It was a black day for Isle of Wight football on Saturday (26th November) with none of our sides taking 3 points from mainland opposition they might have beaten.
ILL-DISCIPLINE COSTS VICS
East Cowes Vics lost a game they had been leading at half time by a margin of 5 goals.
The match began with presentations to Liam Newbold and Jordan Chapman to mark their 150th appearances for the East Cowes club.
In a very even and entertaining 1st half, Vics took the lead in the 27th minute through a goal from a corner that appeared to have come off the back of Henry West (1-0).
Romsey came back towards the end of the half with Alex Ram pulling off 3 good saves to ensure Vics went into the 2nd half with a goal advantage.
Half time: East Cowes Vics 1-0 Romsey Town
Romsey equalized 5 minutes into the 2nd half when Keelan Walsh committed a foul in the Vics penalty area and captain Jack Odam converted the resulting spot kick (1-1).
When Odam went to retrieve the ball from the goal net, there was an altercation between the Romsey player and Vics goalkeeper Ram, which was ignored by referee Mr Whiting.
In the 54th minute, Charlie Marsek – who had an excellent game – was unable to convert a golden opportunity to restore the lead for Vics when put clean through, firing at the Romsey keeper.
In the 58th minute, Vics were punished for their profligacy in front of goal when Odam scored his brace (1-2).
On scoring, Jack Odam confronted Alex Ram, leading to the Vics keeper pushing him and Odam theatrically falling to the ground. Ram was red carded for his role in the incident with Odam receiving a yellow.
Reserve keeper Ben Woodford came on for Vics, who were now playing with 10 men. The remainder of the game was a comedy of errors for the East Cowes side.
Romsey scored their 3rd in the 65th minute through a John Cole header (1-3).
The away side increased their lead to 3 goals in the 78th through Kieran Hancock back heel (1-4).
The mainland side scored their 5th in the 87th from a shot by Charlie Hawes that Woodford failed to hold (1-5).
Hawes then scored his brace in the 90th minute with Vics keeper Woodford diving the wrong way (1-6).
Full time: East Cowes Vics 1-6 Romsey Town
East Cowes Vics: Ram, Walsh, H. Yates, Newbold, West, K. Woodford, Chapman, Lyon, Cant, Marsek Subs: Berry, B.Woodford, J. Yates, Turner, Jones
Defeat leaves Vics 3rd-from-bottom in Wessex Division 1 with 10 points from 15 games.
YACHTSMEN SCUPPERED BY PAGHAM
Cowes Sports appear in danger of becoming ensnared in a relegation dogfight after a home defeat by 3rd-from-bottom Pagham at Westwood Park.
Captain John McKie – who had had a couple of early chances – opened the scoring for the Yachtsmen in the 18th minute after latching on to a cross from Jez Conway before burying the ball in the corner of the goal (1-0).
Pagham came close to equalizing in the final minute of the 1st half, but Conor White stopped a shot on the goal line.
Half time: Cowes Sports 1-0 Pagham
2 minutes into the 2nd half, Pagham hit the upright. 10 minutes later, Ed Hatt was called into action to preserve the home side’s lead.
However, disaster struck for the Yachtsmen in the 67th minute when Stan Bridgman netted for the mainland side (1-1). 10 minutes later, Bridgman got his brace (1-2).
10 minutes from full time, Pagham were reduced to 10 men after a bad foul on captain John McKie. However, the Yachtsmen were unable to take advantage of the extra man and ended the game pointless.
Full time: Cowes Sports 1-2 Pagham
Cowes Sports: Hatt, Dempsey, J. Mumford, Catania, O. West, McFarlane, White, Phillips, Conway, McKie (c), Coode Subs: C.Neale, Williams, Perrin, Fever-Norton, Gearing (gk)
Defeat leaves the Yachtsmen in 17th place in the Wessex Premier with 13 points from 15 games – just 3 points ahead of 3rd-from-bottom Pagham.
PORT HIT WOODWORK TWICE BUT ONLY GAIN POINT
It was 2 points lost rather than a point gained on their travels as the Port were held to a goalless draw by 2nd-from-bottom Amesbury Town.
3 good chances fell for Connor Kelly in the early stages of the game, but the winger failed to take advantage. On the half hour mark, Joe Butcher hit the upright with a curling shot. Further scoring opportunities fell for Butcher and Oatley towards the end of the 1st half, but the game remained goalless at the interval.
Half time: Amesbury Town 0-0 Newport IoW
In the 2nd half, Jordan Browne hit the crossbar, Finn Smith sent a shot narrowly wide and Connor Kelly had a scoring attempt stopped by the Amesbury keeper’s legs. However, the Wiltshire side held out to deny the Port the full 3 points.
Full time: Amesbury Town 0-0 Newport IoW
Newport (IoW): Pitman, Colson, Hancott, Grandvoinet, Reynolds, Oatley, Kelly, Boyd-Kerr, Browne, Smith, Butcher Subs: Maloney, McCormack (gk), Lamb, Craig
The draw leaves Newport in 5th place in Wessex Division 1, with 31 points from 13 games, 8 points behind leaders New Milton Town but with 6 games in hand.
