Norwegian Oyster

 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.

 
You Reds!