11/05/2026
Ashford Wanderers 3 - 2 The Plough
Wanderers completed a historic treble with victory over The Plough in the Kent Cup final!
It was a huge day for the club — one we had targeted all the way back in pre-season last summer. A tremendous amount of hard work from both the squad and everyone behind the scenes ensured we reached this point at the end of the campaign. The team has shown incredible growth, character, and quality throughout the season to earn this moment.
Having already secured the double the previous week, all focus turned to the biggest prize of them all.
Wanderers started the stronger of the two sides and came close on several occasions early on. However, The Plough goalkeeper, who was outstanding throughout the match, either made crucial saves or watched as efforts flew agonisingly wide.
Akshar Santhosh was causing problems from the start, repeatedly taking on his defender, who seemingly wanted nothing to do with him all game. Akshar drove forward brilliantly, sending his marker the wrong way before cutting between him and the centre-back to find himself through on goal. He finished calmly to give Wanderers the lead after just 12 minutes.
Wanderers pushed hard for a second in the following minutes but couldn’t quite find the net. Instead, despite creating very little beforehand, it was The Plough who struck next. A long ball caught out the back line, allowing their winger to cut inside and finish well to level the scores.
The team knew standards had to rise. Our style of football had slipped for a short spell and we were punished for it.
Just seven minutes after the equaliser, Archie Dobbin stepped up to restore the lead. After his semi-final heroics, it always felt like he would have another big moment in him. A cross-field ball found Darcy Churchward, who headed it back towards the edge of the box for Archie to strike first time. His effort wrong-footed the goalkeeper and nestled into the bottom-right corner, sending Wanderers into half-time with a 2-1 lead.
At the break, the message was clear: play our football. We had identified what was working and what wasn’t, but we were being dragged into The Plough’s long-ball game.
Matt Burdon was unfortunately forced off after a heavy challenge left him unable to continue. Matt had been excellent throughout the first half, dominant in the air and fearless in every challenge. With The Plough relying heavily on direct football, his presence had been vital.
Luke Burdon, who had been superb up front creating chances and tormenting their defence, dropped into the back line to help shore things up while still offering an attacking threat.
Wanderers made their dominance count early in the second half. Akshar Santhosh once again beat his man before squaring the ball across goal for Darcy Churchward to emphatically finish at the back post.
From that point, Wanderers were firmly on top, with only more excellent saves from The Plough goalkeeper preventing the lead from growing further.
Then came a controversial moment. Conor Little won the ball cleanly with a superb sliding challenge, only for The Plough defender, frustrated after losing out, to stamp on Conor’s chest. The aftermath resulted in both teams being reduced to 10 men.
The Plough began to build momentum and continued searching for openings with long balls forward. One attack saw their striker break through and control the ball with his hand before Cam Lumsden produced a brilliant challenge inside the box to stop the danger and avoid any controversy.
Joe Munden also played a massive role, making several key stops, commanding everything in the air, and reacting sharply to loose balls around the goalmouth.
The Plough did manage to score again in the 64th minute from close range, setting up a tense finish.
The game became end-to-end, with The Plough throwing bodies forward in search of an equaliser while Wanderers looked to manage the tempo and strike on the counter. Akshar Santhosh had a golden opportunity to put the game beyond doubt late on after beating his defender yet again, but the goalkeeper produced another fine save at his near post.
With 10 minutes of added time shown, Wanderers dug deep defensively. The back line stood firm, clearing everything thrown their way. Midfielders battled for every second ball, while the forwards stayed high to stop The Plough’s defence from pushing forward too aggressively.
Despite the pressure, Wanderers never truly looked like surrendering the lead. The team remained composed, disciplined, and determined to see the job through.
Then came the final whistle.
The hard work had paid off — Wanderers had completed the treble.
An unbelievable achievement earned through the dedication, quality, and commitment of a squad that has worked tirelessly all season long.
Thank you to our incredible supporters — The Wanderers Family — for coming down and backing us every step of the way.
We did it! 🏆🏆🏆
💛🖤
