KES Academy march on in ESFA National Cup

Under-14 footballers from KES Academy have reached the last 64 of the ESFA National Cup.Following a bye and victories over Wymondham College 6-0 and West Norfolk rivals Springwood 5-3, KES added Boston Grammar to their list of scalps.Considering more than 700 schools initially entered the competition, to reach the last 64 is already a tremendous achievement.Teach coach Ben Skipper said: “A superb effort from this group of lads against a tough side. A mixture of hard work and a bit of quality put us in a great position to win the game.“Getting into the last 64 in the country is a big deal and a challenge the group is looking forward to. This is a side with a lot of talent so I hope we can get quite far in the competition.”KES knew this would be a tough game as Boston lost in the Lincolnshire County final last year.The West Norfolk outfit started the game brightly on the front foot however didn’t take their chances, with Boston always looking dangerous on the counter. The game ebbed and flowed with periods of KES pressure and then Boston had greater possession. Towards the end of the half, KES got their noses in front from a corner through Kai Chiakli.Boston came out second half looking for an equaliser and it didn’t take long. A long ball over the top was slotted away by the Boston number nine.A change in formation led to KES regaining a foothold in the game and once again taking the lead from a driving run from Issac Johnson and a sidefoot finish by Chiakli. It looked as tho KES would see the game out but the ref had other ideas and awarded Boston a penalty with five minutes to play.Up stepped the Boston number eight who blazed over the bar.This deflated the Lincolnshire side and KES sealed the game with a well-worked goal from Ahmed Abderlrhham.