The Kent Under 18 Representative Team reached the Final of the FA County Youth Cup for the second consecutive year after a magnificent victory over a strong Liverpool team .
The pitch at Walton Hall Football Centre, Liverpool was in excellent condition although a strong wind blowing down the pitch did not help matters too much.
The game began evenly with the early exchanges showing it was to be a keenly contested encounter. Kent took the lead in the 8th minute with a rather lucky and somewhat bizarre goal. A corner from the left caused a bit of a goalmouth scramble. A Liverpool defender gave the ball a hefty kick to clear it only to see it ricochet of one of his team mates and into the top right hand corner of the net.
Kent extended their lead in the 25th minute when Sam Cliff got the better of the big Liverpool Centre back and drilled the ball past the despairing dive of the goalkeeper from 12 yards.
At this point Kent appeared to be coasting but it all changed just before half time when Liverpool were awarded a penalty which was expertly converted.
Half time: Liverpool 1 Kent 2.
Liverpool looked a totally different side in the second half. They dominated the first half hour. The equaliser came just on the hour and eight minutes later Liverpool took the lead when George Mitchell. Kent’s excellent central defender in trying to clear a difficult cross could only deflect the ball into his own net.
This setback spurred Kent into action and they took control of the game again. Tom Phipp forced the Liverpool goalkeeper into making a fine save before Sam Cliff equalised in the 80th minute and so took the game into extra time.
Liverpool almost scored straight from the commencement of extra time with a good move straight from the restart. Happily, from the Kent point of view, the attempt was just wide. Kent attacked straight from this incident and took the lead when Tom Phipp managed to deceive the goalkeeper with a clever attempt and the visitors were back in the lead.
Kent took control of the match from that moment and it was no real surprise when the lead was extended in the 115th minute by man of the match Sam Cliff who scored his third and Kent’s fifth.
Final score: Liverpool 3 Kent 5
Kent meet Sheffield and Hallamshire in the Final. Sheffield and Hallamshire defeated Lancashire by 1 goal to nil in the other semi-final also played yesterday.
Details of the Final will be announced later but the match will be played in Kent.