match-reports-09-10

WTFC 1 Met Police 0 - 24.04.10

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 10:30:22 +0100

The game had a bit of an end-of-season feel to it, but as it was a beautiful day, I don't think many minded. More importantly, Town's record against the Police had been truly atrocious: played 5, lost 5, goals for 2, goals against 17. So this result was on the face of it, remarkable. Part of the explanation lay in the the fact that this was the poorest Police team I've ever seen: promotion contenders last term, mid-table mediocrity this. However, this is not to say that Whitstable didn't deserve their win. It's been a while since fans could look at an early 1-0 scoreline and feel completely safe: there was no doubt in my mind that the Oystermen would see through the game without conceding and possibly even going further ahead.

Whitstable had much of the earlier exchanges and Pulman scored with a real poacher's effort after just 10 minutes of play. This came courtesy of a swift counter attack following the first of two or three long shots that the Police had on goal. Pullie had the beating of the Met defender and manages to dink the ball over the advancing Mo (Met keeper, who didn't get quite as much stick from Taffy as he usually does, but still feigned injury as is is want). Pullie took one in his face for his trouble, but made a quick recovery.

After the goal there was really very little to report. Parker stood out because of a mixture of good and bad - he had the beating of the Met captain at right back for the most, but was also guilty of some wayward passing - but he reminded the team to stay focused for the duration - which they did.

Stubbs did what he was told wide right, but it's not his natural position and so it was not surprising to see him leave the pitch in the second half.

Wisker eventually occupied that berth having started in the middle of the park. No sign of Heard on the day, not sure why, which meant Lloyd at left back - where he did fine, and Cornhill at right back (I prefer to see him further forward as he has an eye for goal) but in the absence of any recognised left back, the back four including Denly and Sayer, was perhaps the best choice even if GS can play anywhere at the back.

The game petered out to its eventual conclusion and having guaranteed Ryman league status with two games to spare, the future brings with it a number of interesting permutations and combinations. Will Laney stay on as manager (the strong feeling amongst the fans is that the Lane/Gooding combination might work very well indeed given recent form). Will Cory reconsider his retirement? Can we bring in the four or so players needed to strengthen? WIll the season start the way it finished? This will probably mean more pre-season training than has been the case in the past.

Have a good summer everyone and see you on the flip-side.

Sittingbourne 2 WTFC 3 - 06.04.10

Wed, 07 Apr 2010 12:25:54 +0100

It may be too early to make the suggestion, but this game was a "classic". Whitstable were 3-0 up within the first fifteen minutes and Sittingbourne scored two in the space of a minute in the second half to set up a heart-stopping finale in which the Oystermen triumphed.

Dave Cory won himself a penalty in the first five minutes. The tackle was just outside the box, but the lights at the home end were dreadful, so it's hardly surprising that the ref didn't see that the foul happened just outside the box. However, Mr Knight evened things up in the second half when he awarded Sittingbourne an equally dodgy penalty in the second half. Pulman converted the penalty with a confidently struck shot.

Six minutes later saw the hard-working Cornhill fouled on the right touch-line - his floated free-kick found Cory at the far post who flicked it back across the six yard box, finding his strike partner who used nimble and close ball-control to carve out a little space for himself before firing past the hapless keeper for his deserved second of the night.

Nearly all the action was in the Sittingbourne defensive third until Fewell was forced to make the first of several excellent saves on twelve minutes. Within a couple of minutes, Whitstable were foraging deep in their opponents' territory. Cornhill floated another free kick in from about 35 yards out only to beat everyone, including a flapping keeper, to increase Whitstable's lead.

And Whitstable weren't done yet. Pullie dispatched a snap-shot on 21 minutes forcing an excellent save from the Sittingbourne keeper and a pile-driver from Parker five minutes later came close.

Sittingbourne came close to clawing one back first on 26 minutes as a driven cross cum shot eluded everyone and six minutes later but for a good save from Fewell at the striker's feet.

