Alresford Town 1 Cowes Sports 2: ALRESFORD’S woes at the bottom of the Sydenhams Wessex League Premier Division deepened with a narrow defeat at home to Cowes after a good game on a damp day at Arlebury Park.

The two teams had fought out a goalless draw on the Island at the start of the season. But since then they have gone in opposite directions, the Yachtsmen establishing themselves in the top half of the table while the Magpies have sunk to the bottom.

Alresford started in promising fashion. Adam Carrick’s probing ball forward forced Nathan Lewis to concede a corner, while Tom Donaldson shot over after a free kick was half-cleared. But Cowes soon showed their own quality with a shot from Charlie Smeeton, while Tom Scovell saw his shot deflected to home keeper Mike Weatherall.

Donaldson then slid in on a John Mulhern cross to shoot from six yards, but a good block denied him, while Dexter Malin came the closest yet for Cowes with a shot that hit the bar after Ben Dexter had blocked Jordan Browne’s initial effort.

Defending from set pieces has been an Alresford weakness for some time. They paid for that on 21 minutes when Browne was left all alone to guide home a right-wing corner with a deft header.

The Magpies struck back straight away, Mulhern crossing for John Howard to volley narrowly off target. Alresford did their best to keep up the pressure, and were rewarded on 42 minutes when Mulhern turned Ben Stanbrook’s shot past Ed Hatt and into the back of the net for the equaliser.

Just one minute before the break Cowes scored a second goal from a corner. This time Lewis was the man on target with a fine header under pressure from home defenders.

In the second half Alresford gave it a real go, with some crisp short passing in the midfield area and several chances to score. New signing Cliff Walters came closest with a shot that Hatt saved superbly and then with another effort that skidded to safety off the crossbar.

As time went on, the home’s side’s penetration gradually petered out while Cowes, always dangerous on the break, could have added to their lead. In the end there wasn’t much to choose between the two sides, but it was the Yachtsmen who took all three points to leave Alresford – once again – empty-handed.