Ji Nash struck 5 times as Newport demolished Totton & Eling to return to winning ways and send their prolific striker top of the Wessex League scoring charts.
Nash’s extraordinary haul took his season’s tally to 14, making him the leading scorer across both Wessex League divisions. Kai Grace added a brace and Dan Pearson completed the 8-0 rout at WightFibre Park on Tuesday evening (20th October).
The victory ended a run of 4 league matches without a win for Port and equalled their biggest league success of the season, an 8-0 demolition of Amesbury Town on 5th September.
Totton & Eling arrived on the Island having won just once in 13 league matches, although they had held league leaders New Milton Town to a 1-1 draw the previous Saturday.
The visitors made the brighter start and appeared the stronger side during the opening 15 minutes, without seriously troubling Newport goalkeeper Leon Pitman. However, their promising opening was undone in the 16th minute when Grace lifted the ball over the visiting goalkeeper from inside the 6-yard box (1-0).
Ten minutes later, a Totton & Eling defender handled the ball inside the penalty area, allowing Nash to double Port’s advantage from the spot (2-0).
Nash struck again in the 40th minute, driving the ball through the goalkeeper’s legs from just outside the 6-yard box to give Newport a commanding half-time lead.
Half Time: Newport IW 3-0 Totton & Eling
The second half was barely underway when Nash completed his hat-trick. Mazambara provided the assist in the 47th minute, with the Newport striker finding the net for the third time (4-0).
Grace grabbed his second goal of the evening in the 66th minute to extend Port’s advantage (5-0), before substitute Pearson added his name to the scoresheet 11 minutes later. Nash struck the upright, but Pearson was on hand to blast the rebound into the net (6-0).
Nash saved his final 2 goals for the closing stages. In the 80th minute, he powered past a Totton & Eling defender before tapping the ball home for his fourth of the night (7-0).
Five minutes later, the visiting goalkeeper failed to hold the ball and Nash pounced to complete his remarkable 5-goal haul, rounding off a miserable evening for the Hampshire visitors.
Full Time: Newport IW 8-0 Totton & Eling
Newport IW: Pitman; Younie, Butcher, Hancott, Conway, Tompsett, Nash, Sainsbury, Browne, Mazambara, Grace. Subs: Walsh, Young, Myram, Pearson, Catania Man of the Match: Nash.
The emphatic victory lifts Newport to 7th in Wessex Division 1 with 22 points from 12 matches, just 3 points outside the playoff places. Port have games in hand over several clubs above them and boast the division’s best goal difference of +19, having scored 34 league goals.
Newport have no fixture this Saturday (24th October) and will return to action away to Colden Common on Saturday 31st October.
COWES SPORTS 1-2 RINGWOOD TOWN
Cowes Sports’ youngsters pushed Ringwood Town all the way before suffering a narrow defeat in the Russell Cotes Cup.
The Yachtsmen fielded a youthful side, including several players aged between 16 and 18, against the Wessex Division 1 promotion contenders at the Diverse Marine Stadium on Tuesday evening (20th October).
Ringwood struck first in the 22nd minute when Ben Harris seized on a loose ball around 20 yards from goal and drove a low shot skidding across the wet turf. The ball clipped the inside of the left-hand post before finding the net (0-1).
The visitors held their slender advantage until the interval, leaving Cowes with plenty to play for in the second half.
Half Time: Cowes Sports 0-1 Ringwood Town
Ringwood doubled their lead in the 57th minute when a curling cross from the right evaded the Cowes defence. Denys Tysplakov arrived at the far post to turn the ball into the net (0-2).
The evening also produced a memorable family moment when manager Mark Woodhouse replaced Morgan Perrin with Jimmy Mumford, meaning brothers Jimmy, Bob and Ted Mumford were all on the pitch together in a competitive first-team fixture for what is believed to be the first time.
Cowes refused to surrender and pulled a goal back when Jordan Whittle whipped a free kick into the penalty area from the right. The Ringwood goalkeeper came to claim the ball but failed to gather it, leaving Luke Glynn to pounce and knock home from close range (1-2).
The Yachtsmen pressed for an equaliser during a tense final 10 minutes, keeping the visitors under pressure until the closing stages. However, Ringwood survived the late scare to book their place in the next round.
Full Time: Cowes Sports 1-2 Ringwood Town
Cowes Sports: Gearing; B. Mumford, T. Mumford, Chase (c), Whittle, Glynn, Perrin, West, St John Biggs, Fever-Norton, Appell. Subs: J. Mumford, Coode, Backshall, Furmidge, Robertson.
After the match, Cowes manager Mark Woodhouse was full of praise for his young players, insisting that their performances demonstrated why they deserved opportunities in the first team.
Woodhouse said:
“They’re not even under-23s. They’re 16 to 18. To go out there and play with that level of maturity and bravery in front of a big crowd.
“That’s why I entered this cup, because I knew they were out there to play, make a game of it and run them really close.
“Lads will always get an opportunity at this club, not because they’re young but because they’re ready.
“I’m really proud of the boys. We’ve had a couple of poor results, but this doesn’t make us a poor team.
“The boys are ready for Saturday.”
Cowes return to Wessex Premier Division action on Saturday (24th October), when they welcome Sherborne Town to the Diverse Marine Stadium.