One of the highlights of the first half was the willingness of all the players to get really stuck in exemplified by Hossick's welcome return to the middle of the park. Best of all, Pullie, who may have felt that his work was done, was also throwing himself about, and it was perhaps inevitable that he would pick up a card in the end. Another highlight was the consistent quality of Cornhill's set-pieces whether from free kicks or the corner.

Whistable held out for their 3-0 lead at the half time whistle and should rightly have felt proud of their performance thus far.

Sittingbourne came out firing on all cylinders and forced Fewell into an instinctive double save within minutes of the restart. Sittingbourne's first goal had an air of inevitability about it. It was a simple but well-executed move as their player was set free by an incisive through-ball. One touch and then slotted past Fewell who could do little about it. A minute later, Sittingbourne earned themselves a penalty and although Fewell went the right way, he couldn't stop the shot.

Whitstable struggled to get out of their half for most of the rest of the match and fell into the trap of defending too deep as well as hoofing the ball anywhere. But on the odd occasion when they did break into Sittingbourne's half, they looked threatening as well as intelligent in their play. Pullie was denied a second penalty (probably rightly) and Cory hit the side netting. Sttingbourne almost equalised on 89 minutes with a dipping free kick and came very close two minutes into injury time, but Whitstable soaked up the remaining pressure and grabbed a crucial three points. For the second season in succession, Whitstable put paid to Sittingbourne's play-off aspirations.

A very nice touch from the player

and much appreciated by the young fans!

Eastbourne 3 WTFC 1 - 13.03.10

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 18:38:12 +0100

I didn't make it to the game at Croydon mid-week. Apparently, the youngsters played really well with Heald putting in a particularly impressive debut. Their reward? To find themselves on the bench as the 'experienced' players regained their places for this bottom-of-the-basement fixture. And what did experience bring to proceedings? Nothing. Once the youngsters eventually came on, Whitstable actually looked vaguely threatening. But by then, it was too late.

The first half was utterly forgettable although I won't forget the 4 hours plus spent in the car and my carbon footprint. The most annoying part was - as has been said elsewhere - Eastbourne were dreadful. The fact that the first half was even only proves one thing ... it's going to take something new and different to get us out of this mess.

One positive from the first half: Baines was the stand-out performer.

In the second half, another Whitstable youngster stood out: Cornhill who delivered some fine corners in particular which Lloydy met forcefully but ultimately unsuccessfully.

Eastbourne's first came from a looped free kick from the left towards the back post - Fewell stopped the first attempt but his parried block fell kindly to Francis who smashed it into the back of the net. Their second came 21 minutes later. This time, the free kick came from the right hand side, again deep and the Eastbourne keeper met it sweetly on the volley and past Fewell. It only took 8 minutes for Francis to score again, yet another volley from six yards from a deep corner. That Eastbourne should score three easy goals like this without proper marking is worrying.

Dolton got a consolation three minutes from time as he fired a free kick into the top corner from 25 yards. It was an extremely well-taken free kick but didn't make up for an otherwise poor performance. We really have a problem at left wing-back: that's not his role. Not his fault I suppose...

Don't know what else to say ... apart from Dolton's free kick, the Eastbourne's keeper greatest challenge was avoiding his own central defender's clearance ...

WTFC 1 Chipstead 0 - 06.03.10

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 11:19:32 +0100

An attacking formation by Munday’s Oystermen coupled with a new-found ability to pass the ball (at one point, we counted 6 consecutive passes) ensured an ultimately comfortable win for the home side in this ‘six-pointer’. Munday fielded a fluid 1-2-4-1-2 formation with Vahid and Pulman up front and Cory in the hole. This left Parker and Gooding in the middle of the park and the rest of the line-up as before, GS sweeping up imperiously at the back as per usual.Whitstable played some good possession football in the first ten minutes. Chipstead’s Left winger, Freeman, proved tricky and was their main attacking outlet in the first half. On 17 minutes, he drilled a low cross infront of Fewell, but two Chipstead players failed to connect. The game then went quiet for 20 minutes although Whitstable largely managed to keep hold of the ball. With 8 minutes to go in the first half, they actually put four passes together with GS as the main anchor-man in the move. Although the through ball to Pulman saw him offside, it was an encouraging development (even if worrying to comment on this ‘success’!).

