All 3 Island Wessex League sides played at home on Saturday and all 3 won. Vics – the last to kick off – completed the Island treble at 16:45.
Vics started on Saturday on the back of a 9-game winless run, stretching back to the 20th November when they beat Totton & Eling 4-1. This was also the 9th game in which Jordan Chapman donned the captain’s armband without experiencing victory as captain.
Vics were without experienced defender, Liam Newbold. They were also without their regular keeper, the injured Alex Ram. Vics had arranged the transfer of Jamie Linington from Cowes Sports this week as cover for Ram.
There was a very cagey opening to the game with neither side’s goalkeeper being seriously tested. Vics keeper Jamie Linington was first called into action in the 26th minute, blocking an Ash attempt on goal at the edge of the penalty area. Toby Snow then had a goal attempt saved by Ash keeper, Sam Heard. In the 37th minute, Conor Lyon sent a long ball to Sam Cant for him to open the scoring by poking the ball past the Ash keeper (1-0).
Toby Snow was again unlucky not to score in the 39th minute when he was just unable to connect with a ball that trickled across the goal line from a free kick. However, in the 42nd minute, Vics’ leading scorer Jimmi Burton collected the ball 25 yards from goal and skipped past 2 defenders before chipping the Ash keeper to net his 20th goal of the season (2-0).
Half time: East Cowes Vics 2-0 Ash United
Ash United came out fighting in the 2nd half. In the 57th minute, they had several good opportunities to claw a goal back when 1st Vics defender Ollie West was forced to clear the ball off his goal line, then Ben Bond hit the woodwork for Ash before substitute Luke Cairns missed the Vics goal from 5 yards.
Vics then returned to the ascendancy with Jimmi Burton having a couple of opportunities to further extend his goal tally, sending a bicycle kick just over the crossbar before having a further goal attempt blocked by the feet of Ash keeper Heard.
Richie Woodburn then threw on the Vics substitutes with Aidan Sheerin, Harrison Yates and Charlie Marsek replacing Brandon Hayward, Conor Lyon and Toby Snow.
Ash then had a late opportunity to get back into the game when goalkeeper Jamie Linington was unjustly ruled to have brought down one of their number in the penalty area in the 83rd minute, and Jordan Devanney stepped up to convert the resulting spot kick (2-1). But it was Vics who came closest to scoring in the final minutes of the game, with substitute Charlie Marsek going past the the Ash keeper then having his shot saved off the goal line.
Full time: East Cowes Vics 2-1 Ash United
East Cowes Vics: Linington, Berry, White, West, Gregory, Hayward (Sherrin), Chapman (c), Lyon (Yates), Burton, Cant, Snow (Marsek). Subs not used: Woodford, Phillipson
After the game, Vics manager Richie Woodburn said:
“We needed a win and we won. But it wasn’t as comfortable as I had hoped. We were in control, but we made a fist of it.
“The referee didn’t help. The penalty wasn’t a penalty. But we came away with all 3 points.”
Vics’ victory leaves them in 17th place in Wessex League 1 with 21 points from 27 games, 5 points above the drop zone (before adjustments have been made for the withdrawal of Infinity from the league).
Reports on Newport IoW v Fawley, Cowes Sports v US Portsmouth plus action in the Isle of Wight League to follow.
