FOOTBALL
East Cowes Vics 1, Hythe and Dibden 3
A DISJOINTED Vics were made to pay by Hythe and Dibden at Beatrice Avenue.
The Island side always seemed to be chasing the mainlanders in this Sydenhams Wessex League, Division 1 match, even after taking an early lead.
Hythe were always threatening on the attack, while Vics relied heavily on the long ball game, despite being outmuscled in the air by Hythe defenders.
It meant Vics attacks were few and far between, and the Hythe goalkeeper was barely tested. However, when John McKie made a brilliant break down the left, chipping the ball over his opposite number’s head, before laying it off to Andy EBBS, the Vics skipper made no mistake, giving his side the lead in just the 12th minute.
But Hythe were not to be denied and it always looked like their continuous pressure would pay dividends in the end.
And when Graham Bast brought down a Hythe attacker in the box, the referee had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Despite Gareth True getting hands to the ball, it went in for the equaliser.
Frustration in the Vics camp seemed to boil over shortly after, when Casey Tyrell was booked after kicking the ball away in anger, and the general body language of the Island side was tense.
Nevertheless, Vics rallied and tried to put together some attacking moves towards the end of the half, all lacking that killer finish.
The game continued in its scrappy fashion into the second half and on the two occasions that Vics were caught napping, Hythe pounced.
Vics were caught on the break in the 49th minute, Hythe slotting home with ease, and they made the three points safe three minutes from time with a similar goal.
In between, Vics had once again put together some solid attacking moves but again, no one to finish the job.
Their best chance came in the 73rd minute when Casey Tyrell stormed down the left hand side and into the box but a brilliant tackle from a Hythe defender took the ball away as he was about to shoot.
On another day, Vics might have taken the win in this game but in this case, they lacked enough attacking clout to make the difference.
Vics: True, Ince, Barsdell, Attrill, Bast, Barnes, A. Tyrell, Day, Ebbs, C. Tyrell, McKie. Subs: Gulliver, Carter, Younie.
Reporter: sport@iwcpmail.co.uk