Freeman managed to lose Cornhill with five minutes to go as the youngster slipped, but this time Freeman’s cross let him down. Shortly after, Gooding combined well with Vahid, who set up Cory, but the referee saw a foul inside the penalty area which cut the move short.

The home side marginally shaded an even first half devoid of much action.

Although the visitors came out of the blocks the quicker, the Oystermen eventually took control of the second half and richly deserved the three points. Some eight minutes into the game saw a shot from White go just wide after Dolton was beaten for pace at left wing back. But as the game progressed both Vahid and Pulman seemed to grow in stature. Vahid’s presence in the penalty area on 58 minutes ensured the ball fell to Cornhill who had drifted inside – but the shot from the outside of his right boot narrowly missed the upright.

Three minutes later, Vahid beat the last defender to the byline and crossed superbly for Gooding, past the stranded Chipstead keeper and although Clint had been bossing the middle of the park well, he contrived to miss an open goal as the cross bounced off him and wide.

Vahid was unfortunate to see his goal disallowed on 65 minutes after a hard-working shift and two minutes later, the team put six passes together in one combination! Things were really looking up! Cornhill threatened down the right combining well with Vahid closely followed by an ‘air’ bicycle kick from the former Deal striker who was putting in the best work-rate of his Whitstable career.

Whitstable had also worked out the threat caused by Freeman as exemplified by Cornhill who closed him down as soon as the ball came near him and thereby neutralising the threat. On 77 minutes Cornhill came close again after some fantastic work by Pulman and a minute later Vahid somehow managed to forget to shoot whilst one on one only for the eventual rebound to fall to Gooding who blasted over.

With seven minutes on the clock, Baines fired straight at the keeper from a Cornhill corner (which had been great all game), and with four minutes to go Sayer swept up fantastically as Chipstead threatened to pierce the Whitstable defence on the counter.

The deadlock was finally broken by the prodigal and prodigious Pulman who secured three points three minutes from time capping a star performance with an individually crafted effort to the delight of the home fans.

Having learned from previous lapses of attention, the back four put their concentration caps on, and with a minute to go, Sayer made the Chipstead defence take note with a ferocious tackle that put paid to any Chipstead self-belief. This was a good solid performance that improved as the game went on and the points were deserved.

Walton Casuals 0 WTFC 1 - 27.02.10

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 10:30:33 +0100

After a long absence from the stands, a return to the happy hunting ground of Walton Casuals was the perfect tonic even if Whitstable really should have won with a more comfortable margin.

The pitch was slippery and cut up badly after the recent inclement weather which made attractive football unlikely. And neither team disappointed. Whitstable proved most effective down the right hand side with Cornhill threatening throughout. With GS sweeping up at the back, the defensive frailties on both sides were for the most part papered over.

It took a long time for either team to really threaten, however. Denly came close within about twenty minutes after Cornhill cut inside and his shot rebounded to the Whitstable captain. But the Casuals had a player on the line who denied him. Ten minutes later Parker really should have scored from from 10 yards but conspired to slice his shot past a crowd of players.

Walton Casuals' first shot didn't come until the 38th minute, and that hit the side netting. Although their chances increased as the game went on, Fewell was kept relatively quiet as the orange clad players seemed to have left their shooting boots at home - a problem that has beset them for the last half dozen games or so. Their cause was not helped by some pretty woeful refereeing and it's probably fair to say that Walton should have had a penalty on the brink of half time instead of the yellow card their player got for diving.

