Whitstable Town FC

Report courtesy of the Whitstable Times.'THIS was a game of highs and, ultimately, lows for Whitstable. It was also in many ways a typical end of season affair.' Our thanks to John Homer, sorry for the late match report..Mark Wyver is on holiday 

Thirteenth and 12th in the league respectively going into this game, and both sides embraced by the cosy cuddle of mid-table safety, there was little to play for but pride.

Jake Gess headed wide early on but it was Whyteleafe who enjoyed the bulk of the early possession, although without really testing Town keeper Kevin Fewell.

Slowly, however, Whitstable came into the game. Sam Denly had a header saved while Danny Tipple hit a ferocious shot that visiting keeper Robert Tolfrey could only parry away.

On 41-minutes, a refreshing half-time cuppa beckoning, the deadlock was broken when Whitstable failed to clear the ball. It fell to Robert Smith and his shot was deflected off a defender, looping over Fewell’s head.

And the Surrey side almost doubled their advantage a minute or so later, Fewell having to be at his acrobatic best to tip Chris O’Flaherty’s in-swinging corner over his crossbar.

Whitstable started the second half brightly, almost laying siege to the Whyteleafe goal at one stage as they won five corners in a two minute period, Steven Lloyd perhaps coming closest as his glancing effort went wide.

With almost an hour played Town’s second half dominance was finally rewarded when captain Marcos Perona went on a marauding run into the Leafe penalty area where he was bundled off the ball.

Although referee Mr Butler seemed initially to wave away Whitstable’s penalty appeal, his assistant raised his flag and the spot-kick was eventually awarded, dispatched with power by Ian Pulman for his 14th goal of the season for the Belmont club.

The match had now opened up with the play flowing from end to end.

Gary Sayer came to Town’s rescue when he cleared off the goal-line from a corner before Whitstable promptly went up the other end and took the lead.

This came from a fine counter-attacking move that saw a precise cross into the box where it was headed past Tolfrey with power by Gess, the young midfielder showing strength and technique that any centre forward would have been proud of.

That should have been three points in the bag for the Reds, at the very least a share of the spoils. But it was not to be.

Whyteleafe sub Sean Rivers won a fifty-fifty challenge with Liam Quinn and ran on unchallenged to slot the ball past the hopelessly exposed Fewell.

That was on 86-minutes, and just a minute before full-time he was in the right place at the right time to head home a cross and nick the points for the Surrey side, the Whitstable defence seemingly already dreaming of summer holidays, long days by the pool with a cold beer and a crumpled collection of contemporary poetry.

It was Town’s first defeat in nine games.

Whitstable Town: Fewell, Sayer, Tipple, Quinn, Gooding, Denly, Gess, Perona (C), Pulman, Cory, Lloyd (Bagley). Substitutes:  Lane, Wisker, Parker, Lawrence.

Report courtesy of the Whitstable Times.