Whitstable made it three wins from their first four away league games, but they left it very late and also needed a helping hand from home goalkeeper Joe Mant. Kennington had several good chances early in the first half, hitting the post and forcing Dan Colmer into a couple of saves. Whitstable began slowly, but eventually took control and Kennington offered no real threat in the second half. The breakthrough proved elusive however and when substitute Omotunmise Akanni shot into the side netting with the goal at his mercy, it looked like the game would remain goalless, but in added time he was in the right place when Mant spilled a cross in the driving rain and the ball went into the net to secure the points.

Following the narrow home defeat to VCD on Saturday, Whitstable travelled to Ashford to play Kennington on a rainy evening hoping to bounce back and continue their recent impressive away form. The home team had accumulated seven points from seven games, although they had won their two most recent games, against Hollands & Blair and Rusthall. Whitstable kept the same team from their previous game, with just the one change on the bench as a fit again Mike West returned. The game was played in front of 112 hardy spectators with intermittent heavy showers drifting across the ground.

There were a few defensive errors as Whitstable started the game sloppily and they were nearly punished in the 3rd minute when a pass was intercepted and the near post was struck with the ball then rebounding across goal without anyone being able to steer it into the goal. A few minutes later and another loose pass let Kennington in again, but Dan Colmer saved. In the 9th minute, as Whitstable appealed in vain for a foul, the ball was fed out to Rajan Sahni on the left, but Colmer saved his low shot. Having survived the first 10 minutes, Whitstable began to threaten and Josh Oliver’s cross from the right was flicked towards goal by Jerson Dos Santos, forcing Joe Mant into a smart save at the near post. The corner kick was headed over the bar, then Harvey Smith and Oliver both had shots blocked.

A promising Whitstable build up on the right saw Jerald Aboagye pull the ball back for Fin Cotton whose shot from the edge of the box skidded just past the far post. On 35 minutes, Kennington got into a muddle at the back and the ball was collected by Dos Santos about 40 yards out, but his attempt to find the unguarded net went wide. Reece Gillies then made a strong run from midfield before his shot was saved by Mant, although the final chance of the half was presented to Kennington when Whitstable gave the ball away in midfield, but the cross from the left was lifted over the bar from a few yards out. Half time: 0-0

The second half was a more controlled performance by Whitstable, with very few moments of alarm at the back. Oliver tried a long shot that proved a simple save for Mant, then some neat play out wide by Smith came to nothing as there was no one in the middle to meet his dangerous cross. A long ball out to Smith gave him the chance to try his luck from the left, but the ball glanced off the top of the goal. A rare Kennington break brought a bit of action in the Whitstable penalty area, but the ball was cleared, then another Smith effort from the left was pushed out to Oliver whose follow up was blocked. Smith next headed the ball on for Dos Santos, but an offside flag halted his run. Smith continued to pose problems for the home defence and diverted a Cotton cross over the top before another run brought unsuccessful penalty appeals when he was tackled on the edge of the area.

Oliver volleyed a cross over before being replaced in the 76th minute by Omotunmise Akanni who would play a key role in the time remaining. After Archie Hatcher shot across goal and Will Thomas headed a free kick over, a great cross field pass by Smith found Akanni who took the ball past Mant only to shoot wide of the open goal and with just a few minutes to play, the Whitstable supporters probably felt that might be the last chance for a winner. However, as the clock ticked past 90 minutes with the rain falling again, a high cross was spilt by Mant and the ball rolled over the line off Akanni and Whitstable had the win their second half display probably deserved.

Whitstable are on the road again on Saturday when they travel to Bromley to play second placed Holmesdale, who have started the season well despite losing at home to Sutton Athletic on Tuesday.

Kennington	Data	Whitstable
2	Shots on target	5
3	Shots off target	9
0	Shots blocked	2
1	Corners	3
3	Fouls conceded	11
2	Offside	5
0	Penalties	0

Kennington
Joe Mant (c), Charlie Owen, Max Sutton, Adam Phillips, Liam Whiting, Alfie Giles, Sam Wright, Lewis Godden, Fin Dent (Kimsley Gatakata 76), Brad Walledge, Rajan Sahni.
Subs (unused): Jordan Griffin, Lucas Mvongo, Euan Biggleston, Sonnie Hemmings.

Whitstable Town
Dan Colmer, Jerald Aboagye, Archie Johnson, Fin Cotton (Mike West 85), Jake McIntyre (c), Will Thomas, Josh Oliver (Omotunmise Akanni 76), Reece Gillies (Finn O’Mara 90+4), Harvey Smith, Jerson Dos Santos, Archie Hatcher.
Subs (unused): Dan Eason, Jayden Boulton.
Goal: Omotunmise Akanni 90+2
Yellow cards: Reece Gillies 51, Jake McIntyre 90.

Attendance: 112
Referee: Michael Corderoy
Assistants: Jack Matthews & Julian Cowan