Simon Johnson (Chairman of the Youth Section, Hythe Stars and Stripes FC) said: "A great deal of work has gone into establishing this team and marks both clubs determination to invest in the young players of Hythe. We now have a complete youth structure and hopefully in a few years time we will see some players’ progress through to the first team. This is a fantastic opportunity for any young player. Darren Finlay is a fantastic appointment as manager and will bring all his experience and enthusiasm to this role – the players under his guidance will learn a great deal"

Martin Giles (Secretary, Hythe Town FC) said: "The fact that we are still well within the first year of our partnership with Stars and Stripes and are already applying for a team in the top age group of the County's senior youth league shows how committed we all are . In Darren Finlay we have a man with real experience of top football up to European level and this will help any youngsters with the right attitude to progress in the game. It has been a great season for Hythe Town FC after nineteen years trying to get back to where we are now--but the good news keeps coming."

Darren Finlay (Newly Appointed Under 18s Manager) said: "I am very excited about the task that lies ahead. It is the premier youth league in Kent and as such will provide us with very competitive youth football next season where the aim is to attract and then develop young players and giving them the opportunity to progress through into the first team. It’s a big challenge but it’s one I am really looking forward to."

Under 18's Manager Profile - Darren Finlay......

Darren has recently completed his UEFA ‘B’ (Level 3) Coaching Qualification through the PFA at Chelsea. Darren is starting his career in coaching having enjoyed a number of years in the professional game. Darren started his playing career in Northern Ireland with Glentoran before moving to Queens Park Rangers as a trainee, staying at the club for four seasons. Darren later signed for Doncaster Rovers and also had stints with Kingstonian and Crawley Town whilst in England. Darren then returned to Ireland rejoining his original club. Whilst there he lifted the Irish Cup and the Irish Premier League, also competing in the Champions League and European Cup Winners Cup. During his playing career he also played international football representing Northern Ireland at both Youth and Senior level. Darren has established many contacts within the game and is keen to develop as a coach.

Hythe Stars and Stripes have capped another wonderful season, with the announcement that the club has been named as Kent FA Charter Standard Development Club of the Year. The club has already been presented with a training kit and equipment voucher from the KCFA and will be attending a presentation evening later in the year to officially collect the award. Hythe Stars and Stripes have also been put forward to the South East Regional Draw.

Hythe Stars and Stripes FC and Hythe Town FC held a celebration of youth football in the town on Wednesday 27th April at the Reachfields Stadium. In excess of 70 mini soccer players enjoyed a training session on the pitch with their parents and supporters watching from the stands and club house. The under 12's then played a very competitive match against Park Farm Rangers under floodlights. The players also got their first chance to use the new equipment awarded by the KCFA.

Hythe Stars and Stripes FC mini soccer section prior to their training session at the Reachfields Stadium in April. Pictured is Chairman, Simon Johnson and Head Coach, Paul Carney with the training equipment presented by the KCFA as part of the Kent FA Charter Standard Development Club of the Year award.

The FA Charter Standard is a kite mark for youth football clubs, which indicates that the club has sound operating procedures and provides a safe and quality environment for young people to enjoy football. Although Stars and Stripes FC were established in 1998, the club started its mini soccer program in 2007, working towards achieving Charter Standard status. Hythe Stars and Stripes FC achieved the top tier available – Development Club status in 2009. As part of the development plan Hythe Stars and Stripes FC now work closely with Hythe Town FC and are running an under 18's team together for next season.

The club are currently looking for players for the new under 18's side and the under 13's girls team. Hythe Stars and Stripes FC are also looking for anyone interested in coaching in the mini soccer section.

Club Chairman, Simon Johnson said “Everyone at the club is immensely proud of this award. To be recognised at a county level shows the amount of progress this club has made. The level of achievement both on and off the pitch has far surpassed anything we could have imagined and is testament to our many volunteers who have worked tirelessly, Youth and Senior football in Hythe has a very bright future.”

Head Coach, Paul Carney said “Not many young players get the opportunity to play at a football stadium and I know all the players involved had a fantastic time. I would like to thank Martin Giles and everyone at Hythe Town FC for making this possible. The growing relationship between the two clubs is developing at quite a rate and we all think it is the start of something special for football in Hythe.”