The second half was a little more eventful sparked off by the Walton right back's well-taken own goal off a Gooding cross. Much of the game took place in Whitstable's defensive third as a result, but there were one or two good breaks by the Oystermen. The highlight was a lovely backheel by Vahid that eventually set Denly through only for him to be cynically fouled just outside the area.

Fewell made a masterful save with 25 minutes to go and Pullie threatened more than once although he looked tired with 20 minutes to go.

Once again, the Whitstable bench was thin - a surprise given that the Reserves weren't playing. Cory, Smith and Stubbs got a little run out but no further goals looked likely. But neither did a points loss - and it's been a while since I've been able to say that!

WTFC 2 Walton & Hersham 1 - 23.01.10

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 11:56:35 +0100

It's been a while, but well worth the wait! Whitstable emerged victorious on a heavy pitch after recent postponements, and on balance, the win was deserved. Walton & Hersham probably displayed better technique, passing and composure on the ball, but Whitstable's solid defending masterminded by GS and desire shone through here, especially in the second half.

Whitstable started brightly enough and took the game to the visitors, but within the first few minutes it became clear that most of the game was to be spent in the defensive third. The visitors probed the flanks and relied on the occasional ball over the top, but GS swept up wherever the ball went although his clearances left a little to be desired.

Despite some good defending by the back three, the visitors penetrated the defensive line on 33 minutes after their left winger beat Morris for pace and whipped in a pin-point cross that found an unmarked Hersham player in the middle of the area to head home. There was little Fewell could have done about it. It has to be conceded that the goal was coming.

The visitors came close to adding a second five minutes from time only for GS to head the ball off the line and Fewell to make an instinctive double save. The half time whistle couldn't come any sooner even if the hosts had acquitted themselves well particularly in the closing-down department.

Shortly after the re-start, Munday substituted Wisker who had had a pretty poor first half and replaced him with Hitchings. His introduction changed the whole shape of the game. Not only did he close everything down as if his life depended on it, but he wasn't afraid to hold onto the ball even in tight areas. Whether he was responsible for finding Cory's head which led to the penalty or not I cannot now recall, but penalty it was despite Hersham's vociferous and extended protests. If photographic evidence is needed:

Quite how the protesting Hersham player remained on the field is anyone's guess, but some of the choice language should have been enough for a red let alone the physical contact that was made with the ref later. In any case, Vahid stepped up and slotted the penalty home with a well-taken kick to level the scores.

Whitstable's second was even better as Dolton dispossessed the Hersham right-back and drilled in a cross that found Vahid who glanced his header past the Hersham keeper. A very well-taken goal as well and for many might be enough to warrant the Oystergong - although for me, Whitstable's success was built on their defence yesterday. And the strings were pulled by GS - how we shall miss him when his suspension kicks in.

Dolton

The last ten minutes were hearts in the mouth stuff as Hersham piled forward. But unlike similar situations in the past, Whitstable did not seem to panic and they even managed to run towards the corner-flag at times as well as create the occasional chance. The only worrying thing was that Stubbs, who had come on as a sub, looked knackered within 7 minutes!

That aside, this was a very good result on the back of a very good performance by most of the team.

Chipstead 3 WTFC 0 - 08.12.09

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 13:51:11 +0100

What a dreadful evening at Chipstead! As cliches go, this was a great example of a game of two halves. For the first twenty minutes it was difficult to work out who were the worst team as the ball spent most of the time in the air or bouncing off players ping-pong like in the middle of the park. No sooner had that thought crossed the mind, when Chipstead scored their first and then scored twice more in the space of two 7 minute intervals. All three goals were contributed to by defensive errors. At half time, desperate measures were called for, and the manager subbed off Cornhill and put himself in the middle of the park - and it has to be said that Whitstable's football became much more attractive and expansive. The only problem was that they just couldn't put the ball in the back of the net. Predominantly, this can be explained by some excellent keeping by the Chipstead keeper who had a fine evening between the sticks. It is now difficult to remain optimistic, but the second half performance at least gave some positive signs that should be encouraging. I'm glad I didn't leave at half time (and I very nearly did, as some others did) as I would have missed a truly outstanding second half performance by the club captain, Sam Denly, watched by his dad.

