Isle of Wight Gold Cup

Quarter Final

Tuesday 22nd March 2022

Kick Off 19.30 On Time !

Newport (I.O.W.) 8 Oakfield 1, attendance 106

6’ 0-1

25’ 1-1

28’ 2-1

45’+ 1, 3-1

52’ 4-1

78’ 5-1

83’ 6-1

85’ 7-1

90’ 8-1

@ Smallbrook Stadium

Ashey Road

Ryde

PO33 4BH

£4 Admission

£1 Programme, 12 pages. From postponed game on 2nd March, with updated 4 page insert.

I had visited Newport (I.O.W.) back on 22nd February 1992, when they beat Witney Town 1-0 in a Southern League Southern Division match, in front of 266 spectators. In those days they played at St. George’s Park in Newport, but they vacated the ground in 2018, ground sharing at various grounds on the island, whilst their new stadium is being built. This season they are playing at Smallbrook Stadium, in Ryde, which is home to the Wight Warriors speedway team, as well as Ryde Saints F.C. who play in the Isle of Wight League. I never got round to visiting the stadium when it previously hosted Wessex League club Ryde Sports, up until they resigned from the league midway through the 1997/98 season. In the intervening years, the floodlights were no longer deemed good enough for football, but last week work was carried out to bring them up to standard and so tonight saw the first floodlit game here for nearly 25 years. It has to be said, this is one of the worst grounds you could ever come across, as far as getting a view of the match goes, but is probably perfect for speedway.

Tonight’s match had been postponed three weeks ago, due to a waterlogged pitch, but there were no problems tonight, as it had been a glorious sunny day, reaching 20 degrees on my drive down to the coast. Newport are the current holders of the cup, having won it in 2019, the last time it was played for, having been curtailed by Covid-19 restrictions in the last two seasons. Newport came into this sitting in fourth place in Wessex League Division 1 (Step 6), whilst Oakfield play one level lower, in Division 1 of the Isle of Wight League. They are currently 11th (out of 13), having played fewer games than all bar one of the clubs above them, so perhaps not quite as bad as it looks.

Oakfield got off to a perfect start, going ahead in the sixth minute, finishing off a ball over the top with a chest down and volley that gave the ’keeper no chance. They were pretty much under the cosh for the remainder of the game. They survived for twenty minutes, but were 2-1 behind within three minutes of the equaliser. They had a player sin binned in the closing minutes of the first half and when Newport made it 3-1, with the last kick of the half, there would be no comeback. Newport played some nice football, considering the dreadful quality of the pitch, that was bobbly to say the least. As Oakfield began to tire, it became too easy for Newport and they rounded off an emphatic 8-1 with a powerful header, following a great left wing cross, right on full time.

I decided to take the car over, rather than mess around with parking and travelling as a foot passenger. Smallbrook Stadium is a bit out in the wilds, on partly unlit roads, with no pavements, so not the best for walking back after the match. I took the Portsmouth to Fishbourne route, on Wightlink Ferries, which cost £57 return. The outbound 1700 service left four minutes early, with the 2300 return also a couple of minutes ahead of schedule.