Cup Final season continued at Salters Lane in Faversham on Sunday with two contrasting Boys Finals at Under 13s and 14s which brought success for Thamesmead Town and Ebbsfleet United.

In the morning game, Thamesmead Town dominated Vinters from start to finish and in the end ran out deserved 3-0 winners.

Indeed Harry Hudson almost gave the Mead the dream start inside three minutes but was squeezed out after being brilliantly found down the channel.

Thamesmead continued to control the game and deservedly took the lead on 16 minutes.  The passing from the Mead’s midfielders all game was magnificent and the ball which released Harry O’Rouke to race through and round Vinters keeper Harry Gowers with some aplomb certainly fell into that category.

Vinters rallied towards the latter stages of the opening half and enjoyed their best spell of the game.  Billy Mitchell was able to hold off the attentions of a Thamesmead defender to get in a fine shot across keeper Samuel Hayes which the keeper brilliantly turned wide of his right post with a stunning full length save.

And then when Hayes was beaten, the Thamesmead defence stood firm…  Jack Rackley held his nerve and his position brilliantly as he looked likely to level the game up just before half time only for James Rossiter to brilliantly time his challenge as the Vinters man was poised to shoot and the chance had been magnificently snuffed out!

Sadly that’s was as good as it got for Vinters as Thamesmead doubled their lead barely ninety seconds after half time.  A corner was played in Harry Spurling and under challenge, the ball was able to bounce through the box to where Harry Hudson was on hand to scramble home much to the disgust of the Vinters players.

O’Rouke then saw a low drive whistle past the post, before Hudson was denied by a truly fabulous save by keeper Gowers who did remarkably well to remain in play as Billy Mitchell shot wide.

Mitchell though was to get his goal just three minutes from time – but again it was tough on Vinters keeper Gowers.  Mead sub Wesley Perkin-Donson broke into the box and his shot was well saved right boot, and as the ball looped up Mitchell was on hand to roll the ball into an empty net.

Vinters did have the last word however as Jamie Payne beat Hayes from the edge of the box, but it was the Mead, who had been watched by first team boss Keith McMahon and several members of the Ryman clubs committee, who took the trophy back up the M2…

THAMESMEAD TOWN (from) Samuel Hayes, Toby Moth, Harry Spurling, James Rossiter, Aaron Horsfield, Ethan Coombs, Billy Mitchell, Harry Hudson, Dominic Vincent-Edwards, Adam Doran

VINTERS (from) Harry Gowers, Craig Cooley, Jake Cottee, James O’Connor, Joe Terry, Jamie Payne, Bivesh Gurnesh, Jack Rackley, Alfie Newland, William Wells, Shane Buckland, Marshall Geering, Bradley Howard.

The second final of the day was a lot closer than the first, but was overshadowed by a serious knee injury to Ebbsfleet midfielder Morgan Hendricks.  The Ebbsfleet wide man when down under no challenge at all after playing the ball forward, and it was immediately clear that Hendricks had a problem, and after a delay of nearly 45 minutes, an ambulance duly arrived to take the stricken player to hospital.

In fairness though, the injury shouldn’t detract from what was a terrific game of football where the advantage swung one way and then the other – all the way through what became an increasingly tight contest.

Corinthian had the first chance of any note when Donvieve Jones shot straight at Harry Potter in the Ebbsfleet goal.

Indeed it was the Ebbsfleet keeper who excelled early on and next to be denied was Joe Clifford , who had done well to get on the end of Ephraim Adekoya’s brilliant square ball.

Adekoya himself was then denied as his fine weaving run saw him battle through only to be denied as the ball rebounded off of Potter’s legs and away to safety.

Then came Hendricks’ unfortunate injury and both sides were taken from the field, for the game to restart some 50 minutes later, and Ebbsfleet were soon in front.

Lewis Wood sprinted clear down the inside right channel and he did well to get the ball across the box for the arriving Leon Sloane to ram the ball home from six yards.

Corinthian desperately tried to get back into the game and despite some super approach play – much of it involving Jones – they just couldn’t find a way through, and indeed late on Sloane missed a great chance to double the advantage right at the end.

As the final whistle went, many of the Ebbsfleet players sank to their knees and in an amazing display for their fallen team mate, they asked if Hendricks be awarded the Man of the Match award.

A true mark of solidarity and togetherness from the new under 14s Boys Cup winners…

CORINTHIAN (from) Cameron McMinn, Henry Rowland, Kyle May, Darren Oxley, Jack Fenton, Jaydn Gildea, John Chirnside, Reece Anscomb, Lewis Wood, Donvieve Jones, Ephraim Adekoya, Jack Conway, Alfie Cox, Joe Clifford

EBBSFLEET (from) Harry Potter, Samuel Miles, Danny Peen, Michael Arthey, Morgan Hendricks, Josh Beadle, Callum Harland, Oluwalayo Awokoya, Jay Mitchell, James Miles, Leon Stone, Ben Kelly, Joshua Dorling, Andrew Skinner, Leyton O’Connor, Nicholas Jimena-Tilling