by youngster Cian McGee. (1-4)
Two minutes later, W&B added a 5th goal through a Joe Craig header from a corner. (1-5)
There then came a moment of comedy, when W&B substitute, Jake Wright, somehow hoofed the ball over the crossbar from 5 yards when presented with an open goal.
Ryde Saints were then reduced to 10 men when defender, Adam McKenner, was sin binned.
Saints continued to battle gamely despite being a man down. W&B goalkeeper, Gareth True, had to pull off a strong save to prevent Cian McGee from scoring a 2nd goal. Cam O’Rourke hit the crossbar with a header from the resulting corner.
It was Whitecroft & Barton who was to have the final word in the game. In the 81st minute, Michael McEnery, who had come on as a second-half substitute, went on a mazey run that ended with a goal for the visitors. (1-6)
Finally, in the 82nd minute, former Newport player-of-the-year, Charlie Urry, completed the route for league leaders W&B with his second goal of the game.
FT: W&B 1-7 Ryde Saints
Whitecroft & Barton now head Island League 1 with 42 points from their 16 games, 2 points ahead of Shanklin. Ryde Saints drop to 9th place in league 1 with 22 points.
After the match, W&B manager was characteristically tight-lipped, only stopping to say that he had been “very impressed” by the Ryde Saints performance.
Ryde Saints manager, Andy Brown, was not dismayed by his team’s performance against what he described as a “clinical” W&B side. He said:
“We are twice the side we were the previous season. We are moving in the right direction. The lads never gave up. W&B had fresh legs not having played midweek.
“We were up against a Wessex League standard side. We might have given their defence some problems had Connor Kelly been available.”
In other League 1 games, 2nd-placed Shanklin kept up the pressure on league leaders W&B with a 6-2 home victory against second-from-bottom Carisbrooke United. The scorers for Shanklin were: Ryan Hill (2), Pete Wilson (2), Callum Watkins and George Carter-Knight.
West Wight have now leap-frogged Brading to go to 3rd place in the Division 1 table after beating East Cowes Sports 1-0 at Camp Road.
Brading lost 3-4 at Vicarage Lane to a strong Cowes Sports reserve side, bolstered by a number of experienced Wessex League players. Brading were unable to recover from some poor first-half defending that saw the away side race to a 0-4 first-half lead.
In Division 2, leaders Oakfield maintained their impressive 100% record with a 1-6 victory away to bottom club Wroxall. The goal scorers for Oakfield were: Keetch (3), Pearce, Gee and Barrow.
Wroxall have now lost all 14 games played in the season so far and have a goal difference of -104.
2nd-placed Niton won 0-2 away to Osborne Coburg.
Oakfield, who are already assured of promotion, now lead the table with 45 points, 9 points ahead of Niton who have 36 points.
In the Hampshire Invitational Cup, the Island’s only Wessex League side in action, East Cowes Vics, drew 1-1 at Fawley. The Vics scorer was Scott Saunders, his second goal in two games.
Results for Saturday 24th April 2021
Island League Division 1: Bembridge 4-2 Vectis, Binstead & COB 1-1 Northwood St Johns, Brading Town 3-4 Cowes Sports Reserves, Ryde Saints 1-7 Whitecroft & Barton Sports, Shanklin 6-2 Carisbrooke United, Ventnor A-W Sandown, West Wight 1-0 East Cowes Sports
Division 2: AFC Wootton 2-2 Yarmouth & Calbourne, Adgestone 2-3 Newport ‘A’, Osborne Coburg 0-2 Niton Community, Wroxall 1-6 Oakfield
Fixtures for Tuesday, 27th April
Harwoods Renault League Division 1: Bembridge v Northwood St Johns, Binstead & COB v Sandown, Brading Town v Ryde Saints, Cowes Sports Reserves v West Wight, Shanklin v East Cowes Sports, Ventnor v Carisbrooke United
Division 2: Newchurch v Adgestone, Newport ‘A’ v AFC Wootton, Oakfield v Pan Sports, Wroxall v Niton Community, Yarmouth & Calbourne v Osborne Coburg
