Cowes Sports goalkeeper Tommy Jackson was twice on target as the England Beach Soccer Team beat host nation Saudi Arabia at the NEOM international tournament on Thursday evening (10th November).
3 Beach Soccer players from the Isle Wight appeared in the England line up. As well as goalkeeper Tommy, Scott Lawson and Caymen Collins (both Brading Town) also played for the national side.
Both teams (England and Saudi Arabia) needed the points, but the Three Lions were quicker off the mark through keeper Tommy Jackson. A Mitch Day double took England to 3 before the break but the hosts struck with a clinical finish from Majed.
Grossett and Temple fired in powerful shots in the second period, but once more Saudi Arabia were there to pull them back to 5-2 through Naif.
In the 3rd period, the match exploded into a fiery goal fest as Jackson bettered his first strike with a crazy goal and Day completed his hat-trick.
Suddenly, the men in dark green were all over England, peppering them with shots and with less than a minute left, managed to mount an amazing comeback and cut the difference through Mubarak, Majed, Sulaiman, Khalid and finally Majed, as the crowd erupted with the scoreboard reading 7-7.
But the hero of the day was coincidentally called Day, as the England number three just found enough space to poke in a dramatic later winner, taking the final score to 8-7 – the highest scoring game so far in NEOM.
Full time: England 8-7 Saudi Arabia
After the game, former Medina College student Tommy – who lives in East Cowes – said:
“It was an unreal feeling to score the my 1st international goal. Even better to score a 2nd but frustrating not to get a hat trick after hitting the crossbar.
“I’m now 23, and I 1st started playing for England at 16 years old. It’s been a long time coming.”
When asked why so many of the England Beach Soccer Team come from the Isle of Wight, Tommy replied:
“Because of the set up on the island and youth and senior beach soccer tournament held on the island every year in the summer down Appley beach in Ryde.”
