Month: December 2018

Adrian Swan

Phoenix Sports Youth 2 v 3 VCD Athletic Youth

1-0 Debenham(28), 2-0 Holland (35), 2-1 Akram (51), 2-2 Akram (72)

2-3 Baldwin (86).

Despite the recent wet weather the pitch was in excellent condition for this local derby between Phoenix Sports and VCD Athletic.

This game was the proverbial game of two halves with the home side leading 2-0 at half time but three second half goals from their near neighbours saw them take the points and the local bragging rights.

With the slick condition of the playing surface both sides resorted to taking pot shots from distance and both keepers had to be alert to this danger.

On four minutes the hosts went close to opening the scoring when Frankie Holland squared the ball across to the edge of the box where Jake Thornton’s fierce drive had visiting keeper Harrison Carnell-Davis diving full length to his left as the shot flashed narrowly wide.

Minutes later VCD’s Liam Spellward hit a long range effort over before shortly afterwards his 25 yard free kick hit the Phoenix defensive wall and nearly wrong footed Phoenix keeper Harry Hepworth who had moved right but quickly adjusted his feet and saved well diving low to his left.

On 19 minutes Phoenix’s Holland tried a long range shot that Carnell-Davis held moving to his right before another long range free kick for the visitors from Spellward forced Hepworth into a save catching the ball high to his right.

Phoenix then made the breakthrough on 28 minutes when Holland’s low free kick from wide right was turned home by Ryan Debenham low to the left of Carnell-Davis.

Phoenix then made it two on 35 minutes when a long ball forward from Thornton eluded Alfie Scully and fell to Holland who raced through on goal and slotted home low to the left of Carnell-Davis.

The visitors almost hit back immediately as Stacey Petrou made space well on the edge of the box but his low shot was saved by Hepworth diving to his right.

Minutes later Phoenix went close to increasing their lead when a long ball forward from Jimmy Grant released Holland in on goal but this time his rising drive was saved by Carnell-Davis diving high to his right and pushing the ball out to safety.

On the stroke of half time VCD had a half chance when James Ashley’s right wing cross was well brought down by Petrou on the edge of the box but his shot on the turn flew just wide of the target. 

The visitors then reduced the arrears early in the second half with a rather scrappy goal when Ashley’s left wing corner was missed by Hepworth as the ball flew to the far post where it was knocked back into the crowded box where Jeshurvn Akram forced the ball home from close range.

VCD were then unlucky not to draw level on 55 minutes when Petrou’s 25 yard free kick flew over the Phoenix defensive wall beating a stretching Hepworth high to his right but clipped the bar before flying over.

Suddenly it was all VCD as they searched for an equaliser and they went close to scoring again when the skilful Ross Craig’s through ball found Petrou’s run into the box but his low drive was well saved by the finger tips of Hepworth diving to his left for a corner.

Petrou then forced Hepworth into another save when his back header from Ashley’s free kick saw him stretching high above his head to catch the ball. Harrison Baldwin then tested Hepworth with a long range shot that the home keeper held moving to his left before he made an even better save high to his right to palm over Craig’s powerful long range dipping shot.

However from the resulting corner again taken by Ashley from the left, the visitors drew level when the ball flew over to the far post where it was nodded back into the crowded box where again Akram was first to react to force the loose ball home from close range.

VCD having drawn level had their tails up and went in search of a winner but were unlucky to hit the bar again when almost straight from the re-start they won the ball back which was quickly played up to Baldwin on the edge of the box. He took a touch and then hit a rasping drive that beat a diving Hepworth high to his right but rattled the woodwork before flying out to safety.

Phoenix then had their first shot on target in the second half when Grant hit a long range shot that Carnell-Davis held moving to his left. Into the final minutes of the game both sides had chances to take the points.

On 81 minutes the lively Petrou made space well before hitting a 30 yard shot that Hepworth held moving to his left. The home sides Holland then tested Carnell-Davis with a long range effort that the VCD keeper pushed away diving to his left.  VCD then went closing to taking the lead when another fine pass from Craig put Petrou in on goal but Hepworth was quickly off his line to make a good close range block.

VCD’s holding midfielder Thomas Cecil then forced Hepworth into another save when he dived to his right to parry his shot from the edge of the box.

