Honours even at the Belmont as the swirling wind and an uneven playing surface in the end gained the upper hand on a fascinating and enthralling afternoon.

Whitstable Town and VCD Athletic both earned themselves a point which neither manager was happy with, as both sides capitalised on each other’s mistakes to score either side of the break leaving Lloyd Blackman’s Oystermen just a couple of points behind Keith McMahon’s Vickers.

McMahon’s seventh placed team are one of four teams now on fifteen points.

Liam Gillies early volley that was too high was the best the home side could muster in the first half as VCD slowly got into their stride with skipper Charlie MacDonald at his hard-running best. 

And indeed, only a fine save (the first of many) from home keeper Dan Eason denied MacDonald as he raced clear. 

MacDonald then whistled the ball across the face of goal as Alex Gaggin fed the ball down the right channel and when the ball was played back in Kelvin Ogboe was able to with the aid of a slight deflection find the way past Eason to give the visitors a deserved lead.

Whitstable responded when Tom Bryant headed a corner over but the visitors should have been further in front by half time had Eason not been at his very best – firstly magnificently tipping over Ali Fuseni’s free kick and then just before the break, the home keeper did well to beat out Gaggin’s drive.

Half time seemed to knock VCD out of their stride which allowed Whitstable back into the game and Aaron Millbank was denied by a terrific Matt Funnell block before the same player raced onto a misplaced back pass before coolly rolling the ball past the VCD custodian for his sixth goal of the season. 

Could the home side now go on and win the game or would VCD now respond? Well in truth the answer to both was no, but it did provide for an enthralling twenty minutes that flowed from end to end with the best chance falling to VCD sub Courtney Barrrington who joined the list of those denied by Eason when the keeper made another fine save low to his right to keep out the substitutes drive.

A point each then – for Blackman a welcome one whilst McMahon would have spent the trip home the M2 and A2 contemplating where there two had gone that VCD had left behind.

WHITSTABLE TOWN – Eason, MacKenzie, Brown, Girt, Spencer, Bryant, Gillies, Jadama, Millbank, Parker, Ufuah

Subs – Dickson, Stannard, Elliott, Marzone, Patterson

VCD ATHLETIC – Funnell, Simms, Brown, Monger, Eweka, Bartley, Gaggin, Odusanya, Fuseni, MacDonald, Ogboe

Subs – Ikeije, Mahal, Steventon, Barrington, Vincent-Edwards

REFEREE – Mr Simpson

ASSISTANTS – Mr Hill & Mr Friar