Ji Nash – who has made appearances for all 3 Isle of Wight Wessex League sides – has scored 100 goals in Steps 5 and 6 of the non-league pyramid.
Ji achieved his milestone by bagging a brace in Port’s 2-1 win against Amesbury Town last Saturday.
The 27-year-old striker has also previously appeared for Shanklin in Harwoods Isle of Wight Division 1.
He is currently Newport’s leading scorer with 16 goals in 27 games. Last season, he top scored for East Cowes Victoria with 24 goals in 33 games.
Island Echo caught up with Ji to ask him a few questions…
Do you know how many games you’ve played for Newport, Vics and Cowes (and Shanklin)? I’m just shy of 300 Wessex appearances, I believe. I’m not sure how many I’ve played for Shanklin.
What has been your best performance? My most memorable performance was probably scoring my first hat-trick at Wessex level when I was 16 for Vics against Andover New Street. I won’t forget that one.
Who was the best player you’ve played with and against? Played with many. Best player I’ve played with is Alex Prez or Ian Seabrook.
Best Player I’ve played against is Christian Saydee, who now plays for Portsmouth. I played against him the Hampshire Senior Cup for Cowes. He was brilliant. No one could get near him.
What team do you support? I’m an Arsenal fan.
What footballer do you most admire? Thierry Henry. No one comes close. Unbelievable player.
Do you compete in any sport other than football? No, not anymore, unfortunately. I don’t have the time, but I used to play for Vics darts team on Monday nights.
If it’s not football I’m watching or playing, I love darts. I watch and play that as much as I can. I do enjoy the cricket too.
What’s your day job? I was a teacher, but now I work at Wightfibre.
How long do you intend to continue and what would be your (footballing) ambition? I want to play for as long as I can, especially at Wessex level. Another 6-7 years would be great. Reaching 100 goals is a good achievement, but the next one has to be the 150.
Finally, who will win the Isle of Wight Gold Cup this year? Cowes and Vics are really strong this year, so one of them will be the favourites. But on our day (Newport), we know we can match anyone, so we will have to be at our best when we play Vics on Tuesday.
