NEW RULES at Ryde 6 A SIDE

We saw a 1st in Isle of Wight Leisure Leagues last night at Ryde Academy as our Thursday Night 6 a side league became one of the 1st in the country to make the move to the new rules introduced this week by Leisure Leagues. All teams were shown a brilliant video explaining the changes which include goal keepers now being allowed out of the penalty area, all players being allowed in the area and all free kicks being direct. 

It was a nervous night for those of us managing the league and for the officials but it seems the changes have been met with a pretty positive reaction from the players which is brilliant news. We had a penalty in the 1st minute of game one as a keeper picked up a back pass but everyone quickly got used to things and the games all moved at a faster more action packed pace without the option of knocking it back to the keeper for a break. Just want to highlight what a brilliant job Chris and Nick did reffing the matches, it was a lot for them to deal with and they both managed their games brilliantly, remaining calm and explaining to the players as they went, couldn't have asked for more so thank you guys.

The matches themselves were intense and full of energy in both divisions, starting with a brilliant 5 - 2 win for Sat Fesh over Ashton Villa in the top flight. Brad Austin scored the 1st legal "in the box" goal and his 2 along with 2 from Paddy O'Meara gave Sat Fesh an important win as they try and stay close to the top two. One of those top two, Ryde Rovers were up next and the pace of play worked well for them as an Ash Smith hattrick, backed up by 2 each from Kieran Sanderson, Louis Strickland and Bill Scott gave the league leaders a 9 - 4 win over Vectis Rovers. 

Netsix and Chill, our current champions took to the new rules very well and made light work of their game with Crouch Potatoes. The 14 - 1 win will have come as some relief to the champions as their form this season hasn't matched where they were last campaign and for Crouchy it's a bit of a poor night having looked really competitive in this division so far this season. Hopefully they will bounce back next week. Finally in the prem we had East Ryde Massive's game with Roverners. A hattrick from Jamie Meakin kept Roverners competitive but East Ryde came through the challenge and recorded their 6th win out of 6 thanks to 9 goals from Harrison Taylor and 1 from Jarred Fisher. 10 - 5 in this one.

The Division One sides also embraced the new rules with a positive attitude and the league leaders kicked things off with an 8 - 2 win over Getting On a Bit, James Gallop bagging 3, as did Matt Bennett while Brad Austin again chipped in with 2. Danny Murphy was on target with 2 for Getting On but the divisions top side continued on their promotion quest with 2 more points in a fairly comfortable win in the end. A cracking game followed as Khedira Pin Drop faced off against Venom City, Callum Pye was in great goal scoring form for Venom and his 4 made the difference in the end. Bad Austin picked up a couple for Kedira in a game that swung both ways, Venom just knicking it in the end 7 - 5. It was a similar story in the game between Goonies and Chamakh. Kyle Bull bagged 3 for Chamakh, as did Matt Rowbotham but the goals flowwed for Goonies too with Jamie Dyer leading the way with 5, backed up by 4 from Harrision Taylor to ensure their side picked up their 1st points. The last game of the night saw Interurnan match up against Butlins Bandits in another tight game, something we are getting pretty used to now in this league. Keaton Clinton scored 2 for Inter but Butlins just edged it at the final whistle, Josh Aspinall's hattrick ensuring his team took the points with a 6 - 5 win. 

So there we go, we have made the massive change over to the new rules and thank you to all the players for embracing the new ways and for treating the officials with respect during an exciting but challenging night for everyone. Lets make sure we approach next week in the same manor and ensure that this league continues to thrive throughout this season. It was exciting viewing last night, pleasure to be there to see our teams play. Have a good week, see you all next Thursday.