AFTER dramatic Wessex League seasons in vastly different ways, old rivals Cowes Sports and Newport go toe-to-toe again in the final of the Isle of Wight Gold Cup tonight (Friday).
The match, played as it was precisely a year ago at Beatrice Avenue, is a local derby with much more than bragging rights at stake.
The Gold Cup is, for Island players, the trophy they really want to win — their local football Holy Grail.
It is also believed to be the most valuable trophy in the world, with the amount of gold it is made of.
Both great Island clubs could not have had more diametrically opposed league campaigns.
The Yachtsmen, in the Wessex Premier, struggled to break free from the spectre of relegation for the majority of theirs — finally staving it off with a couple of games to spare and by just three points, thanks to some vital results.
Newport, on the other hand, were in the mix for automatic promotion the entire season, with a limited squad, playing superb football not out of place for a division above.
They finished second in what was effectively a two-horse race, but came up against their bogey team this season, Petersfield Town, in the play-offs and lost on penalties.
Cowes Sports go into the game with confidence after beating the drop, with a full squad to choose from, thanks to the return of Brandon Hayward from suspension, but top scorer, John McKie, will need a fitness test after struggling with a hamstring.
Assistant manager, Andy Brown, said: "It will be a close game — a tough old battle — in front a big Friday night crowd, but we are capable of winning it.
"After what we've accomplished by staying up, it would be nice to cap it off with a nice little trophy."
Port will need to shake off the disappointment of being denied promotion through the play-offs two seasons running going into the final — but they do have an almost complete, fit squad to choose from, minus defender Joe Hancott, who has had a superb season.
They also go into it knowing they hammered Cowes 4-1 in the final last season in front of a 500-strong crowd.
Their boss, Steve Brougham, will not be taking anything for granted.
"I'm really looking forward to the game. It should be a close one. I will take the same approach as I do with every game," he said.
"We have to respect Cowes play in a league above us and they have done well to stay in the Premier, so we need to be on it to beat them.
"I know it's a cliche, but it's about which team turns up on the day. I hope we can play as well as we have been doing this season and end it with the Gold Cup again after all our efforts."
Kick-off tonight is at 7.30pm.
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