Hythe Town Under 18's - Match Reports - Season 2008/09

End of Season Awards 2007/8 - Click here

Hythe Town 5    Ramsgate 3 - Alfred Albert Moore Memorial Cup Final

After settling the league title weeks prior to the cup final, Hythe had the time to prepare fully for their most important match of their season as they looked to take the League and Cup double in their last seas on together. Hythe Town, led out by Ricky Underdown, started the game brightly and both sides had half chances which were never troubling either keeper. The deadlock was eventually broken though after 20 minutes when midfielder James RIDGWAY skipped through the centre and unleashed a shot on the goal and a deflection managed to loop the ball up and over the stranded Ramsgate keeper for the opener. The goal sparked Hythe into more free flowing football and they got the second goal in an end to end half when a free kick was won just inside the Ramsgate half, and Adam Boxer swung in a delightful ball which was cooly volleyed home by Jake HARVEY to give Hythe a two goal cushion.  However Ramsgate didn't stop there and were awarded a debatable penalty late in the first half, the Rams striker stepped up and put the ball towards the top corner only for the Superb Tony ALLEN to stretch out an arm and somehow tip the ball over the bar. Hythe relied on Allen again on a number of occasions late in the first half and he stood firm to deny the Rams on every occasion.

At 2-0 to the good on the half-time whistle Hythe went in very happy knowing that one more goal early in the first half would kill off their opposition, however that wasn't to be the case and the Rams attacked from the restart, Hythe again counting their lucky stars as Man of the Match Tony ALLEN came to the rescue time and time again. That was until Ramsgate finally did score to pull them back into the game and give them hope, the goal had a huge impact and it was Ramsgate again who scored soon after when ALLEN made three saves but Hythe were unable to clear and the Rams slotted home the equaliser. With Hythe heads down and 15 minutes to go Rams capitalised and scored what looked to be the winning goal late in the game. But Hythe kept plugging away but when a corner came in and Jake Harvey hit the bar it didn't look promising that Hythe would get anything from the game. That was until with 5 minutes to go a ball was floated in and the excellent Ben LAUZON powerfully headed home the third to take the game to extra time and put Hythe into raptures.

With the crowd getting behind Hythe there was only ever going to be one winner and when Brian MOFOKENG shrugged off two defenders and sprinted in on goal, everybody was willing him to score and when he slotted in the fourth goal and ran to the support it was clear that Hythe were to be the cup winners and that top goalscorer MOFO had done it again!  Hythe held out for the remaining of extra time but when Rams cleared the ball out, Adam BOXER got there first and smashed home a volley from all of 30 yards which dipped delightfully over the helpless Rams keeper and confirmed the League and Cup double for Town.

A huge Thank You from the team goes to the fantastic supporters who traveled down to Whitstable, our long term Sponsors Gary Abbott and his wife Lindsey Abbott, and Buzzlines coaches for taking the team and fans down to the match.

Man of the Match - Tony Allen

Team - Tony Allen, John Tsimba, Jake Harvey, Matt Fellows, Carl Taylor, Rob Featherbe, James Ridgway, Tom Penn, Ben Lauzon, Ricky Underdown, Toby Rolfe, Brian Mofokeng, Adam Boxer. 

New Romney 0 Hythe Town 4 - 05/04/09

In Hythe's penultimate league encounter they needed a draw against their only contenders for the title who were also their opponents of the day. A strong side took full control early on and dominated proceedings heavily, midfield maestro James Ridgway pulling the strings and ripping apart the New Romney side through the middle. The opening goal came quickly and it was joint man of the match James Ridgway himself who skipped past three defenders before calmly slotting home the first goal. The goal brought further belief into a high confidence Hythe side and before long it was debutant Sonny Shields back from a long term lay off to break past the Romney defence and grab Hythe's second goal and set them on their way to title retention. A third goal was added almost seconds later and it was back to form striker Ricky Underdown who drilled home the third goal and leave Romney with a mountain to climb. Further golden chances for Hythe fell to striker Liam Cooper, who was unlucky not to get his first for the club. At half-time Hythe were three goals to the good and cruising to the Molten League Senior Division Title for the second year running.

