Cowes Sports overcame a 3-goal deficit to draw with Wincanton before besting the Somerset side on penalties.
The first chance of the game fell to the ever dangerous Jared Tout Walters, who was beaten to the ball by Wincanton keeper Zak Beard in the 3rd minute.
2 minutes later, the Yachtsmen took an early lead when Tout-Walters beat Beard in a 1-on-1 after being set up by McFarlane (1-0).
The home side had an excellent chance to extend their lead in 17th minute when McFarlane set up Charlie Marsek, whose strike was saved by the industrious Beard. Marsek then sent the ball curling past the upright.
However, 5 minutes from half time Joe Beckey levelled the scores for the Wasps with a curling effort from the edge of the 18-yard box (1-1).
Half time: Cowes Sports 1-1 Wincanton Town
The 2nd half began with 7 minutes of mayhem in the Yachtsmen’s defence which saw the home side concede 3 goals.
First, Darren McAllistair gave the Wasps a goal advantage with a shot close to the goal line (1-2).
Then, centre forward Connor Williams latched on to a cross to double the away side’s advantage (1-3).
In the 52nd minute, Wincanton’s McAllaistair appeared to have killed the game as a contest with a 20-yard run before rounding Ed Hatt and putting the ball into the back of the net (1-4).
Remarkably, Cowes then clawed their was back into the game…
In the 54th minute, centre forward Scott McFarlane beat Beard and a defender to reduce the deficit to 2 goals (2-4).
4 minutes later, the Yachtsmen were just a goal behind after Charlie Marsek set up Fin Phillips to place the ball in the bottom right of the goal (3-4).
Wincanton continued to attack with Connor Williams restoring the Somerset side’s 2-goal cushion by bagging his brace in the 65th (3-5).
McFarlane then grabbed his 2nd of the game in the 73rd minute by beating Beard who was a full 30 yards from his goal line (4-5).
The Yachtsmen then came painfully close to equalising when George Colson struck the crossbar with a 79th minute free kick.
The home side finally got on level terms 5 minutes from full time when Fin Phillips shot across the face of the goal, and the ball cannoned in off the upright (5-5).
Marsek came close to winning the game for the Yachtsmen in the 5th minute of injury time but saw his goal attempt trickle past the post.
Full time: Cowes Sports 5-5 Wincanton Town
And so to penalties…
Cowes keeper Hatt saved the 3rd and 5th penalties of the Somerset side, with the Yachtsmen converting all theirs without mishap.
Penalties: Cowes Sports 4-2 Wincanton Town
Cowes Sports: Hatt, Hughes, Mumford, Chase, Oatley (c), Colson, Tout-Walters, Phillips, McFarlane, Cook, Marsek Subs: Perrin, Berry, Haward, Backshall, Carter-Knight
After the game, Cowes Sports co-manager Ian Potts said:
“I’ve been involved in football for a long time. I don’t think I’ve seen a game like that. All of us in the dugout are in a state of shock. It was like a kamikaze – freaky and unbelieveable.
“But fair play to the lads. The character they showed to get the game back to five all was unbelieveable. I can’t give them enough credit for the way they came back.
“You won’t see a game like that for a long, long time. For a neutral, it was unbelievable.”
NEWPORT BATTLE THROUGH IN FA VASE WITH SHOOTOUT SUCCESS
Newport are through to the next round of the FA Vase after a dramatic penalty shootout win over Southern Combination Premier side Pagham.
Despite being underdogs and travelling with a depleted squad, Newport made a bright start on an excellent playing surface. Early chances from Harry Taylor and Ji Nash signalled their intent, while Pagham impressed with sharp play in the wide areas but were largely kept at bay by Newport’s defence.
Nash gave Newport the lead after 15 minutes with a powerful strike into the roof of the net (0-1). However, Pagham responded almost immediately, equalising just 3 minutes later with a well-taken finish from a tight angle from centre forward Bowerman (1-1).
The first half remained lively. Nash was brought down on the edge of the area by Pagham’s debutant goalkeeper, who was only shown a yellow card. The resulting free-kick came to nothing, but moments later Joe Butcher narrowly missed the target when through on goal. Just before the break, Newport regained the lead through Keelan Walsh, who calmly turned and finished from six yards out (1-2).
Half-time: Pagham 1-2 Newport IW
The second half was a defensive battle for Newport. Port keeper Leon Pitman made two crucial saves, and Pagham hit the crossbar as they piled on the pressure. Injuries to Brad Young, Sam Kirby and Mike Tompsett caused concern as all three went down at once, leaving physio Joshua Roberts unsure where to turn.
Pagham eventually equalised with 12 minutes remaining, with Holland bundling the ball in after a scrappy goalmouth scramble (2-2). But Newport held on through 8 minutes of added time to force a penalty shootout.
Full-time: Pagham 2-2 Newport IW
Harry Taylor, Joe Butcher, Mike Thompsett, Brad Young and Ji Nash all scored from the spot, with Pitman saving Pagham’s fourth penalty to secure a memorable victory.
Penalties: Pagham 4-5 Newport IW
Newport will now shift focus back to the league, hoping to earn their first point of the campaign when they host Lymington at the Zilch Waste Stadium next weekend.
Newport IW: Pitman, Benford, Hancott, Watterson, Lamb, Young, Kirby, Butcher, Taylor, Walsh, Nash Subs: Egerton-Read, Thompsett, Giacomelli
