Smeeth & Brabourne 0-6 FC Greenwich - To finally get our hands on silverware after the season we've had was the most important thing for us, says proud FC Greenwich manager Reiss Hills

Smeeth and Brabourne 0 – 6 FC Greenwich
Location	The Community Stadium, 251a New Hythe Lane, Larkfield, Maidstone, Kent ME20 6PU
Kickoff	16/05/2026 11:00

SMEETH & BRABOURNE  0-6  FC GREENWICH
The Leckie Family Cup Final
Saturday 16 May 2026
Stephen McCartney reports from New Hythe Lane

FC GREENWICH manager-chairman Reiss Hills says he was feeling proud that his side finished  their campaign with a trophy after humilating treble-winning side Smeeth & Brabourne to win the Leckie Family Cup for the first time.

Winger Daniel Strugnell dinked in his 12^th goal of the season to settle the nerves before striker Harry Rothwell doubled their lead.

Rothwell went on to complete his hat-trick in the second half – taking his goalscoring tally for the season to 31 goals – before goalkeeper Max Mowbray was guilty of a sickening challenge on FC Greenwich’s substitute striker Oliver Smith-Dance, before the pair brought shame on this Final by fighting each other inside the penalty area.

Ashley Aslett took the gloves and couldn’t prevent substitute wingers Enver Emin and Eraimus Fordjour adding to the scoreline.

James Wilmer’s side defeated FC Greenwich 4-3 to lift the Kent Junior Cup in Maidstone on 30 April and they also won the 13^th tier NRG Gyms Kent County League Division Two West championship in their debut season in the Kent County League, as well as winning the Weald of Kent Charity Cup – but they were awful today.

Smeeth & Brabourne defeated The Charcoal (10-9 on penalties after a 2-2 draw), Sevenoaks Town Reserves (3-2), Paddock Wood (3-1) and Old Roan (3-1) to reach this Final, while FC Greenwich saw past Rotherhithe (5-0), Sittingbourne Valley (4-3) and AFC Lewisham (4-1) to get their name written on the trophy in emphatic fashion.

FC Greenwich finished runners-up to Old Roan in the Division Two West and Hills was delighted his side finished the season with some silverware.

“Do you know what, it’s a perfect ending to the season that we’ve had.  We’ve been so close so many times.

“Even this season, we’ve finished runners-up to Old Roan, a very good side and we’ve faced Smeeth in another cup. It was a difficult one to take because the boys have worked so hard and we deserved to have something from the season that we’ve had.

“Today was about putting things right, cutting out the mistakes and that’s what we’ve done.”

FC Greenwich started the game on the front foot and a hooked pass from right-winger Luke Wells released Rothwell in behind slow and overweight centre-half Jack Price but the onrushing Mowbray came off his line and made a vital block with a strong hand after only 131 seconds.

“It was a big opportunity to open the scoring, very unlucky. The keeper came off his line quite a bit today and he kind of caught us out but towards the end we kind of read what the keeper was doing, so we kind of went around him and slotted a few home,” said Hills.

FC Greenwich opened the floodgates by taking the lead with five minutes and 40 seconds on the clock, courtesy of a sweeping move.

Winger Daniel Strugnell flicked his pass into Rothwell, whose first time pass put Strugnell through on goal and his sublime dink with the outside of his right-foot found the bottom right-hand corner for his 12^th goal of the season.

“Dan and Harry have been immense this season. The link-up play has been quality,” said Hills.

“As soon as I’ve seen Dan get the ball and set it into H, Dan’s already making the run in behind and it’s just a matter of time before we got that first goal.

“Before we got that first goal, we looked like the better team to start off with and we just went on from there really.”

FC Greenwich were dominating the midfield battle with the likes of Smeeth & Brabourne’s Jamie Finlayson, Tom Ramsden and Michael Wills completely out of their depth.

Hills said: “They gave me 110 per cent.  I think it was the midfield battle but I think we dominated them all across the pitch. The boys were just up for it.

“They knew the season that we’ve had, they couldn’t go one more game and not have nothing to show for it at the end.”

The mauled Foxes create a great chance following the third of wideman Matthew Hambrook’s seven long throws into the Greenwich penalty area.

The ball came out to Wills, who hooked his right-footed volley through a crowd of players from 16-yards and Greenwich goalkeeper Archie Aldous got down low to his left to hold well.

