Cowes Sports overcame Isle of Wight League champions W&B with a workmanlike performance in the Gold Cup semi-final at Beatrice Avenue on Wednesday evening (27th April).
It has often been claimed that Whitecroft & Barton, who are unbeaten in Isle of Wight Division 1 in the season to date, are an Island League side with Wessex League quality players.
On Wednesday evening W&B were given the opportunity to test themselves against the Isle of Wight’s only Wessex Premier League side: Cowes Sports. W&B proved that they are more than capable of giving a Wessex League side a good game but lack the match fitness of a side competing further up the league pyramid.
The first half was a dour and goalless affair. 2 W&B players were booked: Joe Rayner and Matt Evans. The Yachtsmen’s Fin Phillips got the ball in the W&B goal from a free kick, but had the goal disallowed as he had taken it before the referee had blown his whistle. W&B’s Matt Evans had 2 chances that went past Ed Hatt’s right post. As the 1st half drew to a close, Ewan Cranwell shot narrowly past the woodwork for the Yachtsmen.
Half time: Cowes Sports 0-0 Whitecroft & Barton
Both sides made changes in the 2nd half with Darren Williams coming on for Cowes and Josh Appell for W&B. The Yachtsmen took the lead in the 58th minute from a low strike across the face of the goal from centre forward Jez Conway (1-0).
Whitecroft & Barton then had 3 golden opportunities to equalize with Keelan Sainsbury, Sam Yelland and Josh Appell all having close-range efforts blocked on the goal line by Ed Hatt. Ewan Cranwell was fortunate to receive a yellow rather than red card for a foul against Josh Appell when he appeared to have broken through the Yachtsmen’s defensive line. At the other end of the pitch, Ji Nash forced a good 1-handed save from W&B goalkeeper Andy Payne.
Towards the end of the game, the tiring W&B defence appeared exposed to Cowes counterattacks, and Ji Nash took full advantage by outpacing the Island League defenders and shooting past Andy Payne in the 2nd minute of injury time (2-0).
Full time: Cowes Sports 2-0 Whitecroft & Barton
Cowes Sports: Hatt, Dempsey, Tickner, Jackson, McFarlane, Adams, Cranwell, Mumford, Conway, Phillips, Nash Subs: Coode, Neale, Williams, Voller, Coshell
W&B: Payne, K. Sainsbury, Shaw, Bast, Ovnik, A. Sainsbury, Yelland, Rayner, Lambert, Evans, Martin Subs: Appell, Slaven, East, Curliss, True
After the game, Cowes Sports manager Max Draper responded to suggestions that Wessex Division 1 Newport would beat his Wessex Premier side in the Gold Cup final. Max said:
“We like people to think Newport will win. We like people writing us off. We like being the ‘underdogs’. Newport may have easy victories week-in-week-out in the division below, but they are not facing the same quality of opponents.”
Cowes Sports will face Newport in the final of the Isle of Wight Senior ‘Gold’ Cup at Beatrice Avenue on Tuesday 10th May.
Not quite what I said Warren, but each to their own.
Actually said they have quality and so do we, so stop writing us off.
2 very poor teams. The FINAL will be a Walk in the park for Newport IOW. John Ballard.
Forget the childish Isle of Wight rivalries and set your sights higher (the two Johns)…both Newport and Cowes are good sides both with their flaws and inconsistencies…credit to both set of players for showing the commitment required to keep these clubs going……will now look forward to a hopefully good sporting contest and not to the inevitable 2/3 sendings off and bad tempered old school crowd baying at the referee every thirty seconds….shame also that there are not facilities on the Island worthy of a competition called the ‘Gold Cup’
walk in the park? they’ll be playing Seaclose Park next season anyway!
I was sat in the stand and overheard the Cowes management team after stating “they didn’t need luck” in the final