GoCardless Kent Intermediate Challenge Shield Final: AMG Ballerz 5 Sporting Club Thamesmead Reserves 2

A plethora of excellent second-half finishes helped AMG Ballerz beat Sporting Club Thamesmead Reserves in the GoCardless Kent Intermediate Challenge Shield Final on Friday night.

The title-chasing Kent County League Division 1 West team broke the deadlock early on and held a half-time lead, despite Kent County League Premier Division outfit Thamesmead Reserves hitting back well, as AMG Ballerz made the most of a defensive mix-up for their second.

Thamesmead Reserves defender Teddy Miles then thrashed home with a delightful long-range strike to restore parity - before AMG Ballerz really raised the bar with some top-drawer goals.

Ahmed Gbola capped a 5-2 triumph with an outrageous injury-time “Rabona” goal at Ashford United after a fine first-time finish from Bolu David and two-goal Emmanuel Martins’ overhead kick.

AMG Ballerz manager Daniel Gibbs said: “It was cagey but then, obviously, we scored and I felt it was only a matter of time until we got another.

“But then, they scored with a deflected goal. To be fair, they put their foot on us quite hard and we struggled to get a grip back on the game before we got a lucky goal, going into half-time.

“In the second half, I think we just came out a bit slowly. They scored an unbelievable goal - I can’t say anything other than that - it’s a great hit in a final on a night like this.

“Until we went 3-2 up, I think they were in the ascendancy and probably deserved more from the night.

“But once we scored the third, we didn’t look back. They had to chase the game.

“We just managed to find the gaps and put them to bed.”

AMG Ballerz - who had seen off Kings Hill (5-4 on penalties after a 0-0 draw), Chilham (4-3), Falconwood (4-1) and Borden Village (5-0) on route to the final - hit