Saturday September 14th – BUILDBASE F A VASE 2nd Qualifying Round
COWES SPORTS 7(1) VERWOOD TOWN 3(2)
played at Westwood Park Attendance – 132
MCENERY HAT TRICK HELPS COWES THROUGH TO F A VASE 1st ROUND PROPER
Referee – CALUM MCFARLANE Assistants – Andy Higgins + Paul Isles
Cowes Sports welcomed Wessex Division One side Verwood Town to the Island for this 2nd Qualifying Round F A Vase tie with both sides agreeing that the game would be settled on the day so if scores were level at the end of 90 minutes, extra time would be played then penalties if required.
Callum Chase and Ewan Cranwell returned to the starting XI replacing Dom Sexton(injured) and Max Coshell(Reserves) from the mid week team.
TEAM:-
Edward Hatt, Ewan Cranwell, Isaac Cruise, Callum Chase, Ashley Brett, Ben Snow, Jez Conway, Gareth Bricknell (c), Michael McEnery, Finley Phillips, Ji Nash Subs; James Wykes, Scott McFarlane, Morgan Perrin, Max Coshell, Joe McCormack g/k
In the very first minute a free kick from the visitors straight down the middle saw Lee Vint head the ball up in the air and Ed Hatt make a comfortable save. In the 16th minute the Dorset side snatched the lead when another free kick into the Cowes box saw centre half BEN KELLY outjump Gareth Bricknell to head the ball into the net from around 7 yards and stun the home crowd. Very little happened for the next twenty minutes other than Verwood’s Owen Brigden being forced off with a hamstring injury, Jayden Taylor coming on. Michael McEnery had the home sides first clear chance on 27 minutes with a low shot that Isaac Haigh saved with ease. Lee Vint should then have doubled Verwood’s lead when he was put through on goal with only Ed Hatt to beat. This he did but could only hold his head in shame as he sent the ball wide of the right hand upright. Five minutes before the break the Islanders levelled when Gareth Bricknell clipped the ball over their defence for JEZ CONWAY who lifted the ball over the advancing keeper but headed the ball onto the bar before heading home his second attempt. A 42nd minute Verwood cross into the Cowes box hit Callum Chase on the chest, but amazingly Referee Calum McFarlane blew his whistle and pointed to the spot for a penalty, the Cowes players went wild remonstrating with the Referee and his Assistant, who later admitted he saw it was not handball but never said a word(What is the point of him being their?). Callum was sin binned for ten minutes. LEE VINT stepped up to score and restore Verwood’s lead before Cowes had a second player sin binned when Ji Nash was sent to the dug out.
The second half started with Cowes only having nine men on the pitch for the first six minutes, so Verwood pushed forward attempting to take advantage, but Cowes held out until they were back up to eleven men. However in the 54th minute the visitors should have scored as firstly Charlie Heggan’s shot was cleared off the goal-line by Ewan Cranwell, then Lee Vint blazed the ball over the bar when easier to score. James Wykes replaced Ji Nash on 56 minutes. Cowes were level for a second time in the 61st minute when a subline Ben Snow pass to the far edge of the box found James Wykes who clipped the ball back into the middle for MICHAEL MCENERY to head home from six yards. Two minutes later Michael McEnery’s shot hit the arm of Verwood skipper Russ Dyer inside the box and Cowes were awarded a penalty which EWAN CRANWELL sent the keeper the wrong way to give the home side the lead for the first time in the game. However this topsy turvy match was again all square on 66 when a break down the Cowes left saw Ed Hatt produce a great block but the rebound was blasted into the net by LEE VINT. Two minutes later and Cowes were back in the lead when an attempted clearance from the Verwood right back area was blocked by a Cowes player, the rebound falling nicely to MICHAEL MCENERY in the middle who coolly slotted the ball past Isaac Haigh into the goal. In the 72nd minute a accurate Finley Phillips cross picked out JAMES WYKES who headed the ball over the stranded keeper into the goal for Cowes’ fifth goal of the game and the one that saw off Verwood’s attempt to cause a shock. The home side were now dominating and nearly added a sixth goal in the 76th minute when Callum Chase headed a Gareth Bricknell corner back across goal but a Verwood defender was on hand to head the ball off the line. Scott McFarlane replaced Jez Conway for the home side before Verwood’s Ollie Davies came off for Callum Crotty and Cowes’ Finley Phillips was taken off for Morgan Perrin. Scott McFarlane then saw his low shot saved before he won the ball in midfield, lay it to MICHAEL MCENERY who netted a sixth goal for the Yachtsmen and complete his hat trick. Two substitutes combined to create another chance in the 89th minute as Scott McFarlane clipped the ball to James Wykes who in turn lobbed the ball over the advancing keeper only for the ball to drop the wrong side of the left hand post for a goal kick. A long injury time clearance from Cowes found JAMES WYKES who beat a couple of defenders before clipping the ball over their keeper into the net to complete the scoring in a seven three win for the home side and book a place in the 1st round proper.
This is the first time Cowes had scored seven goals at Westwood Park since October 2014 when they beat Downton 7 – 0 in a Wessex League Cup tie. Now too wait a find out who we take on in the next round.