John McKie struck twice as Cowes Sports sank Christchurch with a superb attacking display at the Diverse Marine Stadium this afternoon (Saturday).
Having drawn a blank against Baffins Milton Rovers on Tuesday, Cowes rediscovered their scoring touch in emphatic fashion against the Wessex Premier Division’s bottom club.
McKie struck first after the Yachtsmen won possession high up the pitch. Played through on goal, the experienced striker kept his cool and produced a classy lob over the advancing keeper (1–0).
Christchurch hit back when a ball was dinked into the Cowes box. Ed Hatt came out and collided with the visiting striker, allowing the loose ball to be tucked into the unguarded net (1–1).
Cowes were back in front when Fin Phillips whipped in a corner from the right and Scott McFarlane met it at the near post, firing his header home (2–1).
Jimmy Mumford was then forced off through injury, with George Carter-Knight coming on in his place.
Half Time: Cowes Sports 2–1 Christchurch
With only a single goal separating the sides at the break, Cowes stepped up a gear in the 2nd half and soon gave themselves some breathing space.
McFarlane sent the ball across from the right before Phillips picked it up on the opposite side and delivered it back into the danger area. Jordan Cook timed his run perfectly, rose to meet the cross and headed home (3–1).
McKie completed his brace when Carter-Knight drilled a ball in from the left towards the penalty spot. The striker met it first time and calmly placed his finish into the bottom-left corner (4–1).
With the points now firmly in Cowes’ grasp, McKie made way for St John Biggs and Ted Mumford replaced Dempsey.
The Yachtsmen made it 5 when Phillips curled a low free-kick around the wall and George Colson got the decisive touch to divert it into the net (5–1).
Phillips was later replaced by West before Christchurch were reduced to 10 men for a high foot. The decision was considered harsh by those in the Cowes camp, but it made little difference to a contest the Yachtsmen had already put beyond the visitors.
Full Time: Cowes Sports 5–1 Christchurch
Attendance: 180
Cowes Sports: Hatt, Flood, Dempsey, Chase, Oatley (c), Mumford, Colson, Cook, Phillips, McFarlane, McKie. Subs: Bis, Carter-Knight, St John Biggs, T. Mumford, West Man of the Match: Jordan Cook
Cowes manager Mark Woodhouse praised both the workrate and quality of his side.
Woody said:
“Today, the workrate was matched with some real quality in the final third. We could have scored even more.
“I love the fact that when we’d scored four or five, we were still trying to score more.”
The victory leaves Cowes 6th in the Wessex Premier Division with 10 points from 6 games.
The Yachtsmen are next in action on Tuesday (8th September), when they travel to Andover New Street in the Hampshire Senior Cup. Kick-off at the DH Property Services Stadium is at 19:45.
Further match reports to follow…
