Northamptonshire FA’s Under-18 Representative Squad fell to a 5-0 defeat at the hands of Sussex FA on Sunday 2 December in the FA County Youth Cup third round.

The Northants FA side, which finished the game with just nine men, bowed out of the Youth Cup on the murky south coast.

Both teams spent the first period of the game sounding each other out, with Sussex taking the lead after 12 minutes with a well-taken goal.

An even game was then turned on its head when Northants went down to 10 men just before half-time.

Sussex started the second half strongly, with the advantage of the extra man and some excellent saves from the Northants ‘keeper meaning Northamptonshire’s chances came at a minimum.

Northants were then reduced to nine men, allowing Sussex to take full advantage and add four more goals to their total, finishing the game at 5-0.

Congratulations to Sussex FA, who deserved the win, and commiserations to Northants, who showed character on the day.

Thank you to Sussex FA for a warm welcome and good luck for the future of the competition.