Whitstable Town FC

?Oysters grab the points?
Whitstable Town 1 v Hythe 0: ?KOKL Saturday 18^th December 2005:
In a largely forgettable first 45 minutes played in a swirling wind, Whitstable had a below par game which new club sponsor Joe Brownett described as: ?the poorest I have seen the lads play this year?. His word were echoed by Whitstable manager Marc Seager who told his players at half time; ?we need to play at a higher tempo, take the game to them more and we can win, sure the wind is effecting the game, it?s the same for both sides but we all know we can play far, far better than we did in the first half.?

It was not until the 34^th minute that Whitstable had a shot at goal; Andy Constable fired straight the visitor?s giant keeper. Hythe?s pacey Richard Sinden was well marshalled by Rob Thomas and his captain Andy Kier, Sinden having a couple of chances but nothing to trouble Whitstable keeper Kevin Fewell. One the couple of occasions the visitors did look threatening Thomas or Kier were had hand to make the clearance.

Half Time: Whitstable Town 0 v Hythe 0:
The tempo of the game improved from the restart, in the 47^th minute Whitstable won a free kick; Seager?s fierce shot tipped onto Hythe?s crossbar; the ball landing in a group of players Thomas?s shot blocked by a couple of Hythe players and the ball was scrambled away. At the other end Sinden was guilty of squandering a great chance after a poor clearance for Whitstable set him up with a shooting chance, Thomas nipping the ball off his toes as he was about to shoot. Fewell made a couple of good save, one was quite outstanding as he somehow managed to turn away the ball when it looked certain that Hythe would go a goal ahead. The visitors upped their game and were stunned when a long-range shot cannoned off the crossbar, just evading Fewell?s fingertips.

With less than fifteen minute remaining to the final whistle Whitstable belatedly found some rhythm to their game, Constable working hard set up Marcos Perona, his rasping shot just wide, and then Josh Main arriving late at a corner drove his just the wrong side of the post. For Whitstable Steve Marshall replaced Alex Hossick and immediately he began to get at the Hythe back four. Arron Knight and Stuart Harrison on either flank did not get the ball into the box with any great purpose, too often Whitstable were run down blind alleys as Hythe; intent on gaining a point, tried to snuff out Town. They came to the Belmont intent on stifling the game well aware that Whitstable have scored over twenty goals in their last five games.

The games moments of high drama, it had been a quite, and very cold day for the spectators for the large part of the game; came in the dying minutes. Whitstable we awarded a penalty, after Gary Sayer, on for Josh Maine had his shot blocked by a Hythe player?s hand. The visitors went nuts; two players including their keeper were booked ands Seager had to wait ages to take the spot kick, Hythe tried every trick in the book to delay the taking of the penalty.

Seager, not showing an ounce of nerves fired the ball low into the net to the left of the keeper to win the game. Whitstable?s large band of noisy supporters celebrating the goal with the players: if not a great game. As summed up by one after the match: ?Not the best game we have seen at the Belmont this year, in fact I would go so far as to say it was one of the worst, but hey its Christmas and we are very happy with the three points which lifts us up to third in the league?.

Team: Kevin Fewell: Josh Main: Tom Parker: Rob Thomas: Andy Kier: (capt) Marc Seager: Stuart Harrison: Marcos Perona: Andy Constable: Alex Hossick: Aaron Knight:

Subs: Steve Marshall: (Hossick) Michael Adcock: Daren Budge: Gary Sayer: (Main)