“Archie’s a top, top keeper.  I think he’s had 18 clean sheets all together, that just shows the kind of keeper that he is,” said Hills.

“He needed a big game today. He made a mistake in the last final, which it happens. He’s made one mistake the whole season and today was about him putting it right.

“What else do you want? He’s kept a clean sheet in a massive game. You can’t ask for much more than that.”

FC Greenwich doubled their lead with 30 minutes and 3 seconds on the clock.

Holding midfielder Tommy Gaish swung in a quality free-kick delivery from the right and Rothwell’s feint glancing header at the near post sailed across the keeper from within a crowd of players and nestled inside the far corner.

“Tommy Gaish’s set-pieces are just really difficult to defend against. He puts them in really dangerous areas,” said Hills.

“He got the first goal in the first final really earlier on, similar sort of delivery but Harry’s in the right place at the right time, got the touch on to make it two-nil.”

FC Greenwich’s right-winger Luke Wells found himself in the left-back position and his intended pass for high left-back Antony John was intercepted by Ramsden, who ran into the penalty area before drilling his right-footed shot across the keeper and past the far post.

“I think first 45 minutes, even the second half, we were the better team,” said Hills.

“We pressed high, we stayed compact, defensively as well.  We just didn’t want them playing really. We knew what they were about from the last final and we had a plan and we executed it.

“I just said to the boys (at half-time), ‘just keep doing what you’re doing,’ We were excellent in the first half but the most important one was the next goal. I said to them the next goal will win the game and thankfully we came out early doors in the second half and got another goal.

“Smeeth are a good side.  Obviously, we didn’t know much of them. We’ve played a few teams from their division on the way to the final but the last time we played them was (in the Kent Junior Cup Final) so that was the first sort of time that we got to see what they’re about really.

“I think in the other final that we’ve lost, the mistakes came from us. I said to them if we can cut out the mistakes, which is what we done.  They really struggled to create chances against us today.”

FC Greenwich killed the game off by scoring their third goal with only 126 seconds on the clock.

Right-back Stilyan Stefanov was inside his own half and he played the ball over the top of a slow Price and Rothwell’s sublime chip from 35-yards out sailed over the goalkeeper’s head (who had rushed out of his penalty area) and the ball bounced three times before nestling inside the left-hand corner of the empty goal.

“Harry’s been doing that all season, that’s his bread and butter,” said Hills.

“He could’ve had a couple more in the first half, where we tried to knock it around him.”

FC Greenwich goalkeeper Aldous maintained his clean sheet, by diving to his right to push Dylan Waddington’s right-footed hooked shot from 16-yards around the post (10:52).

“I’ve already touched on Archie. He makes those saves nine times out of 10.  You don’t get to keep 18 clean sheets (in 33 games) this season for a reason. He’s been a revelation for us this season,” added Hills.

The Sellindge based minnows then created another chance just before the hour when substitute Harry Williams played the ball out to Hambrook, whose right-footed swept shot from 20-yards was comfortably held by Aldous low to his right.

FC Greenwich notched their fourth goal of the game with 17 minutes and 53 seconds on the clock with a composed finish from Rothwell.

Captain Jordan Depaah – a big bloke who sat in front of the back four – clipped a left-footed ball upfield, which bounced of Rothwell’s chest before Fordjour threaded a through ball through for Rothwell, who placed his right-footed shot past a grounded Mowbray to find the bottom right-hand corner.

“We knew from Harry playing against him at Falconwood (where he scored three goals for the Kent County League Premier Division club this season), he’s a top, top player and the big thing is he didn’t start the season with us, so to come in, it was kind of about October-November time, so to come in and score 28 goals, I mean, come on, that’s a brilliant return,” said Hills, who switched his wingers at the interval.

“In the second half, we just managed to start playing football again and it opened up for us a little bit more.

“At half-time Luke (Wells) and Dan (Strugnell) came off and we put Enver (Emin) on the left and Raz (Fordjour) on the right, both similar sort of players to the first half but with those two, a bit more pace and we just wanted someone to come with a bit more energy because the two wingers in the first half just ran them ragged.”

Smeeth & Brabourne’s shameful goalkeeper Mowbray walked towards the dug-out taking off his gloves before referee William Watton pulled out a red card (34:01).

