Kent Women’s Plate Final: Cray Valley Ladies 0 Herne Bay Women Reserves 1

Herne Bay Women Reserves scored a late winner to clinch the Kent Women’s Plate on Thursday night.

With four minutes of normal time remaining Emily Brown rounded the keeper to slip the ball home after great work in the build-up from player-of-the-match Effie Dodds.

Just one goal separated the sides but it was a game full of chances, with both goalkeepers pulling off some great saves.

Brown’s goal won it for a Herne Bay side who play a level below their Plate final opponents.

The match at the Gallagher Stadium, Maidstone was a clash between two sides who had won their respective divisions. Bay were looking to test themselves against an opposition from the level above and they proved more than a match.

Bay manager Mark Kerr, completing his first full season in charge, said: “We waltzed our league but Cray Valley are top of the league we have just been promoted to so we knew that would be the standard that we would have to reach.

“I thought we controlled most of the game, our keeper made a good couple of saves but I thought we had most possession, controlled the game well and showed game-management at the end as well.”

There were some walking wounded at the end after a physical battle.

But Kerr said: “You have to be prepared to take the tackles and put yourselves on the line, you don’t win anything unless you do that. The girls did it.”

It was match-winner Brown who had the game’s first proper chance, striking well from an angle but finding Cray goalkeeper Sam Sharp equal to it.

On several occasions Herne Bay keeper Amy Coster came out to challenge for the ball, thwarting Cray Valley’s captain Annemarie Blanche twice in the match with crucial tackles. Sweeping up at the back was something she had been working on and it