With sheets of light rain bathing the playign surface, there was always going to be some real zip. Unfortunately, the usual adage that 'we play better when it rains' just didn't hold true. Although the Oystermen seemed hungry and up for it in the first five minutes or so, with Wisker and Hitchings making some early forrays forward, the enthusiasm for the fight soon dissipated. Chipstead had the first real chance with a chance blasted over the bar on 16 minutes and Parker tried a looping shot on 22 minutes only for Chipstead to break on the counter down the left, drill in a low cross, which was neatly flicked on past Fewell - who probably should have had it covered.

Seven minutes later, Chipstead hit the crossbar following a corner. The rebound fell to a Chipstead player who somehow managed to get a shot past three players in red into the bottom left hand corner. Fewell may have been unsighted by what should have been a tight defensive unit infront of him. But the ball ended up in the back of the net and a number of red players ended up in a collision-induced bundle on the ground.

Seven minutes after that, there was almost a replica goal as Denly and GS collided with eachother and a Chipstead player unleashed his shot past them and another defender from a neat turn that he should not have been allowed to dispatch.

The goals flattered Chipstead who really had been as poor as Whitstable, but there was no palpable sense of the 'Spirit of Istanbul' coursing through the veins of the players in red, and some fans understandably left the ground. The Oystermen had been truly dire.

One problem was that new loan signing Morris was playing in the middle of the park despite the fact that his bio on the Margate website suggests that he is a right back! Perhaps the thinking was to bring a bit of experience into the middle, but if that was the thinking, it simply didn't work. He had a torrid time with misplaced passes, ineffectual tackles and headers.

After a rollocking in the dressing room, Munday put himself in the middle and Morris into the right (wing?) back position. And Morris had an excellent second half: he was assured, his passing was accurate and he achieved the interception of the night as he closed down a player outside the area and just took the ball off him. The players clearly sensed his worth at right back because he then became a favoured outlet even if an uncomfortable amount of passes went across the goalmouth to him!

Whitstable also took control of the game, finding space and played some really quite attractive expansive and attacking football even if there was a little too much sideways passing going on. Whitstable's first real chance didn't come until the hour mark when Parker dispatched a cross-cum shot that forced the Chipstead keeper into a good save. The first of many. An even better chance came after nice build-up play from Morris, to Munday who found Gooding in acres of space way upfield. Gooding chipped it precisely onto the head of Cory who pretty much had an open goal but headed it straight at the keeper. There then followed some goal mouth scrambles and blocked shots in the Chipstead area, but time was running out and a goal looked increasingly unlikely. This was confirmed after Denly had a pile-driver saved at the near post and Cory had two more shots well stopped in the five minutes leading up to the final whistle.

The players looked horrified after the result which really should have gone the other way on paper. Wisker picked up a serious looking injury and Vahid didn't do much after he came on - one air shot and an acrobatic slip spring to mind (although he was at times too far away for me to judge properly). Denly, GS and Morris were really very good in the second half, and Lloyd showed some real prowess from attacking corners. And Hitchings' engine kept going until the end. he kept asking for the ball, and maybe he should have been given it more often?

There is a problem now! Morris at right back is one of the most composed right backs I've seen for some time in a red shirt. It is of course GS's natural position, but he has excelled at sweeper and central defence. Denly was just magnificent when he went forward, and maybe he needs to go back into the middle of the park. His defensive sensibilites, left foot and reading of the game would complement Hitchings right foot and attacking flair perfectly. Lloyd has proved his desire at centre back (although yesterday was marginally his worst outing for a while: that's not saying much as he has been a revelation of late). The problem is obviously goals! Cory might start scoring (the first light appeared at Dulwich last week), Wisker is injured (but hasn't scored for ages), Vahid might score again, but his workrate needs to match Cory's. What about Cornhill? Didn't he start as a striker? He certainly knows where the goal is. If he's not put up front as an experiment, then we'll have to revert to 4-4-2 with him on the right of midfield I would have thought. Anyway, what do I know, apart from the fact that we need goals (any reserves banging them in?)

