Vics welcomed Fawley to Beatrice Avenue for their first fixture of 2022 needing a win to lift them above their opponents who, like Vics, are in a battle at the wrong end of the division.
With only 3 minutes on the clock, the crowd were given a preview of what to expect from referee A. Hillier. The ball was clearly put out for a corner by a Fawley defender, but the referee pointed for a goal kick to everyone’s astonishment. Vics manager Richie Woodburn manager politely questioned this decision and was yellow carded.
Fawley started the brighter of the two sides and had a couple of half chances in the first ten minutes that were not taken. On 13 minutes, Fawley won a corner. As the kick was being taken, an incident on the Vics goal line between Brandon Hayward and Fawley’s Kieran Roche was spotted by the referee, who immediately pointed to the penalty spot. Fawley’s Dylan Knight stepped up to finish neatly (0-1).
Fawley now took control, and Vics looked to be struggling to make anything happen. A great save from Alex Ram on 19 minutes kept Vics in the game. The visitors created two or three half chances, with Vics’ only efforts two weak shots from distance that never troubled the Fawley keeper.
HT: 0-1
Within seconds of the restart, a shot from Vics centre forward Jimmi Burton sailed over the bar. Jimmi could have equalized in the 49th minute when a great ball from Freddie Knowles put him through once again, but his shot was off target.
How Vics didn’t equalize in the 54th minute is a mystery. The ball was whipped into the box from Aiden White on the left and several shots at the goal were blocked by Fawley defenders throwing their bodies in the way in a melee that went on for what seemed like 30 seconds or more. With Vics now pushing for the equaliser, a few gaps started appearing in their defence, and Fawley did create a few half chances that were easily dealt with.
The real talking point came in the 76th minute. A great through ball put Toby Snow clean through; he knocked the ball past the keeper inside the box and was completely flattened by the keeper’s challenge when faced with an empty net. With both players on the floor, Jimmi Burton raced onto the loose ball. The referee never blew for a penalty, so Jimmi hit a shot, which was stopped on the line by a Fawley defender. This seemed to happen in slow motion as everyone on the pitch and in the ground – including the Fawley team and bench – thought the referee was going to point to the penalty spot, but amazingly he did not.
With Vics now really pushing for an equaliser and controlling the game, Fawley broke away and Tom Munday’s shot squeezed into the bottom corner, giving Vics goalkeeper Alex Ram no chance (0-2). The goal deflated Vics, and Chris Turner was sin binned for dissent. Vics battled on for the last 10 minutes with 10 men but were only able to create a very late opportunity for Toby Snow, which was saved by the Fawley keeper.
FT: 0-2
East Cowes Vics: Ram, Turner, White, Gregory, West, Hayward, Chapman, Catania, Burton, Knowles, Yates Subs: Lyon, Woodford, Snow, Marsek
Defeat leaves Vics in 17th place in Wessex League 1 with 17 points from 22 games
Report compiled with kind assistance of Russ Chapman. Photos by Simon Dear.
