Hythe Town 1–2 Herne Bay FC Under 13s KYL

Herne Bay returned to winning ways at Hythe this morning in a match that could – and probably should – have produced a far more convincing scoreline.

On a dry, bobbly pitch, the early stages were fairly uneventful, but the breakthrough came around the midpoint of the first half. Ellis Stone controlled a pass down the left and played a neat ball into the path of Louis Joseph, who took it in his stride before beating the last defender on the left side of the box. With the goalkeeper advancing, Louis slipped the ball past him and towards the empty net, where Jacob Seager applied the finishing touch.

The home side threatened to equalise before the break, enjoying some promising moments around the Herne Bay box, while Archie Comber came close to doubling the visitors' lead with a shot from the right side of the area.

Hythe Town's half-time substitutions injected some pace into their attack, and the opening minutes of the second half saw momentum shift towards the home side. However, substitute Dexter Greene added solidity at the back with a series of important clearances, and Herne Bay soon reasserted control, beginning a period of domination that somehow failed to produce another goal.

A free kick from Louis Joseph was tipped onto the crossbar, while Joseph Tooth threatened down the right. On the opposite flank, Jacob Seager repeatedly escaped his marker, delivering several inviting balls across the box that deserved to be converted. Ellis Stone struck the woodwork from one, while another flashed across the face of goal untouched.

Louis Joseph also went close again after making a well-timed run to meet a ball over the top, only to see his prodded effort saved at close range by the Hythe goalkeeper.

Reuben Reeves deserved a goal of his own after taking a lovely pass from Frank Elliott in his stride, but his shot drifted wide of the far post. Arlo Muratore, industrious and efficient as ever in midfield, also got in on the act with a couple of long-range efforts that threatened the Hythe goal.

With chance after chance going begging, Hythe clung to the hope of finding a way back into the game. And with around eight minutes remaining, that hope was realised. Breaking forward down the right, the hosts worked the ball across to the opposite side of the box, where a low finish beat Herne Bay goalkeeper Theo Smith – making his debut for the club – and nestled in the bottom corner.

It was a gut punch for the Bay, but they were not to be denied.

With just three minutes remaining, a lofted pass from Frank Elliott dropped into the space between the Hythe defence and goalkeeper. With both leaving the ball for each other, Joseph Tooth reacted quickest, nipping in to nudge it past the advancing keeper before forcing it over the line to restore Herne Bay's lead.

The Bay saw out the closing moments to claim a much-needed victory, with the only regret being that the final scoreline did not more accurately reflect their dominance.