However VCD’s pressure finally told on 86 minutes when another deft pass from Craig put Joe Carey away down the left and he pulled the ball back across goal where Baldwin slotted home from close range.

The last chance of the game fell to VCD’s Petrou when he had another low shot saved by the busy Hepworth.

Adrian Swan

Kent FA Youth 4 v 0 Jersey FA Youth

1-0 Kingsford (50) (pen)), 2-0 Ishola (70), 3-0 Kingsford (88), 4-0 Isola (89).

Kent maintained their perfect start in this year’s South East Counties ‘under 18’ Youth Championship with an excellent win against previously unbeaten visitors Jersey to put themselves in a strong position to qualify for the knock out round of the competition.

Despite the recent wet weather the 3g pitch at Sevenoaks Town was in fine condition and played well throughout.

The first half was a tight cagey affair with not much to choose between the teams but a few tweaks from the Kent management at half time meant that Kent dominated the second half for long periods and ran out worthy winners.

It was the visitors who had the first shot on target on 4 minutes when Thomas Harris fired in a 30 yard shot that Kent keeper Ben Folkard took comfortably. Minutes later Kent’s Freddie Entwistle tried his luck from a similar distance but his shot whistled over the bar.

Kent might have taken the lead on 14 minutes when another fierce drive from Entwistle deflected off a Jersey defender into the path of Ryan Kingsford who with only Jersey keeper Josh Jehan to beat dragged his shot wide of the target.

After this the game settled down to a bit of a midfield stalemate. Jersey then had a couple of chances on the half hour mark when firstly Sol Solomon curled a 25 yard free kick over the home defensive wall that Folkard moving to his right was able to claim before Harris made a strong forward run at the heart of the Kent defence evading a couple of tackles before hitting a low shot that flew narrowly wide of the target.

Just before half time Kent also had a couple of chances from left wing corners taken by Jacob Gilbert, the first of which was pulled back to the edge of the box where Harrison Pont volleyed wide and the second sent deep to the far post where a stretching George Porter could only turn the ball over.

Kent started the second half brightly and were awarded a penalty on 49 minutes when Pont’s run into the box was halted when he was up-ended by James Sunley.

Kingsford took the spot kick firing home low to the right of Jehan, who dived the correct way but was beaten by the power of the shot.

The hosts almost made it two shortly afterwards when Gilbert’s free kick from wide right found Pont rising highest in the box but his towering header was held by Jehan high above his head.

Another  fine Gilbert delivery from a right wing corner then picked out Cameron Williams whose header flew straight at Jehan.

Just after the hour mark the Jersey defence were giving their first indication of the searing pace of debutant Hamid Ishola when he raced through onto Pont’s lofted pass over the visitors back line, easily outpacing the covering central defenders, as he made his way into the box and although his low shot beat the advancing Jehan to his left it ran just the wrong side of the post.

Minutes later Entwistle’s pass found Ishola down the left and he again engaged the after burners as raced away from the covering defenders into the box but this time Jehan was quickly off his line and managed to make a good close range block for a corner.

Jersey’s Solomon then made space well on the edge of the box before drilling a low shot narrowly wide before Kent got their second on 70 minutes with a fine solo goal from Ishola. Picking the ball up on the half way line he pushed it beyond his marker and raced through on goal, leaving several desperate Jersey defenders in his wake, before calmly slotting home low to the right of the advancing Jehan.

It was now all Kent as they pushed their dispirited visitors back. Entwistle’s left wing cross found Kingsford in the box but his header flew over before Kingsford tried his luck with a curling free kick from wide left of the area that Jehan saved moving to his right.

The icing was then put on the cake for Kent as they scored twice in the dying minutes.

On 88 minutes Scott Jarvis’s free kick from the half way line found Kingsford in the box and rising highest he scored with a trade mark centre forwards header guiding the ball back across goal and home low to the left of Jehan.

Then a minute later it was four as Beau Landau’s through ball put Ishola  in on goal and although Jehan managed to block his initial shot on the edge of his area, the ball spun up and Ishola off balance then showed great skill and awareness to hook the bouncing ball over the stranded keeper into the net.