Isle of Wight League Shanklin vs W&B: Dramatic injury time win

                        SHANKLIN 2, WHITECROFT AND BARTON SPORTS 1

THERE was high drama at the County Ground as Shanklin snatched victory deep into injury time to give themselves a huge chance to win the Island League Division 1 title on Saturday.

Up against a W&B side who knows what it takes to win a league, tonight's match (Wednesday) was topped and tailed with drama.

It began when Shanklin took the lead on six minutes — Nicky Vyse brought down in the box under a clumsy challenge.

The referee did not hesitate to point to the spot and blues skipper Iain Seabrook made no mistake.

Shanklin captain Iain Seabrook gives his side an early lead from the penalty spot against W&B.

W&B midfielder Aidan Sainsbury, left, and Shanklin winger George Carter-Knight.

Two minutes later, the hosts had a chance to double their lead when a cross, headed away by Joe Rayner, fell to George Carter-Knight, who pinged it cleanly with his left foot, but straight at player/co-manager, Gareth True, in goal, who parried away.

W&B reacted brilliantly to going a goal down by levelling in the tenth minute — penalty hero Seabrook turning villain with a poor touch, which allowed Josh Appell time to work the ball onto his right foot and guide the ball perfectly into the far corner, past the despairing dive of Dan Ward.

After that, neither keeper was troubled, as a midfield battle raged, with no clear cut chances created at either end — nor either side able to show enough quality to dominate the game. 

Josh Appell (wearing 9) scores a superb equaliser for W&B.

W&B's Joe Rayner wins the ball from Ryan Hill.

The same pattern followed throughout the second half, as the game increasingly became an anti-climax, with only an Appell shot of note — well smothered by Ward just before the hour.

As the game entered the final ten minutes, Shanklin had become the dominant force.

But with True given very little to do, and the defence in front of him weathering the pressure well, it looked increasingly likely W&B would be celebrating a seventh successive Division 1 title at the final whistle.

And as the game entered added time — and there was a lot racked up because of W&B's continual time-wasting — the referee lost patience with Matt Evans after he argued a booking too vociferously, and a reckless challenge by Jake Wright, resulting in both being sent off within a few hot-headed minutes of each other.

Ryan Hill, far right, scores with a mistimed shot to make it 2-1 to Shanklin deep into injury time.

With one last throw of the dice, Shanklin threw everyone in the box as W&B defended cross after cross and, in the eighth minute of added time, man mountain Ryan Hill popped up to score with an untidy finish to send the 200-strong crowd into pandemonium.

There were still nerves being shredded as Shanklin tried to see out what eventually became 12 minutes of injury time.

But you could see what it meant to both sides at the final whistle — total dejection for W&B after having their fingers prized from the trophy, and huge celebrations for Shanklin — as if they had won the league itself.

Shanklin travel to Brading on Saturday knowing that if they can win it, they will secure the title.

Shanklin striker Kyle Drew (centre) battling for posession with W&B's Joe Rayner, left, and Aiden Sainsbury.

But the Romans will not make it easy — far from it, as W&B found to their cost lately.

Although W&B didn't win the title on the night, anything other than a Shanklin victory and they will celebrate their seventh title in a row, as the intrigue continues into one final deciding 90 minutes.   

Shanklin: Ward, Wilson, Smythers, Seabrook (capt), Wright, Newnham, Cook, Hill, Vyse, Drew, Carter-Knight. Subs: Young, Sanderson, Watterson.

W&B: True, K.Sainsbury, Shaw, Bast, Ovnik (capt), a.Sainsbury, yelland, Rayner, Appell, Evans, Slaven. Subs: Wright, McDonough, Martin.