Newport travel to Fleetlands near Gosport needing a win in their final game of the season to remain in the runners-up spot in the Wessex Division 1 table.
A 2nd place finish would ensure home advantage for the County Town club in the play-off semi-final against Petersfield Town (the 5th-placed team) on Tuesday 25th April and subsequent home advantage in the play-off final.
The Port are currently 2 points ahead of the 3rd and 4th placed teams: New Milton Town and Hamworthy Recreation.
However, victory against the Helicoptermen is far from guaranteed. Fleetlands have an impressive home record, having won 12 of their 18 games at Powder Monkey Park in the season to date.
The fixtures of the teams in the play-off places are as follows: Fleetlands v Newport, New Milton Town v Ash United, Hamworthy Recreation v Petersfield Town. 2nd plays 5th and 3rd plays 4th in the play-off semi-finals.
Andover New Street have already won the Division 1 Championship and are therefore assured of automatic promotion.
Also in Wessex Division 1, 15th placed East Cowes Vics travel to North Hampshire to face this season’s champions, Andover New Street.
Vics have an impressive record against the top sides in their division, having already drawn with New Street and Newport in recent games as well as having beaten New Milton Town and Petersfield Town.
However, Vics blotted their copybook with a 2-0 defeat to 3rd-placed Hamworthy Recreation in their last away game.
How the East Cowes side fare against their league’s strongest club will be an excellent marker to judge the progress made under new manager Alex Smith.
Wessex Division 1 table below:
In the Wessex Premier, Cowes Sports travel to Havant & Waterlooville’s Draper Tools Community Stadium to face 5th-placed Moneyfields in their final game of the season.
The Yachtsmen have avoided relegation by beating 2nd-from-bottom Pagham 2 weeks ago and then Shaftesbury last Saturday.
However, Tuesday’s 1-5 defeat to Stoneham has brought the Island side back down to earth.
Wessex Premier table below:
Wessex League fixtures for Saturday 22nd April
Premier Division:
Moneyfields v Cowes Sports
Division 1
Andover New Street v East Cowes Victoria
Fleetlands v Newport (IoW)
Isle of Wight fixtures for Saturday 22nd April
Division 1:
Ryde Saints v Cowes Sports Reserves
Sandown & Lake v Pan Community
Shanklin v Binstead & COB
Vectis v Brading Town
Whitecroft & Barton Sports v West Wight (ko 13:30)
Combination 1
Brading Town v Northwood St Johns
Whitecroft & Barton Sports v West Wight (ko 15:45)
Fixtures supplied by IOW DFA