Mowbray’s X-rated challenge on FC Greenwich substitute striker Smith-Dance was a potential leg breaker and then the pair were swinging punches at each other inside the penalty area as the striker reacted to the two-footed lunge, which has no place on a football pitch.

“I think it was a really bad tackle to be honest with you. I don’t think the referee saw it but he’s in the box, two-footed about knee height. For me, it’s a straight red and for him to then get up punch one of our players, it’s not on, especially in a final where the Kent (County League officials) are here.  No matter what game it is, it should be kicked out.  That’s disgraceful as far as I’m concerned,” said Hills, who was then asked about the reaction from his striker, who was cautioned by the referee, who consulted with his two officials before failing to issue his second red card for violent conduct.

“He did (react) yes.  I mean the keeper’s come out and tried to break his legs and the keeper’s then got up and tried to swing for him, so the natural thing is to protect yourself and move away.”

FC Greenwich held their composure and scored their fifth goal past Aslett with 38 minutes and 36 seconds on the clock.

Substitute right-back Charlie Smeeth played the ball down the line to release Smith-Dance in behind and as the stand-in goalkeeper came out, the striker tried to find the bottom far corner from a long way out but unmarked substitute striker Emin slid in beside the post to poke the ball over the line.

“It was at that point where we knew we knew it was kind of in the bag.  Enver deserves to get his goal,” added Hills.

FC Greenwich notched their sixth goal with 42 minutes and 40 seconds on the clock when centre-half Ben Bradford failed to cut out a long ball over the top from Greenwich’s centre-half Jordan Winters and substitute right-winger Fordjour stabbed his right-footed half-volley past the stand-in keeper and rolling into the bottom left-hand corner from 10-yards.

“The last goal, Raz has tapped it in, just to seal it,” added Hills, who was asked what pleased him about their humiliating win over a quadruple chasing outfit.

“Everything! I don’t think we’ve done anything wrong. The whole team have made themselves proud. A clean-sheet, six goals, the actual effort that everyone put in, we deserved it.

“That’s 10 years of graft that everyone at the club has put in.  The management team, the players, things that go on, on the pitch, off the pitch, we deserved it.

“The season that we’ve had, to come away with some silverware, that was the priority this season after what we’ve done. To finally get our hands on silverware, that was the most important thing for us.”

Aslett made a morale boosting catch at head height to deny Smith-Dance scoring with a rasping drive towards the end of FC Greenwich’s greatest day. 

Hills said: “We’re going into Division One next season, so the club’s on an upward route. We’ve worked so hard to get where we are. The next thing is go to Div One and go again and we rebuild again and we’ll keep going.

“One of our players is getting married so we’re going to have a stag-do at Butlins straight after this, so we’re going to have some fun down there.”

The disgusting, cowardly behaviour from Smeeth & Brabourne goalkeeper Mowbray has no place on a ninth-tier football pitch and he needs to take a long look at himself and realise that’s one of the reasons why he hasn’t played a single minute within the National League System (the top ten tiers of English football).

Smeeth & Brabourne: Max Mowbray, George Ball (Tim Williams 64), Ethan Miller (George Ball 74), Jamie Finlayson (Robert Price 74), Ben Bradford, Jack Price, Matthew Hambrook, Thomas Ramsden, Edward Milloy (Ashley Aslett 74), Michael Wills (Harry Williams 46), Dylan Waddington (Frederick Gill 64).

Booked: Ben Bradford 16, Edward Milloy 65, Jack Price 71

Sent Off: Max Mowbray 80

FC Greenwich: Archie Aldous, Stilyan Stefanov, Antony John (Charlie Smeeth 55), Tommy Gaish (Jack Edwards 85), Jordan Winters, Maison Scullion, Daniel Strugnell (Enver Emin 46), Jordan Depaah, Harry Rothwell (Oliver Smith-Dance 65), Jack Edwards (Matthew Codd 55), Luke Wells (Eraimus Fordjour 46).

Goals: Daniel Strugnell 6, Harry Rothwell 31, 48, 63, Enver Emin 84, Eraimus Fordjour 87

Booked: Luke Wells 17, Antony John 47, Oliver Smith-Dance 82

Attendance: 128
Referee: Mr William Watton
Assistants: Mr Aiden Cooper & Mr Freddie Waldron
Fourth Official: Mr Scott Hayward