The Yachtsmen comfortably won their first game in 2022 against 4th-placed Baffins Milton Rovers in front of 163 spectators at Westwood Park.
A well-funded Baffins side in contention for the Wessex Premier title crossed the Solent expecting a comfortable victory against a Cowes Sports side they had described in their match preview as ‘lowly’. But the Yachtsmen had not read the script.
Baffins had 2 familiar faces in their starting line-up as former Cowes players Ed Sanders and Alex Przespolewski returned to Westwood. Cowes made 5 changes to the side defeated at Shaftesbury last Saturday: Ji Nash, Aedan Coode and Joe Adams warmed the substitutes bench, and Mitchell Ricketts and the injured Jez Conway were both absent. In came Jason Malcolmson, James Flux, Gareth Bricknell, John McKie, and Jack Barsdell to give more experience and bite to the Island team.
The Yachtsmen made the 1st serious attempt on goal in the 13th minute when a through ball from Jack Barsdell found Gareth Bricknell, who had his shot blocked by the feet of Baffins keeper Searle. Fin Phillips then had a further strike blocked by a defender.
In the 25th minute, Westwood went wild when Jack Barsdell sent in a low cross to the six-yard line, and Cowes Captain Finley Phillips directed the ball into the Baffins net (1-0). Manager Max Draper was then uncharacteristically shown a yellow card for dissent. The visiting side appeared unable to respond to falling behind, and the Yachtsmen reached the interval with a goal advantage.
HT: Cowes Sports 1-0 Baffins Milton Rovers
Would Baffins put a fight in the second half? Apart from some speculative efforts that went high and wide, the answer was negative. It was Cowes who doubled their lead in the 57th minute when a long clearance was back headed by Baffins defender Lee Molyneaux into the path of leading scorer John McKie, who blasted the ball into the far corner of the goal (2-0).
Baffins then made three substitutions in an attempt get back into the game, but however much the Portsmouth outfit huffed and puffed, they were unable to blow the Cowes fortress down. With 10 minutes remaining, the Yachtsmen’s James Flux was fouled, leading to a yellow card for Baffins’ James Cowan. Miles Everett then petulantly threw the ball at the stricken Cowes player, suggesting he was faking injury, but when Joe Adams appeared to throw the ball back at the Baffins player, he was booked by referee Krasimir Petrov. Apart from some further yellow card being dished out, there was little action for the remainder of the game, and all 3 points remained on the Island.
Cowes Sports: Hatt, White, Malcolmson, West, Watson, Flux, Phillips (c) (Holmes 90), Mumford (Adams 74), Bricknell, McKie, Barsdell (Nash 63) Subs (unused): Coode, Coshell.
After the game, Cowes manager Max Draper said:
“We’ve come through a difficult period with many changes and rotations. We hope to pick up once again from where we were at the beginning of the season.
“We are only one of two sides in our division who don’t pay their players. It is difficult to get some players to commit to training and long trips to the mainland if they have to throw away the opportunity of paid work.
“We have a massive game this Saturday against Portland. Today, my team defended for their lives. I’m hoping to see some consistency. I don’t want to be the Cowes of old where we are mixing it with the bottom teams.
For Baffins Milton Rovers, manager Shaun Wilkinson said:
“I’d be mad if I were the Cowes manager. If they played like that every week, they’d be top of the league.”
The Yachtsmen’s win leaves them in 16th place in the Wessex Premier with 29 points from 27 games. With only 2 teams being relegated this season, Cowes are now a massive 21 points above the 2nd-from-bottom side, Hythe & Dibden.
