Cowes Sports F.C.

Cowes Sports

Full name	Cowes Sports Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Yachtsmen
Founded	1881
Ground	Tim Westwood Park, Cowes (Capacity: 500)
Chairman	Bill Murray
Manager	Steve Taylor
League	Wessex League Division One
2010-11	Wessex League Division One, 8th
Home colours

Cowes Sports F.C. is a football club based in Cowes, Isle of Wight, England. They were established in 1881.

The history of Cowes Football Club can be traced back to 1881, when the club was originally formed, although competitive action did not arrive until 1886 in the shape of the Hants and Dorset Junior Cup.

History

The club joined the newly formed Hampshire League in 1895 and the following spring Cowes were confirmed as its first-ever champions. That season the club also won the Hampshire Senior Cup to complete the double.

Westwood park, home of Cowes Sports

In 1898/99, Cowes won the South West Division 2 of the Southern League and, as a limited company, ventured in to the Southern League alongside the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Millwall, Bristol City and Swindon Town.

However, financial difficulties and a string of poor results prompted the withdrawal from the league midway through the season and the winding up of the club.

In 1903 the club was resurrected and nine years later celebrated moving to current home Westwood Park by winning the Hampshire Senior Cup for the second time.

By the mid 1920s the club had become a formidable force in Hampshire football and between 1926 and 1937 Cowes won the Hampshire League on four occasions and added three more Hampshire Senior Cup triumphs.

In 1932 the club lost the final of the Hants Senior Cup to local rivals Newport at The Dell, Southampton. But the day will be remembered more for the incredible crowd of 21,000 – a record gate for such a final to this day.

With four figure crowds regularly being attracted to Westwood Park, the main stand was erected in just 24 hours – before a local derby with Newport – by a force of workers from one of the many shipyards in the town. Extensive renovation work has helped ensure that it remains one of the largest in non-league football in the South.

After the war, the club continued to pick up county honours and in 1963 enjoyed a run to the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup. Giant-killers Yeovil Town ended hopes of a first round proper appearance with a 1-0 victory at Westwood.

By the mid-1960s the club was a spent force and, after winning the Hampshire Senior Cup in 1967, Cowes dipped into Division 2 of the county set-up for the first time. The 1970s were a barren spell marked only by the Division 2 title in 1975.

The 1980s heralded a rebuilding period for the club and, in a bid to attract more local players to Westwood Park, Cowes merged with Whites Sports. By this time the newly named Cowes Sports FC was once more a Division 2 side.

The club finally regained its place in the top flight of county football in 1989 after an exciting battle for promotion alongside the now-defunct Ryde Sports and AC Delco. Consolidation followed and with improving finances and a strong committee, Cowes Sports FC once again became a force to be reckoned with.

The 1993 season brought the first silverware to the club in nearly 20 years when the Hampshire League Cup was secured at Cam Alders – with more than 120 ecstatic Cowes supporters cheering the team on to a 2-0 over New Street.

Events the following season were even more exciting, with Cowes and Blackfield enjoying a dogfight for the Hampshire League title. Blackfield held the advantage as the final stage of the season approached, but a splendid run of results saw Cowes claim the title. During the summer, the club was accepted into the Wessex League.

The club achieved a respectable mid-table position in its debut season of 1994/95 and the year was capped with the first Isle of Wight Senior Cup victory in 30 years. A thrilling 4-3 victory over Newport at Smallbrook preceded a 3-2 win against Binstead in the final.

Two more steady league campaigns followed before 1997/98 saw the club enjoy another exciting season. After a poor start, Cowes steadily climbed the table and could have claimed a top three spot were it not for another poor run at the season’s close. Nonetheless, the final finish of sixth place was highly creditable.

But the season will be remembered more for the wonderful run to the fourth round proper of the FA Vase. Here Cowes faced 1997 runners-up North Ferriby United, who grabbed a replay victory on Humberside after coming within 10 minutes of defeat at a packed Westwood Park.

The 1998/99 season saw the side finish seventh in the Wessex League, but the campaign was crowned with a splendid victory over champions Lymington in the Wessex League Cup final.

Two seasons later the club exceeded all expectations by reaching the last 16 of the FA Vase, losing to Taunton Town in the fifth round in front of almost 1,000 fans at Westwood Park.

The last – and most valuable – trophy to be won by the Yachtsmen came at the end of 2001/02 season with a thrilling 2-1 final victory over the island’s Dr Marten League outfit Newport FC in the Isle of Wight Senior (Gold) Cup.

In 2003/04 The Yachtsmen finished 14th in the league, but the Reserves brought silver to the Club by winning the Wessex Combination Cup, beating Eastleigh Reserves in the final.

Former player Marc Burrows scored the sport's fastest ever goal whilst at the club, In a record time of 2.0 seconds, beating the previous record set by Ricardo Oliveira, in a reserve team match against Eastleigh in 2004.^[1]

References

1. ^ A goal after two seconds^{[dead link]}

External links

• Cowes Sports FC official website
• Cowes Sports at the Football Club History Database
• Cowes at the Football Club History Database
• Cowes Sports committee