The second half brought more life from the home side as they attempted to push for a goal and a foothold into the match, but Hythe stood strong and weathered the long ball for large periods of the second half. The better football was still coming from the visitors who were pushing for more goals to kill off the game, super interplay between Ridgway and Lauzon could have brought about an excellent goal only for the Romney defence to scupper the attack at the last minute. The game was eventually rounded off when a free kick from Adam Boxer was whipped in and not dealt with, and centre half Matt Fellows smashed home the bouncing ball and gave Hythe a comfortable 4-0 victory and the title to go with it. 

Hythe will look to complete the double when they visit Whitstable FC on May 3rd to play in the Cup Final against Ramsgate, all are encouraged to come and watch the match and support the lads in their last game as under 18's. 

Joint Man of the Match - Ricky Underdown/James Ridgway

Scorers - James Ridgway, Sonny Shields, Ricky Underdown, Matt Fellows

Hythe Town 2 Herne Bay 1 - 29/03/09  

With just three games in the league left of the season, Hythe needed 4pts in order to guarantee them the Senior Division, but a good footballing Herne Bay side were out to ruin Hythe's party when they visited South Road for this late season encounter. The game was played at a high tempo with Hythe playing well and looking to break the deadlock. The half continued to be fast paced but with no real chances being created, half chances falling to both sides but never troubling either keeper. 

However to the shock of the Hythe support and players in particular it was Herne Bay who snatched the opening goal when a long ball led to confusion between keeper and defence and allowed the Herne Bay striker to tap home the advantage. The goal riled Hythe into a response as they attacked from the kick off, leading them to the immediate equaliser when the ball dropped to Ben Lauzon on the edge of the box who smashed in a shot which deflected into the net past the Bay keeper and leaving him with no chance whatsoever. The half ended 1-1 and Hythe knew that a win was needed if they wanted to wrap up the league early before the cup final. The second half began but was a lot flatter than the first with both sides attempting to get the winning goal.  Hythe were left to shoot from long range and left it very late before getting the winning goal in the final minutes when Jake Harvey fired in a shot which bobbled over the keeper and gave Hythe the win.  

Man of the Match - Jonny Tsimba

Scorers - Ben Lauzon, Jake Harvey

Herne Bay Harriers 1 Hythe Town 4 - 23/11/08  

On a cold and very wet afternoon, Hythe knew that conditions may help to hinder their current 100% record for the season so far. A good solid start however helped to ease those fears hugely as they snatched the opening goal inside the first 10 minutes. The goal came when Adam Boxer whipped in a corner to the far post, headed goalwards by Jake Harvey and knocked into the net by Matt Fellows for his second goal in successive games.

With a good early start under Hythe’s belt it may have been expected that they would go from strength to strength and begin to pull away from the Herne Bay Side, however this wasn’t the case as the opposition had other ideas and managed to score the equaliser. Capatalising on a mix up between defence and goalkeeper, allowing the Herne Bay striker to nip in and slot home with ease. The goal did spark life back into Hythe and they began to start playing football again although it looked as though they wouldn’t get the third goal of the game before the half time whistle. That was until midfield maestro James Ridgway skipped through the Herne Bay defence before lashing a volley across goal only for it to end up in the back of the net, giving Hythe their advantage again on half-time.

The second half was very tight between the two sides as they both seemed to be cancelling each other out in the final third.  Herne Bay giving Hythe some worrying moments at times but restricting them to long range shots made sure that they were unable to get a foot hold back into the match. The third goal for Hythe came when a cross from the right wing tested the keeper who punched out to the 18 yard box only for Jake Harvey to follow up the rebound and smash home giving Hythe breathing space in what was a tough second half. With the momentum from the third goal Hythe managed to get a fourth soon after when Ricky Underdown was slipped through on goal and finished into the bottom corner keeping him at the top of Hythe’s scoring charts and giving Hythe a seemingly comfortable 4-1 away victory.

Man of the Match - Mark Read

Scorers - Matt Fellows, James Ridgway, Jake Harvey, Ricky Underdown

Team - Tony Allen, John Tsimba, Joe Bullard, Matt Fellows, Rob Featherbe, Carl Taylor, Adam Boxer, Mark Read, Jake Harvey, James Ridgway, Ben Lauzon, Ricky Underdown, Ben Williams, Brian Mofokeng

Hythe Town 3 Great Chart 0 – 16/11/08

With 16 goals in Hythe’s last two matches it looked an ominous task for the visiting Ashford outfit, however goals were seemingly hard to come by for the previously free scoring Town side. They started the game well, dominating the midfield and putting pressure on the Great Chart defence for large periods of the first half. Great Chart found it difficult to get out of their own half as Hythe continued to press wasting several chances to take the lead, Ricky Underdown, Brian Mofokeng and Jake Harvey all having decent chances to break the deadlock. Hythe did eventually manage to take the lead when a superb threading ball between the centre half and full back by Ben Lauzon put Brian Mofokeng in one on one with the Chart keeper and he finished well into the bottom corner.

