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Hythe
Town
Under
18's
-
Match
Reports
-
Season
2008/09 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 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 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 Scorers -
Underdown x 3, Jake Harvey, James Ridgeway, Brian Mofokeng, Ben Lauzon,
Carl Taylor 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 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. Scorers -
Ricky Underdown, Brian Mofokeng x 2 Hythe
Town 3 Stars and Stripes 0 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. 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. 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. Man of
the Match - Matt Fellows Scorers -
Joe Bullard 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 |
