Herne Bay 0-1 Whitstable Town. Lillis rues his luck as Whitstable reclaim top spot - EXCLUSIVES

HERNE BAY 0-1 WHITSTABLE TOWN
Kent League
Wednesday 27^th December 2006
Stephen McCartney reports from Winch’s Field

Unbeaten Whitstable Town reclaimed top spot in the Kent League table courtesy of Steve Marshall scoring his tenth goal of the season in a smash and grab raid at their local rivals Herne Bay tonight.

The 34-year-old striker scored his first career goal against Herne Bay in front of the largest crowd to watch a Kent League match this season.

A crowd of 530 saw youngster Stuart King do all the hard work for Marshall to send the Oysterboys wild with a clinical finish, into the top right hand corner, to end Herne Bay’s three match winning streak with just three minutes from time.

Marc Seager’s side leapfrogged over Thamesmead Town at the summit on 38 points from 14 games and are favourites to land the Kent League title for the very first time.

Marshall had the game’s first chance after nine minutes when he glanced Marlon Button’s first corner of the game past the far post.

Herne Bay’s leading goalscorer, nine goal burly striker Richard Dimmock, unleashed a right-footed effort from 25-yards which dropped agonisingly over three minutes later.

And his skipper, central defender Gary Cook, tried a long range distance that was never going to beat visiting goalkeeper Kevin Fewell.

Whitstable, cheered on by the best supporters in Kent League football, created their first chance of the game after 26 minutes when Marcos Perona’s shot arrowed just over from an acute angle.

Fewell was pleased to see Dave Soutan’s left-footed volley scream past his post after Whitstable cleared Nigel Pointon’s cross from the right towards him.

The dominant home side squandered another chance when Dimmock’s right-footed snap shot whistled past the right post.

But Whitstable created an excellent chance to snatch the lead on the stroke of half time but King’s lob dropped just over the bar after being played in by Tommy Martin.

Brave defending from Cook prevented Whitstable from taking the lead eight minutes into the second half.

King latched onto Button’s through ball and left Steven Lloyd in his wake as the defender came sliding in.

King then took the ball around goalkeeper Jack Delo but Cook was on hand to poke the rolling ball out for a corner.

That was the game’s best chance to break the deadlock as both sides couldn't  find the killer touch in front of goal.

But Fewell made a low save from Dimmock after neat build up play from Sam Denly, who stole the ball from Gary Sayer out on the right in midfield, the impressive Rhys Lawson and Dimmock.

Dimmock went close again just three minutes later when he dinked the ball into Fewell’s grateful arms with a 25-yard shot, after a square pass from Nathan Eastwood.

But Whitstable finished the game strongly and scored from one of their three chances created in the last fourteen minutes.

Teenage talent King, with 13 goals already this season, unleashed a left-footed curling free-kick from 30-yards, which finished up in Delo’s grateful arms.

King then latched onto a through ball from Jimmy Stouts and fed Marshall and with only the goalkeeper to beat, Marshall couldn’t find a way past the Herne Bay goalkeeper.

But with the game heading towards a goal-less stalemate, Marshall was on hand with just three minutes remaining to send the Oysterboys to the top of the table with games in hand over their promotion challenging rivals.

“We’ve come here, got three points, very difficult place to come as always,” Whitstable Town manager Marc Seager said EXCLUSIVLELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“It’s a derby game and it wasn’t the prettiest games. We didn’t particularly play well tonight but we’ve come away with a win and when your chasing a title the mark of a good side is the sides that can go to places and get something out of nothing and that’s what we’ve done tonight.”

He added: “I didn’t think we were going to lose the game. I thought it was nil-nil all over it to be honest but (Steve) Marshall’s come up with a little bit of magic at the end and that’s the first time he’s ever scored (against Herne Bay) in his career.”

Herne Bay manager Jason Lillis, meanwhile, felt his side should have got something from the derby.

He said EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk  : “Well, everyone here said we should have won the game. We dominated from start to finish but then one little bit, I don’t know if it’s fortune or whatever, they got a lucky ricochet and it goes straight into the top corner and they never threatened us one bit, they never threatened us one bit.

But the former Gillingham and Maidstone United star was proud with the way his players performed in what is arguably the biggest fixture in the Kent League calendar.

 “Out of the positives tonight, my players played really well," he said.

“It hurts but at the end of the day, I just said to the lads “you have to walk away with your heads held up high” because you’ve dominated them.

“That’s the most we’ve dominated a team all year and if that’s top of the league then we don’t have much to worry about. I think we’re doing well.”

Lillis takes his side to another neighbouring club, Faversham Town on Saturday and believes they will bounce back if they perform like they did tonight.

“We’ve been on a good run so that’s sort of stopped us in our tracks a little bit,” he said.

“But the performance hasn’t because the performance was there and our performance was good.

“Faversham on Saturday, another local derby, and if my lads give me half what they gave m tonight they will get a result.”

We shall bring you more of Marc Seager’s interview when we preview their trip to Deal Town (on Saturday) later in the week.