3rd-placed Romans beat near-neighbours Saints in a highly entertaining 9-goal thriller at Vicarage Lane on Thursday night.
The game was played at Brading due to the unavailability of Smallbrook stadium. 3 weeks previously, Brading had beaten Ryde 9-3 in the corresponding fixture, so goals aplenty were expected.
The first half was end-to-end play with chances for both teams. However, the Romans, who were playing down the slope, proved to be the more clinical of the 2 sides in the final third of the pitch.
Jordan Browne opened the scoring for Brading with a 15-yard curling strike after just 3 minutes. (0-1). Josh Younie then added a 2nd goal in the 15th minute with a deflected free kick that bounced off the Ryde wall and over the Saints’ ‘keeper. (0-2)
Browne then added a 3rd for the home side with a 23rd minute strike (0-3) before directing a Caymen Collins cross into the back of the Ryde net with a majestic header to net his 34th minute hat trick. (0-4)
Saints had their 1st half chances with Sam Cant shooting over the crossbar and backheeling the ball at the Brading ‘keeper and Keir Ramage sending the ball just past the Brading upright.
HT: Ryde Saints 0-4 Brading Town
Playing down the slope, Saints quickly clawed back the Roman’s advantage to just one goal.
First, Sam Cant scored in the 48th minute with a 25-yard strike. (1-4). 4 minutes later, Keir Ramage went on a strong left side run before burying the ball in the right corner of the Brading net. (2-4). Then, Cian McGee sent a near post shot through the legs of Brading ‘keeper, Ben Gearing, in the 56th minute. (3-4)
However, it was Brading’s Dan Vale who had the final word in this enthralling game.
First, Dan restored the Brading lead to 2 goals with a 64th minute back post header. (3-5). Then, in the 88th minute, Vale slotted the ball past the keeper at the near post to secure a comprehensive victory for the Romans. (3-6)
FT: Ryde Saints 3-6 Brading Town
After the game, Brading Town manager, Steve Lawton, said:
“We dominated the game apart from a poor 10-minute spell in the 2nd half. Jordan Browne was my man-of-the-match.
On behalf of Ryde Saints, Aaron Baker said:
“We weren’t at the races during the first half. In the second half, we came out of the blocks firing. Brading’s class shone through at the end.”
Brading Town’s victory leaves them with 40 points in 3rd place in League 1, 14 points behind leaders W&B. Ryde Saints currently lie in 9th place with 22 points.
League 1 leaders, Whitecroft & Barton, restored their 8-point lead over 2nd-placed Shanklin with a 1-5 win over West Wight at Camp Road. The W&B scorers were: Matt Evans (2), Josh Appell, Joe Craig and Aidan Sainsbury.
Results for Thursday 13th May:
Harwoods Renault League Division 1: Bembridge 3-5 Cowes Sports Reserves; East Cowes Sports 3-6 Vectis; Ryde Saints 3-6 Brading Town; West Wight 1-5 Whitecroft & Barton Sports
Fixtures for Saturday, 15th May:
Harwoods Renault League Division 1: Brading Town v East Cowes Sports; Carisbrooke United v Cowes Sports Reserves; Shanklin v Binstead & COB; Vectis v Sandown; West Wight v Northwood St Johns; Whitecroft & Barton Sports v Bembridge. No Fixture: Ryde Saints
Harwoods Renault League Division 2: Newport ‘A’ v Adgestone; Oakfield v Niton Community; Seaview v Yarmouth & Calbourne
Harwoods Renault League Combination Division 1: Binstead & COB v Shanklin; Northwood St Johns v Whitecroft & Barton Sports; Sandown v Seaview
Results and fixtures courtesy of the Isle of Wight Divisional FA
