The Isle of Wight’s 2 leading clubs – Newport and Cowes Sports – are both competing in the Preliminary Round of the FA Cup this Saturday (20th August).
The victorious clubs will earn £1,444 in prize money and will be 11 games away from appearing at a Wembley FA Cup final.
The Yachtsmen face Southern League Division 1 South outfit Larkhall Athletic (from Bath) at Westwood Park. The Larks beat Wessex League 1 Folland Sports 4-1 in the extra preliminary round. However, the Step 4 club have lost both their Southern League games in the season to date.
Cowes will be boosted by their win last weekend, when they defeated Alresford Town in the Wessex Premier Division, courtesy of 2 goals from John McKie. The Step 5 club reached this stage of the competition by beating Hamble 1-0 in the extra preliminary round.
Wessex League 1 Newport travel to Eastleigh to face Wessex Premier League Stoneham. The Purples finished 5th in the Wessex Premier last season and have begun this season’s campaign with a home win and an away defeat. Stoneham reached this stage of the FA Cup by beating Southern League Bashley in the extra preliminary round.
The Port will hope to bounce back from their first defeat of the season when they lost 1-3 to Folland Sports at Beatrice Avenue. Newport beat Fleet Town of the Combined Counties League 1-3 in the previous round in a game in which Port substitute Finn Smith became the youngest ever goal scorer in FA Cup history as first reported by Island Echo.
In Wessex League 1, East Cowes Vics – the Isle of Wight’s only unbeaten Wessex League side – will be travelling to the New Forest to face Ringwood Town. Ringwood currently lie 4th in the league table having garnered a maximum 6 points from their 2 games in the season to date.
In Isle of Wight Division 1, early front runners Shanklin face newly promoted Pan at the County Ground; 2nd-placed Whitecroft & Barton play West Wight at Camp Road; 3rd-placed Oakfield take on Brading Town at Vicarage Lane.
Saturday also sees Isle of Wight Division 2 sides in action for the 1st time this season. The 2nd Division has seen a reduction in numbers from 14 to 10, with Wroxall, Newport Reserves, and Adgestone withdrawing from the league and the promotion of Pan Community and East Cowes Sports to Division 1. Relegated Niton have re-joined Division 2 after a season in the top division.
Fixtures for Saturday 20th August
All games kick off at 15:00
FA Cup Preliminary Round
Cowes Sports v Larkhall Athletic
AFC Stoneham v Newport IW
Wessex League Division 1
Ringwood Town v East Cowes Vics
Isle of Wight Division 1
Isle of Wight games kick off at 14:00
Bembridge v Ryde Saints
Brading Town v Oakfield
East Cowes Sports v Sandown & Lake
Northwood St Johns v Cowes Sports Reserves
Shanklin v Pan Community
Vectis v Binstead & COB
West Wight v Whitecroft & Barton Sports
Division 2
Carisbrooke United v Niton
East Cowes Vics Reserves v Seaview
High Park v Wootton
Newchurch v Osborne Coburg
Yarmouth & Calbourne v Ventnor
