Croydon 3 Whitstable Town 1

Despite the score line, losing to one of the league title favourites there was much for manager Mark Munday to be pleased about, not least the emergence of a crop of young players who acquitted themselves well against a very, very strong side. Town should have been one nil up inside two minutes, had the much talked about ‘goal line technology’ been in use there would have been much deliberation about the ball crossing the line. The home keeper breathed a massive sigh of relief, and looked a little sheepish as the ref waved away Town’s protest. There were some very swift counter attacks by both sides during the first twenty minutes the home side went ahead via a lofted ball to the far post; the question asked was where the player who should be on the back post was?

At one nil at the interval Town came out taking the game to the visitors and young Dave Stubbs will be wondering how he failed to score from a whipped in cross when he was just a couple of yards from goal. As is the way with football the home side raced straight down the other end and scored amid protest from Whitstable’s bench that the ‘line ball’ which set up the goal went out of lay and came back ina again. Town kept plugging and their reward came after Ian Pulman was brought down right on the edge of the area, the free kick by Gareth Cornhill was driven at the wall, Pulman fired the ball back and Stubbs was on hand to finish it off. Croydon looked a little shaky for a minute or two but Whitstable were not able to press home the advantage and the visitors increased their lead after a quick break away left Kevin Fewell with no chance. At the final whistle Munday was quick to praise his young side, Scott Heard, seventeen years old lasted the whole ninety minutes and looks an exciting prospect, he played in mid field alongside Joe Hitchings another youngster from the reserves.

WTFC (c) 2010