14 Isle of Wight teams Division 1 teams will be kicking off in scorching conditions at 14:00 this Saturday.
2 teams – Pan Community and East Cowes Sports (ECS) – have been promoted from Division 2 and 1 team – Niton Community – has been relegated.
The 2 promoted teams face each other at the GKN Sports Ground in East Cowes. Pan are currently unable to play their home fixtures at Downside because the drainage system installed by the Council has collapsed.
In other games, Isle of Wight Division 1 champions Shanklin face Cowes Sports Reserves at the County Ground; runners up W&B play Vectis at Cowes Enterprise College; the 2 Ryde teams – Oakfield and Saints – face off at Slade Road.
In the Wessex Premier, Cowes Sports will be looking to pick up their 1st points of the new campaign when they face Alresford Town at Westwood Park. The Yachtsmen finished just 2 places, but 10 points adrift of Alresford last season.
In Wessex Division 1, Newport take on Folland Sports at Beatrice Avenue, home of East Cowes Vics. The Port were unable to play at Smallbrook due to an event (subsequently cancelled) being held by the Speedway club. Newport hope to be in their new ground – the Racecourse, Whippingham – in March.
Newport beat Folland in the Division One play-off semi-final last season on penalties. The 2 sides will be seeking automatic promotion this season, making a win vital for both.
East Cowes Vics travel to North Hampshire to face Fleet Spurs, who finished 2nd-from-bottom last season. Vics lost 3-1 at Fleet Spurs the last time the 2 sides met, with Harrison Yates scoring for Vics.
Football fixtures for Saturday 13th August 2022
Wessex League
All games to kick off at 15:00 unless shown
Premier Division
Cowes Sports v Alresford Town
Division 1
Fleet Spurs v East Cowes Victoria (14:30)
Newport IOW v Folland Sports (at Beatrice Avenue, East Cowes)
Harwoods Renault Isle of Wight League
All games to kick off at 14:00
Division 1
Bembridge v Northwood St Johns
Binstead & COB v Brading Town
ECS v Pan Community
Oakfield v Ryde Saints
Shanklin v Cowes Sports Reserves
Vectis v Whitecroft & Barton Sports
West Wight v Sandown & Lake
Idiots about still , must be mad to allow kick off in this heat, totally unnecessary where’s the risk assessment here ………
2nd week in August, Total madness to start the season in this heat. Postpone it for a week.
The league are so set in their ways they will not budge. Load of old codgers. On their heads be it when a player or referee collapses with heatstroke or worse. The pitches must be like concrete. Where is the sense ?