To Godalming and a difficult fixture next. But if we can build on the second half performance, we might, just might get something on Saturday.

Dulwich Hamlet 4 WTFC 2 - 05.12.09

Sun, 06 Dec 2009 18:15:55 +0100

Games against Dulwich usually end up high scoring, and Saturday was no exception. It was a good game, and the better side on the day won. Quite simply, Dulwich had more pace, more technically gifted players, and as the game wore on, more stamina. Although Whitstable battled hard, a point would probably have been unfair on the hosts.

Whitstable came out firing on all cylinders and took control of the game from the outset. They worked the ball forward with some nice one touch football – long gone, it seems, was the long ball. With just nine minutes on the clock, the Oystermen won a free kick which Cornhill lifted to Cory who from beyond the far post managed to bundle in the ball from an acute angle. The goal looked good from distance even if the photographic evidence may indicate a possible helping hand. But we don’t care, and maybe Cory’s goal will have opened up the floodgates for him?

The new formation seemed to be doing its trick, but the problem on Saturday was that Parker was left to pick up both the full back and the right winger – which was impossible. Someone else should have been closing down the right full back, who in the words of jimmygreaves, was “running the show”. Sure enough, Dulwich won a free kick on the right hand side of the pitch and their captain (No. 4 and centre back) equalised for the hosts with a wicked deflection off Gary Sayer’s head.

Six minutes before the end of the first half, the Dulwich captain (who was really running the show) set their no.8 free on the right hand side – he drilled and cut a low cross back to Frankie Sawyer, hovering outside the area, who struck a half volley into the bottom left hand corner of Fewell’s net. There was nothing the keeper could have done about it.

Dulwich were starting to threaten more and their set pieces looked especially dangerous. Within a minute of the re-start, Whitstable almost conceded a third, but another Cornhill freekick, was palmed out by the Dulwich keeper straight to Hitchings lurking outside the area who chipped both the keeper and the Dulwich right winger to send the visitors into the changing room on equal terms at the break.

Cornhill whips in a freekick

Unfortunately, within minutes of the restart, Smith’s lack of pace saw him fail to deal with a meandering attack across the front of the area, and Sawyer netted his second of the afternoon from the right. Smith had been struggling with the pace of the game throughout, and so it was not surprising to see him substituted off. Parker dropped into the middle and Dean Grant took up the wing back position.

There were two immediate consequences: the Oystermen seemed to lose their shape a little and it was difficult to work out who was playing where in the middle of the park. We also became potentially more vulnerable to attacks down the wings because Grant is not renowned for his tackling.

It was perhaps, therefore not surprising that Dulwich’s attacking game came to the fore thereafter. Although Grant did some really good work when he received the ball down the left hand side, we were always vulnerable to the counter-attack which was employed to greater and greater effect as the game wore on. Dulwich were particularly adept at using it after corners when most of our defenders were pushing for an equaliser.

Denly, GS, Gooding and Cornhill all made last ditch tackles at the back, but when some of them not only tackled but then brought the ball out from defence, there were no willing receivers. This might be explained by the fact that Hitchings had gone off being replaced by Vahid.Whitstable came close to an equaliser on a couple of occasions: an uncharacteristic loose back pass by Dulwich should have been intercepted by Wisker, but he didn’t find enough acceleration to capitalise. But Whitstable heads had dropped a little in the drizzle. So despite some good work down the left hand side courtesy of Grant, Dulwich always looked more likely to score. They came close when their No.11 beat Fewell when one on one, but Lloyd somehow managed to keep the ball out as it bobbled towards the line. A minute later, however, the same player made no mistake with a powerful drive.

