Kent Under 16s signed off their season with a disappointing defeat at the hands of Sussex at Faversham Town’s Salters Lane ground.

Coach Darren Phillips lamented the fact afterwards that from box to box his side had played some super football but the final ball and the testing of Sussex keepers Billy Collings and Jack Reeves on the disappointing side.

“We had a lot of nice passing, we just don’t take the chances in the end we just over passed it and it gets cut out. I thought Jack Paxman was outstanding having to play at full back again after Jake Treagus pulled out this morning.”

“But I can’t remember either of their keepers having anything to save which is disappointing apart from a few shots that barely reached him.”

“We do all the hard work and all the passing our box to their box with a lot of running with the ball but then it just breaks down.”

“And I don’t know whether they don’t want to seem greedy but someone’s got to score a goal at the end of the day and when we keep passing it off…”

Kent impressed especially in midfield with Ramsgate’s Mitchell Liang and Welling United’s Josh Dalsan looked composed and comfortable. And it was Dalsan who set up the games first chance, as from a Sussex corner, Kent broke and the Welling man played a great ball for Toby Heydon to run onto, but sadly Heydon was beaten in a foot race by keeper Collings who sprinted out of his box to clear.

Sussex took the lead on 24 minutes with a real poachers goal. A driven ball across the box wasn’t cleared and fell to Marc Di Lucia at the back post who coolly picked his spot and gave Sam Reed no chance in the home goal.

As if stung into action, the Kent boys upped their tempo and with Liang and Dalsan sending probing balls around the pitch, there just wasn’t the cutting edge that coach Phillips was desperate for.

The passing around the big pitch that is Salters Lane was great and good on the eye but the cutting edge in and around the box just wasn’t there which made the equaliser on the stroke of half time almost unexpected. Heydon held off three defenders in a driving run down the right and as he drove the ball across the box, Sussex defender Jack Sivill tried to clear the danger but only succeeded in turning the ball into his own net.

Both teams made changes at half time and it was a tactical one made by the visitors was to prove decisive. Harry Batchelor who had played at left back in the first half before being pushed forward, and just seven minutes after the break he picked the ball up twenty five yards out, held off three challenges before superbly placing the ball beyond Reed’s dive and into the corner of the net.

Oliver Gill twice came within inches of extending Sussex’s lead with free kicks, the first of which had Reed absolutely motionless, whilst at the other end although Kent had the ball pinging about the box, sub keeper Reeves didn’t really have a shot to save.

Indeed the home side’s best move really summed up their day – Rio Summers and George Della Valle did well down the left and as Della Valle burst into the area he slipped the ball past Reeves only for defenders to half clear and as the ball fell to onrushing substitute Efe Edosio sadly the Cray Wanderers striker ballooned the ball high over the bar after the ball took a vicious bobble in the edge of the box.

Reflecting on the season as a while coach Phillips admitted, “We’ve undoubtedly missed Alfie Paxman through the whole campaign after he broke his leg pre season after impressing in the pre season games.”

“He offered things that the others haven’t but the big plus today was that we finished the game with five under 15s on the pitch so that’s good for next and was one of the aims for today to get them involved…”

KENT u16s – Sam Reed, Jack Paxman, James McCormack, Mitchell Liang, Kane Kupperblatt, Harry Needham, John Brown, Bobby Watkins, Toby Heydon, Josh Dalson, George Della Valle

Subs – Callum Wood, Efe Edosio, Max Taylor, Rio Summers, Kyle McDowell

SUSSEX u16s – Billy Collings, Jay Hide, Harry Batchelor, Austen Symons, Jack Sivill, Kalvin Crooks, Michael Waller, Oliver Gill, Danny Greenslade, Tyler Nightingill, Marc Di Lucia

Subs – Andrew McCrosson, Jack Reeves, Ashley Mutongerwa, Ceri Marsh, Alfie Stack

Referee – Stuart Marriott
Assistants – Rob Baker & Matt Cowlam
Fourth Official – Wayne Dunn