GREENWAYS 1 WHITSTABLE TOWN 3
SCEFL Challenge Cup Second Round
Monday November 14 2022 19.45

Whitstable progressed to the next round of the Challenge Cup with few alarms on a misty evening at the home of K Sports. They created a number of good opportunities in the first half and led 2-0 at the break, with James Jeffrey and Liam Gillies finding the net. Josh Oliver added a third early in the second half to all but decide the tie. Both managers made the maximum five substitutions and Greenways came into the game much more towards the end, scoring a consolation goal through Tom Reardon.

The SCEFL Challenge Cup was the last knockout competition remaining for Whitstable this season after poor performances brought swift exits from the other three cups. A bye in the first round and an away draw at lower division opponents in the second gave Whitstable an opportunity to improve their recent record. Greenways were founded in 1965 when they played in the Gravesend League under the name NALGO FC, but were new opposition for Whitstable. Greenways, currently mid table in the SCEFL First Division, play their home games at K Sports, so it was a second visit to Cobdown in a few weeks for the Oystermen. There was a debut for Sam FitzGerald, the former Greenwich Borough and Fisher central defender, who joined Whitstable this week. Gus Barnes made his first start since returning to the club.

Greenways had a couple of early chances from free kicks as Whitstable began slowly, but they failed to test Dan Eason. The bulk of the action was soon switched to the other end though and a good pass by Reiss Chandler sent Jeffrey clear, but he took too long and the chance was gone. Gillies then did well to pick out Dean Grant whose shot was saved by Dan Stevens. The pace of Barnes and Oliver was causing Greenways a few problems and Oliver curled two shots wide. Whitstable scored their first in the 17th minute when Grant received the ball from Chandler just inside his own half before sending Jeffrey away with a clever pass and he ran forward and found the bottom corner from 18 yards. The chances continued and Barnes outpaced his marker but shot over, then Jeffrey set up Grant whose low shot was saved. Reardon was the chief threat for Greenways and had an effort blocked before Oscar Saxton lifted his shot over the bar. Whitstable looked a threat going forward, although lived dangerously a few times at the back. They felt a little unfortunate to have a possible goal ruled out for offside when Gillies released Grant who might have shot, but instead chose to pass to Jeffrey who rolled the ball into the net. Jeffrey looked just behind Grant when the pass was made, but the assistant thought otherwise and raised his flag. Shortly afterwards, in the 44th minute, a second goal was scored when Chandler won the ball on the right and fed Grant, whose unselfish pass gave Gillies the chance to find the corner of the net. Greenways won three successive corners in added time without being able to find a way through.

Both goalkeepers were in action early in the second half as Marcel Brown and Barnes had shots saved, then Grant glanced a header wide from a free kick. It became 3-0 in the 52nd minute when Chandler and Grant combined to put Jeffrey through, but although Stevens managed to divert the ball out to the left, Oliver sent it back past him from a tight angle. Multiple substitutions then began and the pattern of the game changed. Grant steered the ball just wide following a great run and cross by Oliver. An unfortunate mistake by Muhammed Cham presented Reardon with a golden opportunity on 74 minutes and he made no mistake, to give his team a slim chance of a late comeback. Greenways did have the better of the closing stages, but failed to capitalise, with James Austin and Jack Jeffery both off target and Reardon hooking a shot straight at Eason. The Whitstable goalkeeper needed to tip a long range Reardon shot over the bar in stoppage time, but the last action almost brought Whitstable a fourth goal when Jeffrey was denied by a timely tackle.

Whitstable had done enough to win 3-1 and progress in the competition, although there will be a few things to work on in training before they return to league action on Saturday, when Erith Town are the visitors to the Belmont Ground.

Greenways
Dan Stevens, Mark Cooper (Aaron Sanderson 58), Ross Penrose, Matt Atkins, Andy Pierce (c), Adam Sheepwash (James Austin 72), Oscar Saxton (Jack Jeffery 59), Jake Lovell (Kuda Muchinjiko 72), Marcel Brown, Blijarts Tambe (Farai Maganga 58), Tom Reardon.
Subs (unused): none
Goals: Tom Reardon 74

Whitstable Town
Dan Eason, Jake Mackenzie, George Sheminant (Cameron Chamberlain 63), Reiss Chandler, Sam FitzGerald (Joe Nelder 67), Tom Mills (c) (Will Thomas 54), Gus Barnes (Muhammed Cham 54), Liam Gillies (Caoilte Deakin 63), Dean Grant, James Jeffrey, Josh Oliver.
Subs (unused): none
Goals: James Jeffrey 17, Liam Gillies 44, Josh Oliver 52.

Attendance: not announced
Referee: Thomas Nicholls
Assistants: James Beadle & Wayne Cooksey