East Cowes Sports ended their season on a high by beating Sherfield English 2-1 to win the Hampshire Vase at the Stoneham Football Complex.
The triumph provided a memorable response to recent disappointment for ECS, who had lost the Junior A Cup final to Binstead and narrowly missed out on promotion to Harwoods Division 1 after defeat in their final league game.
Determined to finish the campaign with silverware, the Island side started brightly and immediately took the game to their Hampshire opponents. ECS snapped into tackles, worked tirelessly off the ball and refused to allow Sherfield any time to settle.
Growing in confidence as the half progressed, ECS began creating the better openings and deservedly took the lead on 37 minutes. Chris Turner beat his man before delivering into the box, where a falling Thomas McDowall managed to square for Shaun Gulliver to sweep home from close range (1-0).
Now firmly in the ascendancy, ECS struck again moments before the break. Ant Cowburn met a corner at the back post with a diving header to double the advantage and spark wild celebrations among the travelling Island support.
Half Time: East Cowes Sports 2-0 Sherfield English
ECS continued to threaten after the restart, with Man-of-the-Match Finn Ray a constant menace as he repeatedly ran in behind the Sherfield defence.
However, with a 3rd goal refusing to arrive, Sherfield remained within touching distance and reduced the deficit with 12 minutes remaining when a back-post header from a corner made it 2-1.
The closing stages became increasingly tense, particularly after ECS were reduced to 10 men following a 2nd yellow card. But instead of panicking, the Islanders produced a disciplined and determined defensive display to see the game out.
Long balls were repeatedly headed clear, Jacob Harvey remained commanding and secure in goal, while the forward line worked tirelessly to hold possession and win valuable fouls as Sherfield pushed desperately for an equaliser.
When the final whistle sounded, players and supporters celebrated together as ECS completed a hard-fought victory and brought the Hampshire Vase back across the Solent.
Full Time: East Cowes Sports 2-1 Sherfield English
East Cowes Sports: Jacob Harvey, Finn Ray, Thomas McDowall, Shaun Gulliver, Ant Cowburn, Blake Reeves, Aiden Jones, Gary Richardson, Jordan Brownrigg, Chris Turner, Harry Gwilliam. Subs: James Gunningham, Boyd Jardine, Andy Ebbs, Josh Richardson, Callum Fryer. Man-of-the-Match: Finn Ray
After the match, Andy Ebbs said on behalf of ECS:
“Everyone at the club is proud of the players and the performance. They were fantastic all the way through and we are very happy that we could represent the Island in a positive way and bring the trophy home.
“We were determined to have something to show for our season after those disappointments, so everyone was up for the game today and we are all very happy to end the season with a trophy.”
