Ashford Town 0-1 Whitstable Town - I'll just be glad when it's all over, says Lovell

The game’s only goal came after just seven minutes when Ian Pulman did well down the right and Cornhill timed his run perfectly to sweep the ball beyond Scott Chalmers-Stevens and into the Ashford net from the edge of the box. 

The points left the Oystermen above their hosts in the fight for survival although with three games left each, both just need three points to secure their places.

Speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk after the game the Whitstable caretaker manager Mark Lane was jubilant. 

He said: “We came out of the blocks early today and thankfully we scored early doors. One of things that happens when we get our noses in front early on is that we’ve tended to hold onto leads.

“The back five today were fantastic, but it wasn’t the prettiest of games out there was it? But we had to dig in and I’m happy we got the three points. Three points that takes us closer to safety and we don’t have to rely on anyone else – the balls still very much in our court. 

“We go to Corinthian-Casuals on Saturday and we’ll look to get three points there too. We’ve got two home games next week to hopefully ease us over the line. 

“It’s been a good play for us to play over the past five or six weeks and the crowd have been great. Some of the boys took some deserved stick but now its right that they get the praise that their hard work deserves.”

For Ashford boss Steve Lovell it was a disappointing evening. “I’m very frustrated – it’s almost like de ja vu!” he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk. “We don’t start games and we haven’t done all year and we got caught cold tonight! 

“Sometimes we’ve been two goals down in seven minutes – tonight (and on Monday against the Met Police) it was only one but that was enough. Like Monday we had most of the game after that – we were in control. 

“Our keeper apart from the goal hasn’t had a shot to save whilst their keepers pulled off a couple of cracking saves and we’ve had two cleared off the line. But that’s the way it’s gone all year – it’s been a roller coaster of a season and I’ll just be glad when it’s all over.”

A goal down so early, the home side took some time to respond and it was just before the half hour that the visitors goal was seriously threatened and the Whitstable keeper Kevin Fewell was grateful for Dan Wisker to be on hand to clear Laurence Harvey’s header off the line. 

Seven minutes from half time, another long ball into the Whitstable box saw Fewell beaten to the ball by Tom Murphy and as it dropped Joe Fuller was denied by a brilliant clearance from Steven Lloyd.

Although they camped in the Whitstable half for long periods, the home side struggled to get attempts in on goal until with just 16 minutes left, Fuller was played in behind the defence and although he beat Fewell to the ball, Lloyd was again on hand to clear. 

From the resulting corner, Fuller nodded the ball down for Harvey, whose downward header wrong footed the Whitstable defence only to bounce over the bar. 

Fewell then excelled with a sensational one handed save to keep out Ashford sub Dan Scorer’s header, and that was that and the three points headed back to the Belmont.

After the game, Lane admitted that he was enjoying his time and was perhaps looking beyond April 24th. 

He said: “I’ve been asked the question if I’ll carry on past the end of the season, and at the moment my remit is just to keep Whitstable up, and we’ll stick with that for the time being. 

“I’ve had a chat with my wife and she wants me to carry on for whatever reason – I don’t think she wants me at home to be fair! – I think though at the end of the day we’ll se where we go at the end of the season and then have a chat with the Chairman. 

“They’ll decide what they want to do for the sake of the football club and we’ll have that meeting and decide what we’re going to do from there. 

“I am enjoying it, but it’s always nice when you’re winning at the end of the day. It might have been a different story if I’d have lost three or four on the trot and were struggling to stay up. It’s not done yet – we’ve still got three games to go.”