Brading Town s Harris Payne (wearing green), third left, tries to tackle W&B defender Martin McDonough, who normally stars as Newport s skipper in the Sydenhams Wessex League. FILE SINCE outdoor team sports were reintroduced as we come out of a third lockdown, debate across local grassroots football followers has raged about the fairness of leading Island clubs taking Wessex players to boost their chances of winning the Isle of Wight’s Division 1 title. Wessex players with Cowes Sports, Newport and East Cowes Vics became available once their season was declared null and void for a second time.
Brading s Aaron Burford, left, who normally plays for Cowes Sports, comes up against W&B forward Matt Evans. FILE
SPORT
The Island s three Wessex League clubs await a decision by the FA on whether the season will go ahead at some stage, or be scrapped, like last season. THE Isle of Wight’s three Sydenhams Wessex League clubs are bracing themselves for what could be a second successive halt to a season because of the pandemic. More than six weeks ago, on Christmas Day, the Island was a Tier One area one deemed to be among the safest in the country, with football watched by improved crowds at Cowes Sports, and for East Cowes Vics and Newport games at Beatrice Avenue.
THE East Cowes Vics match at home to high flying Alton was a game of three kick-offs one at the start, one to begin the second half and a third at full time when both sides brawled on the touchline. In an ill-tempered game at Beatrice Avenue, in which Alton led 3-1 going into the final few minutes, Vics were controversially denied a penalty.
Ji Nash in action for Vics against Alton. Photo: Graham Brown With the referee poised to blow up for full time, a variety of off-the-ball incidents lit the blue touch paper for a mass brawl involving almost all the players of both sides.