Whitstable Town’s SCEFL Play Off push gathered momentum with a hard-fought win at Snodland Town on Wednesday evening. 

A bullet header just before the hour from Harvey Smith sealed the points of the travelling Oystermen, but quite how Francis Babalola missed a late chance to equalise and share the spoils may well come back to haunt Luke Wallond’s side in the coming months as they sit eight points off the top five. 

But for Marcel Nimani’s side they are now level on points with Bearsted in the fight for the last post season place. 

The game itself was a battle with two evenly matched sides with both defences on top with the returning Ollie Gray magnificent at the heart of the visitor’s defence. 

Unsurprisingly, it was a game of very few chances, and it took half an hour for the first chance of any real note – but what a chance it was!

The home side were awarded a free kick thirty yards out and Taylor Fisher only had one thing on his mind as he stepped up only to be brilliantly denied by Jordan Perrin in the Whitstable goal as the ball headed for the top right-hand corner of the net. 

The visitors had a golden chance of their own just before the break, but Eman Oloyede could not direct his header and the ball drifted wide after James Jeffrey had flighted a great ball. 

The deadlock was broken on the hour when Smith ghosted in at the near post to power a header (from Mikey Dalton’s terrific in swinging corner) past Scott Andrews to give the visitors the lead.

Smith went close moments later to doubling the lead, but his low skidding shot whistled the wrong side of Andrews’ net. 

The home side struggled kicking up the slope to get through the Whitstable back line but there was a single moment that they could live to rue come the end of the season should they fall short in their pursuit of a place in the Play- Offs…

That came thirteen minutes from time as a centre from Henry Muggeridge for once beat the heart of the Whitstable defence, and unmarked Babalola snatched at the chance from twelve yards and the ball sailed out of the ground and with it went Snodland’s last chance of salvaging a point. 

SNODLAND TOWN – Andrews, Muggeridge, Bissett, Monger (Pring), Bath, Sawyer, Fisher (Olawole), Davisson, Gething, Wells (Linton), Babalola 

Subs – Thompson, Duah-Kessie 
 
WHITSTABLE TOWN – Perrin, Mackenzie, Thomas, Dalton, Gray, Mills, Smith, Liam Gillies, Oloyede (Amgbaduba), Jeffrey (Reece Gillies), Williams (Anderson) 

Subs – May, Christmas 

REFEREE – Mr Hall