COUNTY cup kings Poole Town under-14s booked their second final appearance with a 3-2 semi-final Hampshire Cup win against Eastleigh.

Poole, who are already through to the Dorset Cup final in April, overturned a 1-0 first-half deficit to set up a final against Crookham Rovers next month.

Man-of-the-match Arron Gabriel netted twice for Poole and was also brought down for a penalty which resulted in the visitors’ second goal.

Eastleigh took the lead in the seventh minute from a penalty of their own and maintained the advantage for the remainder of the first half.

Following an evenly-contested opening period, Poole Town stepped up a gear, winning the majority of the midfield battles.

Gabriel was the first to prosper from the team’s midfield domination, bursting through the middle to net an equaliser on 35 minutes.

Despite continuing to control the game, Poole had to wait until the 54th minute to take the lead when Gabriel was brought down in the penalty area.

Dan Fairbairn stepped up to convert the spot-kick.

Gabriel put the game beyond Eastleigh’s reach with his second goal on 61 minutes.

Poole goalkeeper Shane Cooper made a couple of brave saves before Eastleigh snatched a second goal deep into stoppage time.

It was too late, however, for an Eastleigh comeback as the referee blew the final whistle directly after the restart.

Poole Town are due to meet Crookham Rovers in the Hampshire final on Sunday, March 22, while their Dorset final against Broadstone is pencilled in for April 18.

Due to their mammoth cup runs, unbeaten Poole Town have only completed four of their BYFL Division Five fixtures.

The club’s under-14s were the only successful Bournemouth Youth League team on Sunday to progress into their respective Hampshire finals.

Greenfields under-13s lost 4-0 against Bitterne, while the club’s under-16s lost 2-1 to Fareham.