Further chances were wasted by Hythe from set pieces as well as open play and they had to settle at being only 1-0 up at the break. The second half was very much more of the same in terms of Hythe having several chances in front of goal but unable to get the goals that they deserved. The second goal came quite late in the half when a long range shot from Jake Harvey flew into the net, beating the Chart keeper convincingly to give Hythe a 2-0 lead and making them breathe a lot easier. The third came soon after when a free kick taken by Carl Taylor was whipped into the box only for the Chart keeper to spill it and centre half Matt Fellows to tap into the net and wheel away in celebration and send Hythe home 3-0 winners and maintaining their 100% record for the season so far.

Man of the Match - John Tsimba

Scorers - Brian Mofokeng, Jake Harvey, Matt Fellows

Team - Tony Allon, John Tsimba, Matt Fellows, Joe Bullard, Rob Featherbe, Carl Taylor, Ben Lauzon, Jake Harvey, James Ridgway, Tom Penn, Mark Read, Brian Mofokeng, Ben Williams, Ricky Underdown

Hythe Town 8 Prince of Wales 0 - 09/11/08 - Molten East Kent Senior Division Cup Quarter Final

After winning the first 6 games in the league it was the week of the cup and after a bye in the previous round, Hythe came up against Prince of Wales in the quarter final of the cup. Hythe had previously beaten Prince of Wales 10-1 away in the league fixture and would need to produce something special to better that score line in extremely windy conditions. Both sides seemed unable to deal with the wind, neither side able to grasp a firm foothold on the match, until Ricky Underdown was put through and he duly finished giving Hythe the opening goal. Hythe then began to play football despite the wind trying its best to restrict any flowing play.

Hythe grabbed a second when a long free kick from Joe Bullard held up in the wind before being headed home by Jake Harvey, Hythe continued to press the Prince of Wales defence and were able to get their third and fourth goals before half time. Ricky Underdown getting his second heading in a corner at the near post from Adam Boxer and James Ridgeway snatching a goal for himself finishing well into the bottom corner with his left foot.

With Hythe 4-0 up at the break it would have been easy to sit off and see the game through, that wasn’t the case as Hythe attacked for more goals, and goals is exactly what they got - Brian Mofokeng getting in on the act scoring past the Wales goalkeeper. Hythe had several more chances to get more names on the score sheet, but it was Man of the Match Ricky Underdown who broke through and slotted in for his first hat-trick of the season and making him the current top scorer. Next to get in on the act was Ben Lauzon who smashed in Hythe’s 7-0 before Carl Taylor finished coolly giving Hythe their 8^th goal and a resounding victory to take into their cup Semi-Final.

Man of the Match - Ricky Underdown

Scorers - Underdown x 3, Jake Harvey, James Ridgeway, Brian Mofokeng, Ben Lauzon, Carl Taylor

Team - Tony Allon, Toby Rolfe, John Tsimba, Matt Fellows, Joe Bullard, Rob Featherbe, Carl Taylor, Ben Lauzon, Jake Harvey, James Ridgway, Tom Penn, Mark Read, Brian Mofokeng, Ben Williams, Ricky Underdown, Adam Boxer

Hythe Town 8 Canturbury Youth 2 - 26/10/08

Hythe’s storm towards retaining the league title continued as they saw off Canterbury with relative ease in bad weather. Hythe were damaged early on when regular keeper Tony Allen pulled out before kick-off meaning Matt Fellows had to stand in for the match.  

The set back was made worse when Canterbury grabbed the first goal when a mistake between keeper and defence led to the Canterbury Striker rounding Fellows in goal and slotting home to give Canterbury the early advantage, severely against the run of play. The lead didn’t last long though as Hythe continued to play the best football they had all season and when a well positioned free-kick was won Jake Harvey stepped up and smashed home the equaliser into the bottom corner.

