Ricky Freeman was back at the Mayplace in a Whitstable team making their first visit to Barnehurst and he nearly got off to an incredible start when hooking a weak Steve Phillips clearance straight back over the keepers head in the first minute. Fortunately that one went just wide but it was a sign of the danger to come. Minutes later the Oystermen should really have had the lead but Jordan Wright fired over when he really should have done better.

Phoenix then eased in to the game and created a few chances. Jeff Duah-Kessie glanced a Probets cross inches wide before he probably should have done better when through one-on-one with the Whitstable keeper Dan Eason. Undecided exactly how to finish Jeff scuffed a shot straight at the man in goal and a good opportunity to take the lead had gone.

Then Whitstable scored. During the week Whitstable had signed Stephen Smith from Glebe FC and the target man is perfect for the style that Manager Scott Porter loves to employ. He reacted best to a long goal kick, flicked it on and Freeman pounced to place the ball past the diving Phillips. 1-0 and you just knew it would be him.

Five minutes later and the Phoenix Sports task got even harder. Jack Barry slid in to win a loose ball but with his studs showing, his opponent reacted badly. Barry then got thrown to the ground by the Whitstable player leaving the referee a decision to make. The Red Card came out for Barry for the poor challenge but seemingly the referee had missed the heated reaction and didn't even book the other player. Two Red Cards would have been more understandable but just the one seemed a little bit of a bottle job. On a number of occassions the man in black seemed to be influenced by the antics of the away side and this was certainly one of them.

A reshuffle to a 4-4-1 formation was called for to see the half out with the aim of not conceding again before the impending break.

Steve Smith had other ideas though and came millimetres away from doubling the visitors lead when curling a 20 yard effort onto the inside of the post. A sublime effort from one of my favourite non-league players but fortunately on this occassion the luck was against him. The rebound from the woodwork however fell straight to Jordan Wright again but once more he shot over when it looked easier to hit the target!

Wright was having a bad half. Just before the half was out he finally found the net only to have his celebration cut short when he noticed the linesman's flag waving in the wind.

Half-Time - Phoenix Sports 0-1 Whitstable Town

Phoenix needed to come out of the traps flying, and that they did. The referee was soon to let them down again though. Big Jeff beat his man on the edge of the area and charged towards goal from a tight angle. Teddy Nelson was the last man to beat and slid in to stop the Phoenix frontman getting past. Jeff cleverly clipped the ball over him but was then wiped out by the sliding defender, preventing him from completing the attack. Stonewall penalty for me but Mr Elliot Kaye waved to play on and the perfect chance to equalise was gone.

Whitstable continued to play route one. It worked well for them in the SCEFL last season as they gained promotion and two Cup wins but won them few fans. Their own rabble who travelled up from the coast were in fine voice all game so full credit to them and often sung about their love of the 'Scott Porter Way' of playing the game, or hoofing the ball up the pitch as most others know it. Apart from the goal the Phoenix defence had dealt with the aerial threat reasonably well but with the need to attack and get back in the game becoming more desperate gaps were being left in our own half.

In the 69th minute Whitstable exploited one of these gaps and got the games second goal. A cross field ball found Steve Smith out wide and in space and with the opportunity to charge at goal. As he approached Phillips, Smith squared the ball to Freeman who, under pressure from Ashley Probets, managed to tuck the ball into the bottom corner. 2-0 and Freeman again. The former Phoenix man got clattered by Probets for his efforts and had to leave the field soon after, but he will be happy with his afternoons work.

Two-nil down and with ten men it was mission impossible for Phoenix now. Whitstable were happy to sit back and soak up the pressure. Smith got substituted to join Freeman on the sidelines and the game drew to a close.

Full Time - Phoenix Sports 0-2 Whitstable Town

A bad day at the office for our boys and two League defeats on the spin means a current 9th place position in the table. Whitstable deserved the win so good luck to them.

Next Saturday sees the all important trip to Hendon FC in the FA Cup. From their ground you can almost see Wembley and should we win another 10 games in that competition we will be playing there. First of all we have to get past a decent side on an awful pitch. There are some good 3g pitches out there. This aint one of them. It won't be easy, especially now Barry joins Hopkins out but on our day we can be a match for anyone. Lets just hope this is our day.

#COYP

Photo Credit: Alan Coomes

Bostik South East Results
15th September 2018

Ashford United 1-3 Cray Wanderers
East Grinstead Town 3-1 VCD Athletic
Greenwich Borough 4-0 Guernsey
Horsham 1-0 Herne Bay
Hythe Town 3-1 Hastings United
Phoenix Sports 0-2 Whitstable Town
Ramsgate 2-1 Thamesmead Town
Sevenoaks Town 2-2 Haywards Heath Town
Sittingbourne 2-1 Whyteleafe
Three Bridges 2-4 Faversham Town

We started the day with four sides having 100% records, and ended it with just one. Cray Wanderers went to Ashford United and a brace from Michael Power, with a Jay leader goal sandwiched in between, gave Wands the victory and top spot. Stefan Cox got the consolation for Gary Alexander’s side.

Hastings United drop to second, entirely undone by Hythe Town striker Zak Ansah, who got his ninth, tenth and eleventh goals of the season as the Cannons moved up to fifth. Hassan Ibrahim got a last minute goal for the U’s.

Whyteleafe, in third, fell 2-1 to the Brickies as Sittingbourne climbed to eighth, Mobolaji Dawodu and Tommie Fagg scoring for the home side with Marvin Armstrong reducing the arrears, whilst VCD Athletic, in fourth, perhaps surprisingly went down 3-1 at East Grinstead Town. Karn Miller-Neave, Abodje Yao and George Landais found the net for the Wasps, whilst Jonathan Adebayo scored for Vickers.

Faversham Town are sixth, and went behind at Three Bridges as Jensen Grant opened the scoring in the tenth minute. Dean Grant and Jack Harris then gave the away side the advantage before Danny Walder made it 1-3 before the break. In the second half Tyrone Berry reduced the arrears and gave Bridges hope, but Grant then scored his second to seal a 4-2 win and leave Bridges still looking for their first point.

A side who did get their first point were Sevenoaks Town, but they’ll think they should have had more, Alec Fiddes and Frankie Sawyer giving them a two goal lead against Haywards Heath Town before Callum Saunders scored two late on to earn Heath a draw.

Greenwich Borough found their shooting boots, a hat trick from Reece Deakin and one from Teshuane Tyreece Walters giving them a 4-0 win over Guernsey and lifted them to eleventh, whilst Ramsgate are tenth, Harry Stannard and Aaron Millbank scoring in a 2-1 win over Thamesmead Town, for whom Bode Anidugbe got the goal. Horsham are twelfth, Chris Smith with the only goal of the game against Herne Bay at Culver Road, whilst, finally, Whitstable Town travelled to Phoenix Sports and a goal in each half from Ricky Freeman meant they left with the points.