Whitstable Town secured an important win moving them higher in the Bostik league table with a well worked team goal in the last twenty minutes of their clash against Sittingbourne at Woodstock Park.
The game kicked off with the home side being physical resulting in Reiss Crimmen getting a yellow card in the early knockings of the game. Due to Sittingbourne’s aggressiveness, the visitors got many chances to take the lead early in the game with long throws and long balls sent into the danger zone from Chris Elliot.
Finally, halfway through the first half Chris Elliot sent a perfect cross from the corner into the penalty area won by the Whitstable centre back Stuart West sending Whitstable town 1 – nil up.
Soon after Sittingbourne replied with Tommie Fagg making a blistering run from midfield battling to the edge of the box and laying the ball off to Ira Jackson who slotted the ball past the keeper across goal.
With the intensity of the game continuing Sittingbourne’s Fagg found himself receiving a yellow card in the closing minutes of the first half.
The tension rose as the second half started with an early chance sent wide from Sittingbourne, and Whitstable’s Kyran Connolly got himself a yellow card also.
Soon after Oystermen skipper James Morrish took Dan Parkinson down with a two footed challenge, from there the two players exchanged words leading to both players getting worked up and a brawl between the teams commenced. Resulting in Morrish and Parkinson receiving red cards.
This wasn’t the end of the matter and or dispute as Parkinson ran after the Whitstable man and appeared to try to throw punches at the same time. This then triggered both teams and staff to run after them getting involved in the dispute.
Eventually, the game restarted with both teams down a man. However, Whitstable battled on with amazing passing play around the Sittingbourne defence ending with Jordan Wright finishing a shot across goal sending the visitors into what was to now be a winning lead.
Sittingbourne’s efforts to push for an equaliser were shut down by magnificent display from Stuart West whose efforts secured his side the three points to take back down the Thanet Way, and pushing his side to 11th place in the league table.
Sittingbourne F.C: Mathew Funnel, Chris Webber (Captain), Reiss Crimmen, Dan Parkinson, Lex Allan, Ben Pitchett (Johan Caney-Bryan), Ira Jackson, Lewis Chambers, Nathan Elder (Mobolaji Dawodu), Tommie Fagg, Tom Loynes
Whitstable Town: Dan Eason, Kyran Connolly, Chris Elliott (Harry Brown), Stuart West, Rob Gillman (Teddy Nelson), Tom Bryant, Chris Saunders, James Morrish (Captain), Ricky Freeman (Tom Walmsley), Stephen Smith, Jordan Wright
Report co-written by Conor Keene.