Whitstable Town FC

Town hustled out of Cup..
Herne Bay 2 Whitstable Town 1:  Kent League Group Cup Quarter Final: 11th feb 2006
Picture: Owen Williams (blue) tussles with goal scorer Arron Knight: Even at one-nil up after Dave Masters 18^th minute strike Herne Bay tried to slow the game down. When they went 2-1 ahead early in the second half after Arron Knight had levelled the game on the stroke of half time; their tactics took the gloss of what was other wise a workman like performance. ?Bay? as out-battled Town all over the pitch, but the way they slowed the game down with players going down for no apparent reason in the second half had spectators looking for a sniper hidden in the trees over by the railway bank. It was not pretty to watch.

As ever theses derby games are less about skill; more about the side that can wind up and up-set their opponents the most, yet still stay on the pitch. This the home side achieved; but only because the ref when called upon to use the letter of the law after a player had been previously booked, bottled it upon realising he would have to red card the player. Other than that, save for a mad ten-minute spell, in the first half when any number of players from both side quite literally saw red, the ref coped. Just.

Master?s goal was well taken; although there was a fair element of offside about it before his left foot found the back of the net, to put the home side in the box seat. Up until he scored there had been precious little football from either side. Town?s keeper Sam Mott had saved well minutes before after an awful mix up in Town?s defence nearly let Masters in.

Whitstable had the best of the latter stages of the first half as Herne Bay took their foot off the gas, Mark Ward, who otherwise had a quite game buzzed around in midfield, as did his partner Marcos Perona. Up front for Town Sam Prett, playing as strike partner alongside Andy Constable in place of the injured Steve Marshall came close to levelling the score. The ?Bay?s? Jack Delo saving well down to his right. On the stroke of half time up popped Arron Knight who after some neat footwork slotted the ball past Delo to send the teams in level at the interval. With Whitstable captain Andy Keir and Constable both booked along with two or three of the home side, the odds were on neither side finishing with the full compliment of players.

Half Time Herne Bay 1 Whitstable Town 1

At the restart the home side came out as they had the first; the ?strongest?; and they took control of the game again. In midfield; the home sides Sam Denley urging his team forward. There were few moments of good football to delight the 300 plus souls in the ground, both keeper made good saves. Mott denying substitute Michael Button twice late on but by then Herne Bay had scored their second through Steven Lloyd.

His neat header at the far post from a quickly taken free kick caught Town flat. They then locked the door shut, got ten men behind the ball and slowed the game down. Their spoiling tactics working for then up till the final whistle. ?Any Constable held up his hand after the game,? said Whitstable coach Simon Halsey: ?Andy had Lloyd as his man and he admits he let him go, it was just what Herne Bay wanted they got bodies behind the ball slowed the game down, then as we went searching for the equalizer, they could have scored another.?

In between Mott saved from Denley, Michael Addcock cleared the ball off the line and at the other send Prett went close as did Tom Parker after good work by Gary Sayer gave Parker the space; his shot should have at least tested Delo.

Team: Sam Mott: Tom Parker: Andy Kier: (capt) Michael Adcock: Gary Sayer: Gary Ward: Marcos Perona: Alex Hossick: Andy Constable: Sam Prett: Aaron Knight:

Subs: Mark Lane: Andy Martin: (Prett) Darren Bridges: James Duffy