With no spectators allowed into pre seaon games Cowes Sports entertained Wessex Div 1 side Romsey Town in a double header.
The clubs 1st XI’s kicked off at 1pm for the first game with the first half being very cagey, neither side really finding the cutting edge. The best chance of the half came mid way through when Aaron Burford slipped on the half way line allowing the visitors number 9 a clear run at Ed Hatt’s goal, thankfully for the Yachtsmen he rolled the ball past the advancing Cowes keeper but wide of the right hand upright. So at half time the game remained goal less.
However the second half was only 5 minutes old when a Romsey corner beyond the back post was headed back into the middle where an attacking player scuffed his shot, but was happy to see it roll into the bottom right corner of Ed Hatt’s goal to give the visitors the lead. Manager Max Draper made several changes to the line up before, in the 74th minute Romsey’s number ten netted a second goal for his team. More changes for both sides, then with five minutes left, JAMES WYKES buried his shot in the back of the Town goal to give the home side a chance to snatch a draw. Unfortunately they were not able to make the most of the opprtunity and slipped to a narrow defeat.
Team:- E. Hatt, C. White (c), S. McFarlane, E. Cranwell, C. Chase, A. Burford, F. Phillips, L. Wright, J. Conway, A. Wright, J. Wykes. Ssbs:- B. Snow, M. Perrin, I. Cruise, J. Wetherick
Following the conclusion of the 1st XI game, the respective Reserve teams went into battle. Again a cagey start before Romsey Town took the lead in the 24th minute with a 25yard free kick into the left corner of Fraser Law’s goal. Within two minutes the young Yachtsmen were level when a pi point cross from the right by Dan Pearson found the head of ARTHUR BALCHIN who made no mistake from 8 yards. Then Cowes Reserves took the lead on the half hour mark when AARUN INCE cut back inside on the right before curling a left foot effort into the right corner of the visitors goal and so at the break the home side held a slender 2 – 1 lead.
Seventeen minutes into the second half and the scores were level again following a tap in goal. Cowes responded well and agin took the lead on 77minutes as Aedan Coode’s cross from the right found JAMES CHEEK sliding in at the far post to net. That lead lasted barely a minute as once again Romsy Town ‘s second string levelled the scores again and that was the way it ended. A quite exciting 3 – 3 draw that satisfied both sides.
Team:- F. Law, J. Ince, D. Sexton, M. Ricketts, J. White, A. Brett (c), M. Coshell, A. Coode, A. Balchin, D. Pearson, A. Ince, Subs:- B. Pelosi, D. Verstraeten, J. Cheek, L. Phillips, C. Elliott, J. Wright.
