Maidstone United KYL U14 Secure Narrow Victory At Faversham Town

Maidstone United KYL U14 travelled to Faversham Town Football Club on 7 December 2025 for a 3:00pm kick-off in a crucial cup away fixture. The 11-a-side contest lasted 70 minutes plus injury time, with Maidstone edging a tight encounter 1-0 to progress.

Maidstone lined up in a 4-2-1-3 formation, deploying a solid defensive unit with Harvey Rostron making his debut in goal against his former club. The back four consisted of Blake Vince at right back, central defenders Captain Eddie Ambrose and Danny Lowe, and Liam Rich on the left also facing off against his former club. In midfield, Tosan Okomi and Bertie Hayward operated as the double pivot, providing both defensive cover and distribution. Ahead of them, Bernie Farley took the attacking midfield role, supporting a front three of Zane Clements on the right, Rylee Rodgers as the central striker, and Max Carney on the left. The formation was designed to balance defensive solidity with attacking width and penetration. Maidstone’s substitutes were Harrison Smith, Tank Evans, and Tommy Monaghan. Sawyer Booth and Zaph Kouassi were missed today due to sickness, and we look forward to seeing them return.

Today’s fixture saw Maidstone United thwart multiple attacks from an in form Faversham Town who threw everything they had at the visitors, however the defensive unit stood resolute.

From the outset, Maidstone’s defensive resilience was tested. Within the first minute, Danny Lowe was instrumental, executing a crucial tackle and following up with a vital headed clearance to snuff out early Faversham pressure. Tosan Okomi quickly joined the defensive efforts with a clearance in the second minute, while Eddie Ambrose made a timely tackle in the third. Lowe again blocked an attempt shortly after, demonstrating early commitment to protecting the goal.

Liam Rich was prominent defensively as well, twice clearing headers in the fifth minute, while Okomi contributed a headed clearance a minute later. Blake Vince blocked an effort in the seventh minute as he then cleared the danger, and Bernie Farley muscled in with a tackle at the ninth. As the match progressed, Farley continued to disrupt the Faversham midfield with multiple inceptions and creativity. Goalkeeper Harvey Rostron was alert, comfortably gathering a shot in the tenth minute, and Ambrose cleared danger soon after.

Maidstone began to build from the back, with Liam Rich delivering a long pass in the twelfth minute that helped transition play forward. Bertie Hayward cleared a threat and made a tackle in the thirteenth minute, while Rostron again caught a shot in the fourteenth. Ambrose’s long pass in the fifteenth minute was followed by a clearance, and Lowe blocked another attempt in the sixteenth. Okomi and Rodgers both made crucial tackles in the seventeenth, with Hayward winning a header a minute later along with multiple efforts as the first half progressed to keep the home side at bay. Rostron cleared under pressure and made another catch in the nineteenth minute.

The defensive discipline continued as Okomi intercepted a pass in the twenty-first minute, setting up Hayward’s slide rule pass that hinted at Maidstone’s attacking intent. Liam Rich cleared danger in the twenty-third, with Ambrose and Rich again clearing and heading away threats in the following minutes. Max Carney also cleared in the twenty-fourth minute. Danny Lowe and Zane Clements combined with slide rule passes in the twenty-fifth minute, which led to the decisive moment.

Maidstone took the lead in the twenty-fifth minute when Max Carney delivered a corner that Liam Rich met with a close-range header, sending the ball beyond the goalkeeper and into the net. This goal proved to be the match-winner in a tightly contested encounter.

The defensive work did not relent after the goal. Ambrose and Rich exchanged headers to clear danger in the twenty-seventh minute, with Okomi making a tackle and Rich clearing again shortly after. Lowe blocked another attempt in the twenty-ninth, and Rostron made a crucial dive at the feet of an attacker in the thirtieth minute to keep the clean sheet intact.

Ambrose continued to defend stoutly with a tackle and clearance in the early thirties, while Rostron made another catch in the thirty-second minute. Ambrose cleared again in the thirty-third, and Okomi’s shot was saved in the thirty-fourth. Liam Rich made a vital tackle before the half-time whistle at thirty-five minutes.

The second half saw Maidstone maintain their shape and defensive discipline. Okomi provided a slide rule pass immediately after the break, and Ambrose cleared twice in quick succession. Liam Rich also cleared in the thirty-sixth minute, with Ambrose winning a header and Lowe clearing in the thirty-seventh. Hayward’s long pass in the thirty-eighth minute helped relieve pressure, and Rich made another tackle before Rostron caught a shot in the fortieth minute.

At the forty-first minute, Maidstone made a triple substitution: Harrison Smith replaced Bernie Farley, Tank Evans came on for Bertie Hayward, and Tommy Monaghan replaced Blake Vince. The changes injected fresh legs into the side as the match entered its final stages.

Rostron cleared danger in the forty-second minute, and Liam Rich’s slide rule pass soon after showed Maidstone’s intent to control possession. Lowe made a crucial tackle in the forty-third, and Rich’s long pass in the forty-sixth was intercepted by Harrison Smith, who also made a headed clearance. Smith was pivotal in maintaining the pressure through the middle of the park to prevent the home side’s advances. Okomi contributed a header clearance, and Rostron produced a full-stretch save in the forty-seventh minute to deny Faversham.

Lowe cleared again in the forty-ninth, with Rich heading away danger in the fiftieth and Lowe clearing once more. Tank Evans made a slide rule pass in the fifty-first, and Monaghan headed clear in the fifty-third. In the same minute Rich’s long range free kick was saved, as Lowe was quick to follow up with his attempt striking the bar. Evans continued to create with a long pass in the fifty-fourth.

Okomi made a tackle and header clearance in the mid-fifties, with Rich clearing and Monaghan clearing as well. Lowe’s tackle in the fifty-eighth and Monaghan’s clearance in the fifty-ninth kept Faversham at bay. Harrison Smith won a header in the sixtieth, and Ambrose intercepted in the sixty-first, with Monaghan clearing again. Lowe’s long pass in the sixty-second helped maintain Maidstone’s attacking threat.

Rich cleared in the sixty-fourth, and Okomi’s slide rule pass in the sixty-fifth was followed by Evans’ flick in the sixty-sixth. Rodgers made a vital tackle in the sixty-eighth, and Clements provided a slide rule pass in the seventieth minute, and continued press with Rodgers in the final third to break down Faversham’s momentum.

Faversham were on the hunt for the equaliser as they pumped bodies forward. During a flurry of corners for the home side, Rostron made a full-stretch save in the seventy-first, Lowe cleared in the seventy-second, and Okomi blocked a shot in the seventy-third. Rostron produced another full-stretch save in the bottom corner from a set piece effort in the seventy-fourth, with Harrison Smith and Rich clearing in the seventy-fifth and seventy-sixth

The front three put in an outstanding shift today with their work rate and discipline out of possession.

Max Carney worked tirelessly from the left, constantly tracking back to protect the full-back and shutting down wide channels. Rylee Rodgers showed real intelligence and commitment, rotating between centre forward and the right wing alongside Zane Clements to keep the opposition honest and prevent them building through the back.

Their collective effort to defend from the front set the tone for the entire team, and without their selfless running and pressure, the result could have been very different.

Harvey Rostron’s commanding presence between the sticks was pivotal throughout, making several crucial saves and clearances to preserve Maidstone’s slender lead. His performance earned him the well-deserved Player of the Match accolade.

In a tightly fought cup tie, Maidstone United KYL U14’s defensive resilience and a well-taken header from Liam Rich proved decisive as they secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory away at Faversham Town U14.