There was no coming back from that scoreline. Dulwich are a very pacey counter attacking side who will look to break from corners. So although Parker almost got a consolation direct from a corner, Dulwich’s tendency to counter attack at speed meant a draining of physical resources, and it it hadn’t been for GS in the dying minutes, sweeping up after Lloyd was beaten for pace, it could have been five. Despite the scoreline, I was encouraged by the overall performance although I did feel that heads dropped quite quickly in the second half after Dulwich went ahead. Smith should have been substituted earlier: probably towards the end of the first half when it was becoming very clear that he simply could not keep up with the pace of the game and when the Dulwich attacks down the right hand side was screaming out for 4-4-2. Had I been the manager (which thankfully I’m not), I would have brought Dolton on for Smith and (after Cornhill had done his good work), Grant on for Cornhill later on with GS at right back and Parker at left back when it was clear what Dulwich were doing.

Anyway, Godalming next, and let’s hope for another good performance. I think there are many positives to take from Saturday, and more goals and results will come. You Reds!

WTFC 3 Ashford Town 0 - 28.11.09

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 12:00:01 +0100

Mundz made one change from the side that beat Eastbourne last week: he dropped himself to the bench and put Gooding back into the centre of the park alongside the less experienced Ben Smith and Joe Hitchings. Of the three Hitchings was the standout performer: creative, busy, willing to get stuck in, and great composure infront of goal to crown his performance with Whitstable's third goal of the afternoon. This was a spirited team performance from The Oystermen against a fellow struggler - and it is easy to see why Ashford are mired in the relegation zone: they play a bit like we used to, and were guilty of defensive errors for at least one of the goals scored against them. So, two wins on the bounce, but this is not time for complacency - there is a long way to go, including another crucial game against the same opponents up Kingsnorth way on Wednesday. Unfortunately, I can't make it as I'm working that evening.

Whitstable started brightly. An early break down the right hand side saw one wing-back, Cornhill, whip one over for the other, Parker - who seemed hungry for the fight and who hit a ferocious volley wide. The Oystermen definitely had the upper hand whilst attacking the gasworks end for the second game in succession. The only blemish on an otherwise impressive start was Lloyd's somewhat cynical trip on an Ashford player breaking through on 17 minutes. I thought he was a little lucky only to see yellow following a clear professional foul.

Some twenty minutes into game, a Whitstable player chipped one just over and wide and there was a momentary sense that this could turn into one of those frustrating afternoons. But those fears were allayed three minutes later when the captain, Sam Denly, powered in a header from a Parker corner past a keeper rooted to the spot, to the delight of the fans and players alike. Only three minutes later Dave Cory saw his poacher's effort ruled out for off-side. He will score again some sunny day, and when he starts, the floodgates will open.

A minute before the end of the first half, Denly added to his tally from yet another Parker corner as the ball fell kindly to him. He had all the time in the world to steady himself and blast the shot into the roof of the net. His brace settled the nerves and the game actually seemed over.

However, in the second half, Ashford decided to go for it and Fewell was forced into an excellent stop within ten minutes of the whistle. Whitstable soaked up a lot of pressure: GS swept up imperiously and both Lloyd and Denly stuck to their defensive duties well. With Cornhill's having been substituted for Grant, we were looking a bit weak on both flanks defensively, but Grant's pace at least put him near his man, and Parker was harrying like a terrier. Hitchings too showed a willingness to get stuck in when needed and yet again, Cory's work-rate meant that the Ashford players had less time on the ball.

Just past the hour mark, the Oystermen regained some possession and put together some well-worked pass-and-move combinations around the box. The ball eventually fell to Hitchings who placed the ball superbly past the committed keeper for a well-deserved goal. Ten minutes later he forced the keeper into a good save from a wonderful piledriver from distance.