Hythe continued playing impressive football and had several more chances in front of goal in order to grab the lead but were unlucky, until a corner whipped in by Adam Boxer was headed in by Harvey grabbing both his and Hythe’s second goal.  Hythe didn’t stop for the remainder of the half and had even more chances; the best falling to Brian Mofokeng who headed against the bar, that was before James Ridgeway got Hythe’s third from close range and giving Hythe a comfortable lead at the half.

The second half began much slower from Hythe and Canterbury started to claw their way back into the game but were unable to break the backline as Hythe stood firm.  

Hythe then introduced Ben Williams into the match and he made an immediate impact onto the game linking up superbly with strike partner and joint man of match Ricky Underdown grabbing two well taken goals to put the game well and truly to rest.  

Hythe continued to press and next to join the score list was Adam Boxer who had another impressive game and finished it off well with neat flick at the front post putting Hythe 6-1 up.  Credit must go to Canterbury though who never gave up and got a consolation goal when a clearance rebounded off the Canterbury forward and shot into the Hythe net.

At 6-2 the game was still not over and Ben Lauzon got in on the act however the best goal of the match and a definite contender for goal of the season already came right at the end, when a cleared ball fell to Tom Penn who sent a thunderbolt into the top corner of the goal from huge distance leaving the Canterbury Keeper with no chance.

Man of the Match - Jake Harvey/Ricky Underdown

Scorers - Jake Harvey x 2, James Ridgeway, Ben Williams x 2, Adam Boxer, Ben Lauzon, Tom Penn  

Team - Matt Fellows, Toby Rolfe, Jake Harvey, Joe Bullard, Carl Taylor, Rob Featherbe, John Tsimba, Tom Penn, Ben Lauzon, James Ridgway, Adam Boxer, Brian Mofokeng, Ricky Underdown, Ben Williams

Ashford Borough 0 Hythe Town 3 - 19/10/08   

It was Hythe’s fifth game of the season and it was the turn of an Ashford Borough side to ruin Hythe’s 100% record in the league so far, Ashford were confident of upsetting the odds after winning impressively 13-1 in their match the previous week. The wind was very strong and this seemed to affect the way the game was played by both sides, neither side were seemingly able to keep the ball on the ground and play any decent passing football.

However with Hythe kicking with the wind advantage in the first half they did manage to grab the opening goal when Ricky Underdown volleyed in past the Ashford keeper to put Town ahead and on their way to yet another victory, carrying on from last seasons winning run. That goal sparked some life into both sides and the game gradually improved as Hythe and Ashford began to get into their stride, that was when Hythe struck again when top scorer Brian Mofokeng had his initial shot saved but followed up the rebound and put Hythe into a much more comfortable lead.

Late in the first half however their was a long delay when a serious clash of heads led to Hythe skipper Joe Bullard being left bloodied and the Ashford counterpart being taken off looking much worse for wear, Hythe going into the half time nreak 2-0 up, but the half ending on a sour note. The second half was far more difficult for Hythe kicking against the wind knowing that they would have to be solid at the back, so not to give Ashford a chance of a foothold in the match. The game was a stalemate for much of the second period with neither side having major opportunities to get the next goal.  A header from a corner being cleared off the line, seemed to be the only major talking point with Hythe happy to go home with the 2-0 victory, however it wasn’t to end there as Brian Mofokeng ran through on goal before being taken down and being awarded a penalty. Mofokeng stepped up and slotted home again to gave Hythe a convincing and comfortable win putting them clear of the chasing pack in the Molten East Kent Senior Division.

Scorers - Ricky Underdown, Brian Mofokeng x 2

Team - Tony Allon, Toby Rolfe, Joe Bullard, Matt Fellows, Rob Featherbe, Jake Harvey, John Tsimba, Tom Penn, Mark Reid, James Ridgway, Adam Boxer, Ben Lauzon, Brian Mofokeng, Ricky Underdown, Carl Taylor.

Hythe Town 3 Stars and Stripes 0 - 12/10/08

In Hythe’s fourth game of the new season they were pitted against a newly formed Stars and Stripes side, in a some what local derby between two Hythe teams. Hythe started the game edgily and were seemingly unable to keep possession of the ball for a sustained period of time, and ending up playing into the hands of the Stars outfit with the ball spending a lot of time in the air. With neither side doing much in the way of golden opportunities, and half time looming quickly, it was up to Ben Lauzon who snatched the opening goal with about 20 minutes to go in the first half, a looping header into the opposite corner, leaving the Stars keeper without a hope and giving Hythe first blood.

