After making a promising start to the season with a 2-0 friendly win over Essex, the Middlesex U16 Representative Team were looking to push on in their first competitive game against Kent.
After a nervy start, Middlesex started to get a foothold in the game with Harry Rush (Harefield Academy) and Hussein Vakili (Chiswick School) starting to control the midfield with great energy. Although getting to grips with the tempo of the game, the side fell behind after conceding a free kick just outside the box which found its way into the bottom corner despite goalkeeper Bradley Luckett’s (Vyners School) best efforts. This did not affect the side for too long however as they bounced back almost immediately after Samir Bajja (Isleworth and Syon School) placed home well after a penalty box scramble from a corner. Again Kent took the lead after a mistimed clearance just before half time to give them a 2-1 lead at the interval.
Middlesex came out firing at the start of the second half but again a lack of concentration saw them fall further behind and leave themselves with a real uphill battle for the second half. Goalkeeper George Simpson (Highlands School) made two fantastic saves to deny the visitors and give a glimmer of hope which Harry Rush (Harefield Academy) built on when he volleyed spectacularly into the top corner from a knock down from a well worked play from Middlesex which gave them a small chance of an unlikely comeback. Kent snuffed that out with a fourth goal towards the end of the game and as players became tired and Middlesex pushed in a last gamble to try and salvage something the game became more open with a host of chances for both sides. A commendable effort by all the boys but alas they came up slightly short.
