Herne Bay U13s vs Sittingbourne United FC: Match Report

On a beautiful late sunny autumn day, Herne Bay U13s faced Sittingbourne United FC in a Kent Youth League fixture. Herne Bay entered the match on a four-game unbeaten run, full of confidence and momentum.
As soon as the game kicked off, Herne Bay FC imposed their traditional high press, pinning Sittingbourne United in their own half. A superb high cross from Herne Bay’s number 5, Finley Harris, was met by Gene Zacharia, whose pace outmatched the Sittingbourne defence. Racing towards goal, Gene finished clinically to make it 1-0 to Herne Bay with only five minutes played—a fantastic start.

Twenty minutes into the match, Herne Bay were awarded a free kick from 30 yards out. Jeremiah Chibuye stepped up and delivered the ball straight into Sittingbourne’s box. Finley Harris fired a shot that was saved by the keeper, but Rueben Ikedashi was on hand to slot home the rebound, doubling Herne Bay’s lead to 2-0. The team maintained control for the remainder of the half, and the referee blew for half time with Herne Bay firmly ahead.
At the start of the second half, Herne Bay made three substitutions: PJ Hodgson, Harry Hadlow, and Max Scott-Barker came on, replacing Brayden Perrett, Ellison Gashi, and Joey Burt. Herne Bay continued to dominate, although Sittingbourne managed an early break, sending their number 9 through one-on-one with Harry Cooper. Cooper made a fantastic save, prompting the crowd to chant his name: “There’s only one Harry Cooper.”

Max Scott-Barker combined well with Gene Zacharia along the right flank, contributing some excellent passing sequences. Herne Bay won a corner, which Jeremiah Chibuye delivered an inswinger. Finley Harris tried his luck, and after a deflection off a defender, Max Scott-Barker’s shot was saved by the keeper. Rueben Ikedashi tapped in the rebound, but the linesman raised his flag for offside, and the referee agreed—despite protests that the decision was harsh.

As the game began to wind down, Jeremiah Chibuye picked up the ball 30 yards from goal, skipped past defenders, moved out wide, and quickly cut inside. He then unleashed a high shot—some said it was a cross—that found its way into the net for a remarkable goal, making it 3-0 to Herne Bay. With 10 minutes to go new signing Dexter Greene made his debut, playing on the left he worked extremely hard and proved the step up from u12s will be a great move for him. The match ended with Herne Bay securing a 3-0 victory, extending their unbeaten run to five matches and climbing to fourth in the league table. The boys marked the occasion with celebrations alongside their fans.

The Transcrew Man of the Match award went to Herne Bay’s number 11, Max Scott-Barker. He delivered a tireless performance on the right wing and later in the central attacking midfield role, hardly putting a foot wrong throughout the match.