In the Wessex Premier, 7th-placed Cowes Sports travel to 14th-placed Fareham today (Saturday). The Yachtsmen remain just 3 points behind 5th-placed Brockenhurst in the final playoff place. On Tuesday, the Isle of Wight’s only Wessex Premier representatives ended a run of poor form with a stunning 0-4 victory in Wiltshire over another side challenging for a playoff place: Laverstock & Ford. In the corresponding fixture in December, the Yachtsmen beat the Creeksiders 4-0 at Westwood Park Can Cowes put together a good run during the business end of the season to reach the playoff places? Manager Max Draper says:
“It was a great performance on Tuesday night from the lads: clinical and defensively solid. “Fingers crossed, we can carry it into Saturday and Tuesday. It’s crunch time in the season now. Every team in the league is fighting for every point, and it’s proving a great spectacle as it’s throwing up some cracking fixtures.”
Wessex Premier table (top) below: 
In Wessex Division 1, 5th-placed East Cowes Vics play their most crucial game in the season to date when they travel to Powder Monkey Park to face 6th-placed Fleetlands. Victory would put Vics 9 points ahead of the Coptermen; defeat would narrow the gap to just 3 points with Fleetlands having 3 games in hand. In the corresponding fixture at Beatrice Avenue back in October, Vics vanquished Fleetlands 1-0. Vics manager Alex Smith says of his side’s prospects:
“Availability is great at the moment and competition for places is terrific. We’re entering the part of the season where every game has a huge impact on the way the table looks. “With that being said, there’ll be plenty of twists and turns before all 40 games are played and whilst we’ll try to win every game, there’ll be bumps in the road too. “We’re prepared for whatever comes our way and will certainly enjoy the big occasion at Fleetlands on Saturday. They’re a good side, as are we, and I’m sure it’ll have that special ‘big game feel’ to it. “We’ve got a strong side out, we’ll go toe to toe with them and see what happens.”
Also in Wessex Division 1, 15th-placed Newport take on bottom club Aldermaston at Beatrice Avenue. The Atom Men have already conceded 99 goals in the season to date – could Port fans witness a goal fest on Saturday? The Berkshire-based club are currently on a run of 11 successive defeats. Wessex Division 1 table below: 
Wessex League fixtures for Saturday 23rd March
Premier Fareham Town v Cowes Sports Division 1 Fleetlands v East Cowes Vics Newport IW v AFC Aldermaston
Isle of Wight fixtures for Saturday 23rd March
Division 1 Ventnor v East Cowes Sports High Park v Binstead & COB Northwood SJ v W&B Sports Shanklin v Bembridge West Wight v Brading Town Division 2 Newchurch v Sandown & Lake Niton Community v Newport Reserves Seaview v Osborne Coburg Combination 1 Brading Town Reserves v Osborne Coburg Reserves East Cowes Sports Reserves v Binstead & COB Reserves W&B Sports Reserves v West Wight Reserves Ventnor Reserves v Northwood SJ Reserves Combination 2 AFC Wootton Reserves v Seaview Reserves Bembridge A v West Wight A Ventnor A v Ryde Saints Reserves Junior B Cup High Park Reserves v Niton Community Reserves