Vahid and Dolton were late substitutes but saw too little of the ball to make much difference to the game although Grant almost put the ball on a plate for Vahid late on as well as clearing a ball off the Whitstable line two minutes before the end of full time. A weak shot with his left peg from distance was the last of any meaningful play in a solid outing from the team in red. And it's been some time since we've heard that!

As noted elsewhere, the move of GS into the sweeping role looks like a master-stroke. It shall be interesting to see how that works against the better sides. In the meantime, there are three more points up for grabs on Wednesday and it would be great to see another determined performance and belief away at Ashford.

Joe Hitchings - outstanding performance

You Reds!

WTFC 1 Eastbourne 0 - 24.11.09

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:56:46 +0100

After an horrendous run of results and tensions spilling onto and off the field, finally some happy news: a win against a team from which which we've only taken one point in four attempts, which thrashed top-of-the-table Worthing 3-0 in their last game and in a similar league position as ourselves. Not only that, but we played pretty good football in blustery conditions for the most part.

Munday put himself in the middle of a central midfield trio including Hitchings and Ben Smith, flanked by wing-backs in the shapes of Cornhill and Parker. Three at the back: Denly and Lloyd seemingly man-marking the two forwards at times and, interestingly, GS sweeping up behind them. Gary was outstanding: did everything asked of him and crowned his performance with one driving run from the back well into the Eastbourne half, vaguely reminscent of the German sweepers of times gone by. My only surprise was his substitution towards the end, especially at a time when Tom Parker was hobbling! Up front, Wisker had his first start for a while, partnering Cory, in the absence of Vahid.

Although Munday had a pretty poor outing by his standards, being guilty of some of the worst passes of the game, his presence did galvanise the team. There was some nice neat triangular passing on the deck between him and the two youngesters, and the three of them found both wide players and the forward men in good positions. The first twenty minutes were a particular highlight as Eastbourne found themselves pinned down in their own third for lengthy spells. There were a couple of goal-mouth scrambles, a few shots from distance, and woodwork hit. Alas, there were also one or two air and skewed shots and no final product.

After Eastbourne's keeper was injured in a 50/50 with Cornhill, Whitstable failed to capitalise by testing a clearly struggling keeper. Perhaps, Eastbourne had got used to Whitstable's unusual formation by then. Whatever the cause, this was an opportunity missed even if the front men worked tirelessly throughout.

Unfortunately, there was a similar failure to really test the young deputant keeper who replaced the injured Eastbourne player in the secon half. He looked small inbetween the sticks although he got just enough on a ball that trickled slowly towards the line when a couple of Eastbourne defenders managed to hack away Wisker's tame shot a few minutes into the half. The keeper might count himself a little unlucky in conceding the goal as he was challenged by two or three Whitstable players as Cornhill's lofted and looping free kick made its way towards the top corner. It's possible that Wisker got the slightest touch with his head, but photographic evidence suggests not. The keeper ended up on the floor and the ball and Denly in the back of the net to the whooping delight of the Whitstable faithful.

The goal galvanised Eastbourne somewhat and they took more control of the game. Munday was replaced by Gooding, who shored up the middle of the park really well after his introduction although I have to say that the sub who caught my eye was Axon who replaced Hitchings (who also had a good game) rather than Smith who became increasingly error-prone as the game wore on. Grant eventually got about 15 minutes under his belt late on who took throw-ins despite wearing gloves: but he has a good throw on him - and it was good to see the demise of the switch throw which only works once a season anyway!

So, lots of positives there, and as has been said elsewhere, something to build on. Not sure where Vahid was, but Wisker put in much more effort than both he himself or Vahid usually do, so that too is good news. Meanwhile, Dan Tanner is injured and out for a few weeks. This coincides with a trip to Australia and I've asked him to bring Pullie back in his suitcase even if I'm sure both DC and Wisker will find their goals again after the first one goes in. Of course, Vahid's strike rate is very good so far, but he needs to put in the sort of work rate that his competitors for the shirt showed last night.

More of the same please!