CALUM Wands applauded the staying power of his Gloucestershire FA Under-18 as they powered into the next round of the FA County Youth Cup with a memorable 6-2 success over Kent FA at Maidstone’s Gallagher Stadium.

The win sets up a third stage tie with Birmingham FA, at Oaklands Park,3G Almondsbury on Saturday, December 8.

Last season’s semi-finalists Gloucestershire found themselves pegged back to 2-2 in the early throes of the second half after carrying a hard-fought two-goal lead into the interval.

But they roused themselves for more to score four more times after the break to keep the national trophy dream alive.

The visitors were overseen by the youngest-ever GFA representative management team and struck first on nine minutes as defender Sam Larkins headed home Jay Murray’s corner.

Before the break, Glos doubled their lead as central midfielder Cameron Rees drilled in a shot from 20 yards after industrious right-winger Andre Freckleton had dispossessed a Kent defender before skilfully teeing up his team-mate.

Kent pulled one back for a spell five minutes into the via a cool George Robinson finish.

Five minutes later, the ball was deemed to have crossed the line from a Baily Sinnock header, despite Murray and his comrades believing he’d hacked it away in the nick of time.

Frustrated but unbowedGlos reclaimed the lead shortly after when Larkins’ miscued strike from Harry Simons’ free-kick struck George Porter and flew into the net for an own-goal.

Glos then restored their original two-goal cushion when a brilliant pass by Murray took out the entire Kent back four and sat perfectly for Freckleton who finished inside the box.

Murray added a fifth when he tore past the Kent right-back, much as his famous father Scott had done in a Bristol City shirt in his pomp, rounding the keeper and netting before Substitute Miguel Freckleton turned and scored the sixth.