The goal gave Hythe a much needed lift and they nearly doubled that lead immediately, a powerful header from a swung in corner by that man Ben Lauzon hit the post and fell to him again only for the well struck rebound to hit the woodwork for the second time in as many seconds. Hythe did get their second goal on the stroke of half time when a pin point pass from full back Toby Rolfe found Ricky Underdown in the box and a well placed volley into the far corner gave Hythe a two goal cushion at the break.

The second half was again very scrappy and neither side had much to show for in front of goal, but a comedy of errors from the frustrated Stars defence led to an own goal which put Hythe into a commanding and comfortable 3-0 lead.  A late shot from Stars to grab a consolation goal was thwarted by Hythe keeper Tony Allon who saved well to his left, giving him his first clean sheet of the season and with that the Man of the Match award for this week.

Man of the Match - Tony Allon

Scorers - Ben Lauzon, Ricky Underdown, own goal

Team - Tony Allon, Toby Rolfe, Joe Bullard, Matt Fellows, Rob Featherbe, Carl Taylor, Mark Reed, Ben Lauzon, Tom Penn, James Ridgway, Adam Boxer, Ricky Underdown, Ben Williams, Brian Mofokeng

Hythe Town 4 Ramsgate 2 - 05/10/08

In Hythe’s third game of the new season, they met a strong physical Ramsgate side who had won both their games previously, the same as Hythe. The game started in an open fashion with both sides looking to take the early advantage, however the first goal was Hythe’s and it came from in form striker Ricky Underdown, adding to his 2 goals from the last game, by shrugging off the last defender and neatly finishing into the far corner giving Hythe the 1-0 advantage. Hythe kept the tempo of the game up and started to pass the ball around nicely and it wasn’t long before they grabbed their second goal of the game, a ball played over the top of the Ramsgate defence for Ben Lauzon to latch onto the ball before calmly lobbing the oncoming goalkeeper to give Hythe a strong lead at half-time. 

Hythe started well again in the second half but were shocked as a resurgent Ramsgate side came out for the second half with the aim to get something out of the game, which they so nearly did. A long ball to the controversially onside Ramsgate striker allowed Ramsgate a chance in the box; however he was brought down and awarded a penalty for Ramsgate to get a foothold in the game. Ramsgate duly finished the penalty and gave themselves half a chance, something which they built on straight away as Hythe remained in a slump, another long ball over the top deceived the defence and Ramsgate slotted in the equaliser.  

With the scores now level, Hythe knew they had to step up a gear and could have put the game away with Ben Williams having countless chances to put the game beyond reach.  However as the game neared closer to the end, up came centre half Matt Fellows to head home the third goal from a well taken corner. Hythe didn’t take their foot of the gas though and a counter attack down the right hand side ended with Ben Williams redeeming his previous efforts with a super finish into the far corner leaving the keeper with no chance and Hythe another 3 points. 

Man of the Match - Ben Lauzon

Scorers - Ricky Underdown, Ben Lauzon, Matt Fellows, Ben Williams

Team - Tony Allon, Toby Rolfe, Joe Bullard, Matt Fellows, Rob Featherbe, John Tsimba, Carl Taylor, Adam Boxer, Ben Lauzon, Tom Penn, James Ridgway, Ben Williams, Mark Reid, Ricky Underdown.

Prince of Wales 1 Hythe Town 10 - 14/09/08

After Hythe’s opening day victory over New Romney, it was the turn of Prince of Wales of Canterbury to end Hythe’s 100% record however they had to overcome a Hythe side that were brimming with confidence and playing very good football. Hythe couldn’t have got off to a worse start when Captain Joe Bullard had to withdraw himself from the match before kick off. However Hythe started extremely well with and it wasn’t long before Hythe’s first goal came, a shot by Tom Penn was tipped onto the bar and striker Ricky Underdown smashed in the rebound. With new player Adam Boxer playing extremely well wide left on his first game for Hythe, and causing the opposition defence all sorts of problems, getting a goal to cap his performance was just rewards. Then it was the turn of Tom Penn grabbing a rare goal and making the score 3-0 a scoreline which Hythe took into the break, playing well and looking very comfortable.  

