Kent Merit Under-15 Girls Cup Final: Cray Wanderers 7 Foots Cray Lions 0

Kiyamyng McPherson’s hat-trick and a goal-of-the-season contender by Ruby Foames helped Cray Wanderers cruise past Foots Cray Lions in the Kent Merit under-15 girls’ Cup Final on Sunday.

Two-goal Libby Keeler and Chloe Boys were also on target as it ended 7-0 to Wands at Maidstone’s Gallagher Stadium.

Cray Wanderers manager Danny Stanton said: “It’s the third year in a row that we have won the Kent Cup.

“We won the London Cup a couple of weeks ago, so to add the Kent Cup - again - that’s fantastic.

“Once we settled down and we had got 2-0 or 3-0 up, we just started to knock the ball around at the back, getting the wingers and forwards involved a bit more.”

There had been little to choose between the sides when they met in last term’s Kent Cup under-14s final, Cray edging to a 2-1 victory, but they went ahead inside a minute this time at the same venue.

Keeler closed down an attempted clearance by Foots Cray goalkeeper Imogen Scott before the forward stroked into the empty net to give them the perfect platform.

Five minutes later, the lively McPherson got his first sighting of goal, firing Boys’ pass inches wide of Scott’s left-hand post.

Cray already were firmly in the ascendancy and only a brave 15th-minute header from defender Jessie Vale prevented them getting another chance as Foots Cray cleared.

Midway through the first period, Manel Newman had Foots Cray’s first effort on goal, only for Cray keeper Maisie Pitt to comfortably save the long-range shot.

Mofi Adepoju played in McPherson to strike the post at the other end.

But she made no mistake just a minute later as McPherson cut in off the left flank, and drilled low and hard into the bottom corner to make it 2-0 to Cray with 28 minutes played.

Lexie Curtis had