CANTERBURY CITY 0 WHITSTABLE TOWN 1
The DFDS Kent Senior Trophy First Round
Friday October 11 2024 19.45

Whitstable travelled to Margate on a Friday evening to kick off their Kent cup campaign against Canterbury City. A quick start saw Dean Grant get his head to a Harvey Smith cross to put the Oystermen ahead. Chances to increase the lead came and went as Canterbury gradually played their way into the game, but the score remained 1-0 at half time. Canterbury had plenty of possession in the second half, playing some neat and tidy football at times, but with little goal threat. A Finn O’Mara header hit the post as Whitstable attempted to give themselves the cushion of a second goal, but it failed to arrive and a succession of late Canterbury corners meant the lottery of a penalty shootout remained a possibility. There would be no late drama however and Whitstable progressed into the next round safely, although a little uncomfortably towards the end.

With Canterbury currently playing their league football one division below Whitstable, this was the first times the teams had met since Christmas 2022 when Whitstable won 4-2 in front of a holiday crowd of 627. This “local derby” was not quite so local with City now ground sharing at Margate, which also led to the game being moved from the scheduled Saturday to the Friday evening. Whitstable made one change to the team that lost to Punjab United with Mike West returning from suspension and there was a place on the bench for Jayden Silcott-Brown, a new loan signing from Dover Athletic. Canterbury, managed by Dan Lawrence, have made a solid start to their season with just one league defeat and fielded several former Whitstable players in their line-up including Simon Kabamba, Luke Illsley, Muhammed Cham, Zack Jobe and Connor Coyne. The crowd at Hartsdown Park on a chilly evening was 174 for this DFDS Kent Senior Trophy First Round tie, with the competition rules this season requiring penalties if the scores are level after 90 minutes.

In the early stages, Whitstable played confidently and scored in just the 3rd minute. Some patient passing across the back gave Will Thomas the chance to send the ball forward down the left for Archie Johnson who laid it back for Harvey Smith to cross and Dean Grant arrived on the six yard line to glance a header into the far corner. Whitstable went close to extending their advantage on several occasions as City struggled to keep possession. Goalkeeper Tom Benham appeared to slip when attempting to clear and sent the ball straight to Mikey Dalton in the centre circle whose lobbed effort missed the target. A free kick on the right led to a shooting chance for Thomas, but Benham made a comfortable save. The first effort at the other end was a free kick headed wide by Illsley, but there was an enforced early substitution when the injured Rob Lawrence was replaced by Jake McCarthy in the 12th minute.

Smith fired a speculative shot over from distance and then headed a dangerous Josh Oliver cross wide. City had not really been in the game for the first 25 minutes, but some hesitant defending gave Mo Cham the opportunity to win the ball on the edge of the box and try a shot, but it was blocked by Finn O’Mara. In the 36th minute, Cham stole the ball off Mike West in midfield and ran forward before hitting a swerving shot that was safely held by Dan Colmer. Former Whitstable academy striker Cham then struck a 30 yard free kick into the wall and when the ball found its way back to him, he tried another shot but it flew over the top. Whitstable mounted a couple of late attacks, but the score remained 1-0 at the interval.

Soon after the restart, an attempted pass back by McCarthy gave West the chance to cross for Grant whose shot was blocked. Liam Gillies found Smith in space on the left and he curled his shot just past the far post. Illsley went into the book for fouling Grant just outside the area, but Oliver’s free kick was hit straight at Benham. A few minutes later, Whitstable debutant Silcott-Brown was pushed over by Harry Sikirwayi, who also collected a yellow card before Smith bent the free kick into the side netting. City introduced Sean Aromolaran on the right wing and he started to ask a few questions of the Whitstable defence as his free kick was headed over by an unmarked Liam Hark. A ball in from the left also reached Hark shortly afterwards, but he shot over. Jerald Aboagye became the third and final player to be cautioned before Whitstable made two further changes. On 74 minutes, one of the new faces, Fin Dent, made a great run into the box from the left to earn a corner from which Dalton’s delivery was headed against the outside of the post by O’Mara with a stretching Smith just unable to divert the ball into the net.

A loose pass by McCarthy went straight across to Smith just inside the City half, but his first time effort bounced just wide with Benham stranded. As the game was about to enter the last ten minutes, Aromolaran cut in from the right and tried a low shot that might just have been going wide but Colmer made sure by diving to push behind for a corner that was the first of six Canterbury corners in the time that remained. Illsley headed one wide, then met another at the back post that was deflected off Thomas at close range, with claims of handball waved away by the referee. Colmer got down to collect another low shot by Aromolaran and time ran out for the hosts, with Whitstable probably relieved to hear the final whistle.

There is more cup action next Saturday when Whitstable are at home in the First Round of the FA Vase. The visitors Virginia Water are members of the Combined Counties League Premier Division North and it will be the first time that the two teams have ever met.

Canterbury City
Tom Benham, Luka Radojevic, Simon Kabamba, Luke Illsley (c), Rob Lawrence (Jake McCarthy 12), Harry Sikirwayi, Muhammed Cham (Rory Sutcliffe 82), Liam Hark (Nathan Geddes 89), Jamie Obianigwe (Leo Dodds 82), Zack Jobe (Sean Aromolaran 62), Connor Coyne.
Subs (unused): none
Yellow cards: Luke Illsley 55, Harry Sikirwayi 61.

Whitstable Town
Dan Colmer, Jerald Aboagye, Archie Johnson, Mikey Dalton, Finn O’Mara, Will Thomas, Josh Oliver (Jayden Silcott-Brown 58), Mike West (c) (Fin Cotton 72), Harvey Smith, Dean Grant (Fin Dent 72), Liam Gillies.
Subs (unused): Reece Gillies, Archie Hatcher.
Goal: Dean Grant 3
Yellow card: Jerald Aboagye 71

Attendance: 174
Referee: Jack Smith
Assistants: Jack Packman & Darren Stock