The second half was much more of the same from Hythe and goals from Ben Williams, Jake Harvey, two for Brian Mofokeng, as well as a brace from Ben Lauzon and a second of the game from Ricky Underdown meant Hythe comfortably ran away with victory. Although Prince of Wales did manage to pull one goal back midway through the second half, a goal which meant nothing more than consolation for the home side.

Man of the Match - Jake Harvey

Scorers - Ricky Underdown x 2, Ben Lauzon x 2, Brian Mofokeng x 2, Ben Williams          ,Jake Harvey, Tom Penn, John Boxer

Team - Tony Allon, John Tsimba, Jake Harvey, Matt Fellows, Rob Featherbe, Carl Taylor, Tony Rolfe, Tom Penn, Ben Lauzon, Adam Boxer, Mark Reid, Ben Williams, Ricky Underdown, Brian Mofokeng, Joe Bullard, James Ridgway

Hythe Town 3 New Romney 2 - 07/09/08

As the new season kicked off it was Hythe who started with three points to start the season off strongly. In Hythe’s pursuit to retain the Senior Division title, they came up against a New Romney side, an unknown quantity who had won their division the previous season. Both sides began sharply but lacked composure in front of goal with neither side able to grab an early opener. Then Hythe’s Captain Joe Bullard, floated in a long distance free kick which deceived the opposition goalkeeper and ended up in the back of the net giving Hythe the opening goal to the new season. The remainder of the half was spent with both sides canceling each other out in the middle of the park, sending Hythe 1-0 up at the break. 

The second half began well for Hythe with substitute Brian Mofokeng breaking the Romney defence and giving Hythe a two goal cushion, a cushion which was needed when a needless free-kick was given away on the edge of the box and allowed New Romney a chance to get back into the game, with a free-kick well placed pulling a goal back for New Romney. The fight back didn’t last long though with Hythe hitting straight back, a through ball from James Ridgway giving Brian Mofokeng the chance to double his tally which he duly did. Hythe then had further chances to put the game to bed, but James Ridgway and Ben Lauzon were unable to finish after both finding good positions inside the oppositions box. With fifteen minutes remaining, Romney attempted another comeback and grabbed their second of the game giving a tense end to the game.  Hythe held off the fight back to notch up their first three points of the season.

Man of the Match - Matt Fellows

Scorers - Joe Bullard , Brian Mofokeng x 2

Team - Tony Allon, John Tsimba, Jake Harvey, Matt Fellows, Rob Featherbe, Carl Taylor, Tony Rolfe, Tom Penn, Ben Lauzon, Adam Boxer, Mark Reid, Ben Williams, Ricky Underdown, Brian Mofokeng, Joe Bullard, James Ridgway

Hythe Town Under 18's - East Kent Youth League Champions 2007/8 - End of Season Awards.....

In the first season of it's reintroduction to the club set-up the Under 18's team have done everything asked of them.....by winning the league with a team including potential 1st and Reserve Team players of the future! John Underdown's lads managed to win their final eight games of the season in a row - the only sequence of results that would bring them the title! The club celebrated with a fantastic Race Evening including the End of Season Awards for the title winning squad! Looking at the current 1st Team squad, the previous incarnation of the U18's side had a huge impact - two players that started their playing careers in the junior side are current Club Captain Gavin Ransley, and our most loyal player in the current line up Jason Brazier. It goes without saying, that this shows the value of the side to the club - but for now this is their moment........congratulations lads, you deserve it!!!  

Below is a summary of what was dished out on the night, not forgetting a big thank you to Team Sponsor - Gary Abbott:- 

Goal of the Season - Jake Harvey 

Golden Boot - Brian Mofokeng 

Most Improved Player - Ricky Underdown 

Most Consistent Player - James Ridgeway 

Managers Player - Brian Mofokeng 

Player's Player - Tom Penn 

Coach's Player - Joe Bullard 

Clubman of the Year - Joe Bullard

Brian Mofokeng receives the Manager's Player of the season award from main team sponsor Gary Abbott

Player's Player of the season Tom Penn, Gary Abbott, and Manager John Underdown

Clubman of the year was received on behalf of Joe Bullard by his Mum!