Hope everyone had a great Christmas and New Year and feel rested for the remainder of the Kent Youth League campaign.
Naughtily, the website also took a break over the festive period and there are a few games to catch-up.
The Under-13’s won a second consecutive game with a 1-0 win at Snodland Town, and everybody involved with the youth programme is delighted that Ollie Pantry’s squad are now getting the results that their hard work has deserved.
Ollie reports on the Snodland game: “The U13s recorded a hard-fought 1–0 league victory against Snodland in difficult conditions, earning their second league win of the season.
“The game was played on a challenging grass pitch, the match required patience and adaptability as Snodland adopted a direct style throughout. The U13’s managed the threat well and limited the opposition to very little sustained possession. Despite the surface restricting ball speed, the team continued to work the ball effectively and created a number of shooting opportunities, including a missed penalty in the first half.
“Leading 1–0 at the break, the players responded well to increased pressure in the second half by adjusting their shape, which reduced the opposition’s time and space and limited them to just one clear chance. The team finished strongly and remained in control, closing out a disciplined and organised performance to earn a deserved league victory.”
The Under-15’s made further progress in the London County Cup on Saturday before being held to a 2-2 daw with Cray Wanderers at the Yeomans Community Stadium on Sunday as James Ward reports:
“The final weekend of football before Christmas saw us take on arguably the strongest opposition we’ve faced this season.
“Saturday brought a brilliant London County Cup Round of 16 tie against last season’s finalists, Onside. It was a high quality contest between two footballing sides, with top players on show throughout. In a very close game, we came out on top with a 3–1 victory to book our place in the quarter finals. To reach this stage having beaten both last season’s winners and runners-up is a huge achievement for the group.
“Sunday presented a completely different challenge in the KYL. With tired legs once again and a slight tweak in formation, we still managed to dominate large periods of the game. After going 1-0 down early, we responded well to take a 3–1 lead. However, a goal from Hollands and Blair just before half-time brought the score back to 3-2. Despite creating several chances, some wasteful finishing and a sloppy goal conceded saw the game end 3-3.
“Before the weekend, we would have happily taken a win on Saturday and a point on Sunday. After Sunday’s performance, though, it certainly felt like two points dropped. We have a busy Christmas schedule ahead, including a trip to Suffolk to compete in the Norwich City Winter Cup, there’s plenty of football to come. It should ensure the boys return in the New Year fit, sharp, and ready to go again.”
The Under-15’s also report a fixture change with this coming Sunday (11th January), now a visit to Folkestone Invicta for a KYL game with the League Cup Semi-Final against the same opposition now scheduled for 8th February at the Yeomans.
The Under-14’s got back to winning ways as they hosted a talented Cray Wanderers side as Oliver Stell reports:
“The Angels started brightly, with an end to end game that saw them take control on the 19 minute mark after defending extremely well during the opening stages. A well worked corner enabled Iden Newman to register yet another assist for the season, finding the head of Max Carrington to give the Angels the lead. This enabled the Angels to relax into their game and start to dominate possession. Only five minutes passed when goalscorer turned provider as Carrington laid off for Dudley Whittington to take his tally to six for the season.
“Just before the half, Angels conceded a rare chance which enabled Cray to pull one back and head into the break only a goal down.
“The second half followed suit with the Angels dominating most of the play. Cray still came forward and tested Vinnie Bourne in the Angels goal but with no success. Ten minutes from time, the in-form Carrington latched onto a through ball from Carter Deacon to secure all three points.
Player of the match went to Harrison Scotter for a solid defensive display in the Angels back line.
The most disappointing result of the weekend unfortunately fell at the feet of the Under-16’s who, riddled with injuries and without a recognised goalkeeper, went down 5-1 at the Gallagher to exit the Kent County Cup at the quarter-final stage.
