Cowes Sports have advanced to the 1st Round proper of the FA Vase with a last gasp win over Alton in North Hampshire.
However, the Yachtsmen trailed the Brewers by a single goal for almost the entire game: from the 9th to 85th minute.
The game began promisingly for Cowes with a golden opportunity for captain John McKie, which he headed at the Alton keeper.
However, disaster struck for Cowes when the Brewers’ Luke Perkins sent a powerful low shot past keeper Ed Hatt to open the scoring for the home side (1-0).
In the 12th minute, Liam Triggs blasted the ball past the Alton upright. On the half hour mark, the Yachtsmen were unlucky not to have been awarded a penalty when McKie was tripped in the penalty area.
However, Alton appeared the stronger side, shooting across the face of the goal in the 15th and 42nd minutes but without extending their lead.
Half time Alton 1-0 Cowes Sports
The Yachtsmen had a few chances early on in the 2nd half with John McKie attempting to chip the Brewers’ keeper in the 47th minute and Fin Phillips having a shot stopped by Alton keeper Mees on the hour mark.
Cowes manager Max Draper attempted to change the course of the game by putting on Jez Conway for Scott McFarlane and Jordan Cook for Scott Barron. However, Alton succeeded in keeping Cowes penned in their own half.
The game changed in the 75th minute when George Carter-Knight came on for captain McKie.
5 minutes from full time, Carter-Knight struck the Alton woodwork with a fierce curling shot before knocking the rebound past Alton keeper Mees (1-1).
Carter-Knight was unlucky not to have been awarded a penalty when bundled over in the penalty area a minute from full time.
However, in the 3rd minute of injury time, Fin Phillips was knocked to the ground within the 18-yard box. This time, the referee had little hesitation in pointing to the penalty spot.
Jez Conway decisively dispatched the resulting spot kick (1-2) to put the Yachtsmen into the next round of the FA Vase.
Alton 1-2 Cowes Sports
Cowes Sports: Hatt, Mumford, West, Barron (Cook), Oatley, McFarlane (Conway), Triggs, Colson, Phillips, McKie, Kelly Subs (not used): Neale, Ahmed
After the game, Cowes manager Max Draper said:
“It was a horribly disjointed game of football. It was a ‘smash and grab’ for us. But, at the end of the day, we’re in the hat for the next round.”
“Cowes won. Job done.”
Max Draper’s assistant Ian Potts said:
“Alton were tiring towards the end of the game. The substitutions made all the difference. The players were brought on at just the right time.”
VICS KNOCK 8 GOALS PAST BLUEBIRDS
Ji Nash scored 4 goals and Jacob Reynolds 3 as East Cowes Vics put 8 goals past a poor Andover Town side.
The progress made by the East Cowes side is shown by a comparison with last season when they were beaten 7-1 at the Portway Stadium.
Ji Nash opened the scoring for the Island side by calmly slotting past the keeper in the 2nd minute (0-1). 3 minutes later, Jacob Reynolds added a 2nd for Vics with a 20-yard thunderbolt (0-2).
Reynolds bagged his brace in the 23rd minute after being set up by Josh Neale (0-3). He then hit his hat trick on the half hour mark by converting a penalty (0-4).
It was then Ji Nash’s turn to bag his brace (0-5) and send Vics into the half time interval with a 5-goal advantage. However, as well as putting 5 past their opponents, the East Cowes side also saw 2 goal attempts bounce off the woodwork.
Half time: Andover Town 0-5 East Cowes Vics
Ji Nash put paid to a period of Andover pressure by grabbing a 6th (0-6) and 7th goal (0-7) for the Island side.
A defensive mishap then led to the Bluebirds pulling a goal back (1-7). However, substitute Lewis Parsons completed the rout for Vics after being put through by Teddy Mumford (1-8).
Full time: Andover Town 1-8 East Cowes Vics
East Cowes Vics: Law, Snow (J. Yates), H. Yates, Newbold, Chase, Mumford, Chapman, Boyd-Kerr, Neale (Sanderson), Reynolds (Hart), Nash (Parsons)
Victory for Vics leaves the East Cowes side 7th in Wessex Division 1 with 16 points from 8 games.
UNLUCKY HOME DEFEAT FOR THE PORT
Fawley claimed all 3 points on the Island in a game that meandered for 90 minutes and most neutrals thought a draw was a fairer reflection.
Joe Craig hammered a shot into the top corner after only 6 minutes to put Newport one up (1-0). However, Newport couldn’t push on and get a 2nd in a half where quality in the final third was at a premium.
Fawley dug in and were level after 35 minutes. Newport keeper Leon Pitman made a good save but the rebound fell to Fawley’s Declan Hartigan who slotted home (1-1).
Half time: Newport (IoW) 1-1 Fawley
The 2nd half was carbon copy of first. Jordan Browne and Joe Craig mishit shots from inside the box; Fawley hit the post from an acute angle before Newport’s skipper nearly put through his own net. Fawley snatched the lead from the resulting corner when it appeared a home defender bundled the ball past his own keeper (1-2).
From there on, Newport threw 4 players forward and pumped long balls but never created a clear cut chance with substitute Aaron Burford going the closest.
Newport did have the ball in the net twice more. Joe Butcher was adjudged offside for the first and – with the last kick of the game – Joe Craig’s equaliser was ruled out for a push.
Full time: Newport (IoW) 1-2 Fawley
Newport: Pitman, West, McDonough, Walsh. Oatley, Watterson, Butcher, Browne, Vyse, Craig, Younie Subs: Streeter, Myram, Wright, Burford Player of the Match: Joe Craig
Report John Davies
Newport’s defeat leaves them 13th in Wessex Division 1 with 10 points from 8 games.
