Kent Merit Under-14 boys cup final: Rochester City 4 Maidstone United 1

Rochester City’s pace attack proved too much for Maidstone United to handle in the Kent Merit Under-14 boys cup final at Sheppey’s Holm Park on Sunday.

Two goals in stoppage time added gloss to the scoreline for Rochester but they more than deserved their moment of glory against an excellent Maidstone side.

Both teams are unbeaten in their league campaigns so a tight contest was expected - and so it proved for the first hour.

Rochester’s left-winger Akshar Santhosh almost opened the scoring inside two minutes but Stones keeper Lucas Brookman produced a great save to turn the ball behind for a corner.

Both sides hit the woodwork in the early exchanges, Rochester’s Amirali Aminzare saw his long-range shot hit the bar while Maidstone’s Harrison Fryer saw his looped header bounce behind off the top of the bar at the other end.

It needed a brilliant save from Rochester keeper Rex Porter to deny Maidstone a 20th-minute lead as he turned behind Rhys Morfey’s 20-yard blockbuster.

Rochester again hit the woodwork at the other end and Paddy Flynn twice spurned chances as their speedy forwards created gaps in Maidstone’s rearguard.

It took just two minutes of the second half for the first goal to arrive. You’ll struggle to see a better cross than Santhosh’s left-wing delivery which was on a plate for Nathaniel Waul to volley home first time from close range.

Santhosh then had two chances he created himself, the first through his trickery and the second from his pace, but keeper Brookman thwarted him both times.

Maidstone replied, a quick-flowing move involving Junior Eseka, Archie Dobbin and Louie Dayal saw the latter’s left-wing cross expertly claimed low down by keeper Porter.

Given how well he commanded his area, it was a