ST PETER U18’s put up a courageous fight, but ultimately crashed out of the Kent FA U18 County Youth Cup after a 6-2 away defeat to Phoenix Sports FC.
The junior Crosskeys arrived in Bexleyheath prepared to go hard at their semi-professional opponents, whose first team play in the Isthmian South East League.
The home side came out of the blocks fast in the opening five minutes, taking the early impetus.
Both goalkeepers were tested, but the main moment of the opening minutes came when St Peter captain Ronan Baines received a nasty knock after just 12 minutes and was forced off the pitch.
His replacement, Ethan Rankin, offered an extra burst of pace which began to cause havoc behind the hosts. Rankin and Jacob Riley were slotted through the Phoenix back line, with the former squaring a simple ball across for the super-sub to make it 1-0 to the Caesarean side on the 20-minute mark.
The same two were there to combine again later, Rankin’s pace once again taking him down the wing and his cross into Riley was inch perfect, almost as clinical as Riley’s finish to make it 2-0 just past the half-hour mark.
Just as the men in red were looking in their groove, they suffered another injury setback, as Edison Slater was also forced off the pitch, replaced by Fergus Fox.
Momentum swings in football and, just as the Crosskeys were thinking of taking a clean sheet into half-time, the Phoenix rose.
The home side’s striker, swinging for the heavens, unleashed a wonder strike from 30 yards out to take the teams in at half-time with the score 2-1 in St Peter’s favour.
Phoenix came out for the restart with renewed vigour, holding possession until the 55th minute, when a tacky goalmouth scramble fell to the edge of the box and the resulting strike was deflected past Chris Haskins in the St Peter net, levelling the game at 2-2.
Momentum was firmly with the home side now and, following an alleged handball by sub Fox, the referee pointed to the spot on 75 minutes.
The penalty was slotted past Haskins and the home side had completed an epic comeback.
Things then went from bad to worse for the Crosskeys as goalscorer and star striker Riley was also forced off with a muscle injury.
St Peter’s big chance fell to the excellent Rory Baines, who dribbled his way through three defenders to find himself one-on-one with the keeper, only for his touch to desert him and the chance was squandered.
It seemed to drain the confidence of the Islanders, and the scoreline ran away from them in the final minutes. A defensive error in the 85th minute gave the home side a fourth goal, with two further coming in the dying moments, the scoreline finishing 6-2, but the men in red could leave with their heads held high with their efforts.
Coach Karl Benest commented: “We have a very young side, but we sadly weren’t quite at our best in this match.
“We gave possession away a bit too easily and, if you do that, you place yourself under pressure.
“The lads are gutted, but we will learn from this and be stronger for it moving forwards.
“The second half against Phoenix made them deserved winners, but the game was evenly contested until the last ten minutes.”
St Peter FC president, Peter Fleury, said: “Phoenix’s second-half display was fantastic in terms of possession and precise passing.
“I am sure these young players will have gained from the experience and will come back to Kent next year a much stronger, confident force.”
St Peter U18 Squad: Chris Haskins, Ben Heelis, Edison Slater, Dylan Hedgecock, Arthur Andrews, Luke Johnson, Rory Baines, Ronan Baines (c), Jacob Riley, Barney Aston, Ryan Hall, Ethan Rankin, Fergus Fox, Luca Gherghiceanu, Seb Mooney
