Ashford Town's Under 18s made their exit from the Southern Youth League Cup in the opening round after a 3-1 loss at Crawley Down.  The Anvils were excellent hosts, but could do nothing about the appalling weather which made life difficult for both sides.  The visitors initially made light of both the conditions and the fact they were playing uphill to dominate the first quarter of the match.  However, home keeper Liam Harris was in good form and Ashford did not test him enough.

The Sussex side took the lead when Ashford's defence failed to deal with a long ball down the slope and Luke Winch finished smartly.  Winch was involved in the second five minutes before the break, when his pass led to a swift cross which was lashed home by Lloyd Breach.

Ashford looked more purposeful after the interval, and Dwayne Lowe-Simms finished smartly in the 56th minute to give Ashford hope.  The Tangerines dominated, but could not secure the equaliser.  Ashford seemed to lose a little bit of composure as they chased the game and allowed Winch to advance unmarked on Kennard's goal, before rounding the stopper and finishing tidily.  All credit should go to the home side, who were skilful and composed - we wish them well for the next round.  Meanwhile, a plainly unhappy Mick Snowden promised there would be team changes for next week's top-of-the-table clash with Camberley Town.

A full match report will follow.