The Isle of Wight’s sole Wessex Premier representatives Cowes Sports were comprehensively beaten by Baffins Milton Rovers at Westwood Park on Saturday (18th March).
The Yachtsmen kicked off the game without 2 of their most influential players: Fin Phillips (who was unavailable) and Mark Taylor (whose name initially appeared on the team sheet but did not play).
The game began with a period of dominance for Baffins with Tom Vincent putting the Portsmouth side into the lead by getting his head to a Dan Aitken corner (0-1).
Cowes then suffered a further blow when captain and centre forward John McKie was forced off the field of play with hamstring issues to be replaced by Caleb Neale.
There was little further action in the 1st half, with the Yachtsmen going into the break trailing by a single goal.
Half time: Cowes Sports 0-1 Baffins Milton Rovers
2 early 2nd half goals from Baffins saw the away side kill the game as a contest.
In the 52nd minute, Liam Brewer tapped in a Dec Seiden cross to give the visitors a 2-goal advantage (0-2).
3 minutes later, Brewer bagged his brace by rounding Ed Hatt and slotting the ball into an empty net (0-3).
5 minutes from full time, Kelvin Robinson came close to adding a 4th goal for the visitors when Ed Hatt tipped his free kick onto the crossbar.
Full time: Cowes Sports 0-1 Baffins Milton Rovers
Cowes Sports: Hatt, Catania, Dempsey, Conway, West, McFarlane, Whittle, Hayward, McKie (Neale), Coode (Furmidge), Ahmed Subs: Mumford, Bunday
Defeat leaves the Yachtsmen in 16th place in the Wessex Premier, 5 points above Pagham in the 2nd-from-bottom relegation spot.
Pagham – who lost 2-3 at home against Christchurch on Saturday – have 4 games in hand over the Isle of Wight’s Wessex Premier representatives.
PORT NOW JUST 2 POINTS FROM TOP PROMOTION SPOT
Newport moved to within 2 points of Wessex Division 1 leaders New Milton Town by knocking 5 goals past 3rd-from-bottom Amesbury Town.
The 1st half was very much the Ji Nash show with Newport’s No 11 opening the scoring by toe poking in a cross from a tight angle (1-0).
Nash then scored a goal-of-the-season with a 40-yard free-kick into the top left corner of the Amesbury goal (2-0).
Ji completed his hat-trick with a poacher’s goal after the Amesbury keeper failed to keep hold of the ball from a corner (3-0).
Half time: Newport (IoW) 3-0 Amesbury Town
The goals continued to flow for Port in a dominant 2nd half performance.
Joe Butcher added a 4th for the County Town club with a low drive from just inside the penalty area (4-0).
Jordan Browne then gave the Port a 5-goal advantage with a header that the referee ruled had crossed the goal line (5-0).
Browne came close to adding a 5th for the Island side when his shot from the middle of the penalty area cannoned off the crossbar.
Full time: Newport (IoW) 5-0 Amesbury Town
Newport (IoW): Pitman, Hancott (Malin), Boyd-Kerr (Burford), Oatley, Triggs, Butcher (Chapman), Colson (Younie), Browne, Craig, Nash (Smith)
The Port’s victory leaves them in 3rd place in Wessex Division 1 with 2 games in hand on leaders New Milton Town.
2nd-placed Andover New Street had their game against East Cowes Vics called off because of a waterlogged pitch.
Video: Robert Lunn
Wessex League tables below:
