The big Wessex League game on the Isle of Wight today (Saturday) sees 2nd-in-the-table East Cowes Vics take on unbeaten leaders Frimley Green at Beatrice Avenue.
Alex Smith’s side are currently 2 points behind Frimley but have a game in hand. Victory would see the Victorians top the Wessex Division 1 table.
On Tuesday, Vics were knocked out of the Hampshire Senior Cup by Cowes Sports in a penalty shootout in the first competitive clash between the 2 local rivals since 2018.
When questioned about his side’s performance, Alex said:
“There were very clear positives for us to build on, as well as areas to for us to improve, which we’ve already discussed.”
Alex respects Saturday’s opponents but will be looking to take all 3 points, telling Island Echo:
“Frimley are a rejuvenated side from last season and have already amassed over 50% of their points total from last year after just 7 games. They’re also the only undefeated side in the division, so we’ll be looking to do something about that.”
Alex is not getting carried away with the idea of possibly topping Wessex Division 1 come 17:00 tonight however, commenting:
“I have no idea when we were last top of Wessex 1 – quite possibly never. But it’s certainly not my concern, and nobody ever remembers who was top of the league in September.
“We’ve just got to keep preparing well, playing well and winning as many games as possible.”
Meanwhile, on the west bank of the Medina, bottom-of-the-table Cowes have a difficult fixture against 4th-placed Baffins Milton Rovers.
The Portsmouth-based side is likely to include former Pompey star Brett Pitman, who joined the club from Shaftesbury at the start of the season
The 36-year-old has a wealth of experience in the Football League, striking 182 goals in the EFL, including 25 goals during his debut campaign for Pompey. He is currently joint top scorer in the Wessex Premier with 6 goals in 6 games.
The Yachtsmen – who have suffered 5 consecutive league losses – parted company with manager Max Draper on Thursday. Club stalwart Ian Potts takes charge of the dugout today, a situation he is more than familiar with.
Ian says of his side’s penalty shootout victory in the Hampshire Senior Cup against East Cowes Vics on Tuesday:
“The team were happy to advance through to the next round. The 1st half was not good enough from our point of view, but we were much happier with the 2nd.
“The players did well to pull the deficit back and go on to win in the penalty shootout but take nothing away from East Cowes Vics, they were fit, organised and played well, and I can definitely see them chasing promotion this season.”
As for the Yachtsmen’s prospects against Baffins, Ian says:
“They are title contenders. They’ve got an experienced squad and have had a brilliant start, but the lads will go into the game confident with a detailed game plan and ready to give their all.”
Midtable Newport will be hoping to move up the Wessex Division 1 table by taking 3 points from their away tie against 17th-placed Folland Sports.
Last Saturday, Port disappointingly failed to overcome Fawley at Beatrice Avenue, losing 0-2. Co-manager Joe Butcher says:
“We want a positive reaction to last week, we controlled the game and the ball but struggled to break Fawley down and gave away two very soft goals.”
There is a positive buzz around Newport, following Thursday’s announcement of the demolition of St George’s Park, following which the building of the new stadium at the Racecourse will finally begin.
However, Joe cautions:
“The ground seems to be closer than it has ever been over the past few years, but there’s still a long way to go.”
Steve Racket, Chairman of the Supporters’ Association, has optimistically stated:
“We very much welcome this news and look forward to the next phase of the project. We have been in discussions with South Coast Leisure on a regular basis in recent months, and our expectation is that we will finally be playing football at The Racecourse next season.
“It is turning out to be a big week for Newport FC. On Tuesday (17th), they will be entertaining National League Aldershot in the Hampshire Senior Cup at Beatrice Avenue.
Supporters can see how well we are playing under our excellent new management team, and I know everyone is looking forward to our biggest match against mainland opposition for some time.”
Wessex League fixtures for Saturday 14th September
Premier Division
Cowes Sports v Baffins Milton Rovers
Division 1
East Cowes Victoria v Frimley Green
Folland Sports v Newport IW
Isle of Wight fixtures for Saturday 14th September
Challenge Cup
Brading Town v Vectis (13:00)
W&B Sports v Osborne Coburg
Division 1
Northwood SJ v Binstead & COB
Ventnor v Shanklin
West Wight v Cowes Sports Reserves
Division 2
Niton Community v Ryde Saints
Newchurch v East Cowes Sports
Newport Reserves v Oakfield
Combination 1
West Wight Reserves v W & B Sports Reserves
Bembridge Reserves v East Cowes Sports Reserves
Binstead & COB Reserves v Ventnor Reserves
Osborne Coburg Reserves v High Park Reserves
Shanklin Reserves v Northwood SJ Reserves
Brading Town Reserves v Sandown & Lake Reserves
Combination 2
Bembridge A v Vectis Reserves
Oakfield Reserves v Newchurch Reserves
Sandown & Lake A v Osborne Coburg A
Ventnor A v West Wight A
Niton Reserves v Ryde Saints Reserves
