“We failed to adapt” Munday

The statistics, Whitstable’s first corner in the 43^rd minute, their first shot at goal in the 56^th tell their own story.  The home side were hopeless in the first half and allowed the visitors, who came to terms with a heavy pitch inside fifteen minutes, the time to play.

Chatham hit the crossbar and a had a goal ruled out for offside before Richard Avery scored from the games first corner in the 18^th minute, he out jumped everyone in a crowd of players beating a diving Kevin Fewell. Chatham’s second goal came after a rare venture into the opposition’s first half by Whitstable came to nothing. A cruel deflection gifted the ball to the visitors, who then broke in numbers; Brendan Cass scored from inside the penalty spot. In between the goals Chatham wasted two guilt edged chances to put the game beyond the home side, on each occasion it looked easier to score than miss. Whitstable were lucky not to be trailing by more than just the two goals at the break.

“They adapted quicker to the conditions than we did,” said Whitstable manager Mark Munday. “We really made them look very good in the first half; in the second we had much more of the ball and it was a bit like role reversal but we failed to punish them like they did us in the first half. We have had a nice little run, unbeaten in the last six games and that’s the sort of form we need to replicate.”

The second half started much brighter for Whitstable with Munday shooting just wide of keeper Dean Rudy, Clint Gooding also went close. Unlike the visitors Whitstable failed to turn their second half possession into goals and the game looked to be drifting away from them.  In the sixty-eighth minute Stuart Vahid on a great run into the area was hauled over right in front of the ref.  His well-taken penalty, sending Rudey the wrong way, was his second in the last two games,

At two-one with Town upping their game it looked as if a point might be salvaged by the home side but with less than fifteen minutes remaining young Dan Wisker; on as a second half substitute for Dave Corey who limped off with a dead leg, was shown a straight red after some choice words with the ref.  Ten men Town then tried their best but to press home the attack ran out of puff.

Gary Sayer received a yellow card for a foul in the slippery conditions on one of the visitors, the player was subsequently stretcherd off and an ambulance called. Fortunately he was found to have bruised ligament damage and not a break as was first feared.

Chatham, who were a shadow of the side who bossed the first half had just the one worthwhile attack in the second, which came after Whisker’s dismissal.  A long-range shot from about twenty yards out just clipping Fewell’s crossbar.

One final statistic summed up the whole game, visiting keeper Rudey never had one save to make during the whole ninety minutes. In fact the only time he touched the ball was to pick it out of the net afters Vahid’s penalty and a couple of goal kicks. On a bitterly cold day at the Belmont, the young keeper was in grave danger of catching frostbite.

WTFC ©