The opening pre season game at the Belmont for both left home boss Will Graham with more questions than answers as in glorious sunshine at the Belmont Ground, Whitstable were well beaten by an experimental Thamesmead side as both Graham and Terry Spillane his counterpart began their serious planning for their respective seasons.

Spillane left far the happier though as the visitors emerged with a comfortable 3-0 win to start pre season in some style.

It was both side’s first game pre-season game and to their credit it was Thamesmead that started extremely brightly and were ahead after less than five minutes. Ainsley Elliott’s corner was nodded down by Richard Butler only for Baff Addae’s shot to be charged down. When the ball was played back in, it was Addae who reacted quickest to fire the ball into the roof of the net.

There was then a considerable delay as home defender Ashley Ulph received lengthy treatment after falling heavily before being stretchered away. Our thoughts are with him and hope that he’ll be fit in the not too distant future.

The home side did have the ball in the net midway through the half as a free kick from the left drifted into the corner of the net only to be disallowed by an assistant’s flag – and to be fair no protests!

Kyle Asante then had the first of two chances for the visitors in the space of thirty seconds, when from another Butler knock down, Kyle’s shot was cleared off the line, but when the ball was played back in Butler’s first time shot from the edge of the box was magnificently tipped over the bar by home keeper Adam Highstead.

The keeper could do nothing however three minutes from half time when Asanti brilliantly curled home a free kick from 30 yards beyond Highstead’s reach and into the net.

The second half began as “usual” with pre-season games with mass substitutions, with the home side changing three quarters of their side on the hour after Thamesmead had done similarly at half time. As a result the game suffered and in the opening stages of the second half there was only one chance of any noteworthy intent as the Mead were denied a third only by another smart save, denied by the hard working Butler as he did well to steer Paul Bennett’s driven cross goalwards.

The third goal came straight from the training ground as Michael Uwezu broke down the left and centred for Tyrus Gordon Young to thump home a powerful header which gave sub home keeper Ben Kitchenside no chance at all!

The pair almost combined again for a fourth shortly later but this time, Uwezu’s cross was just too far in front of a lunging Gordon-Young. The home side’s best chance of the entire game came in the closing minutes when substitutes Charlie Smith and Michael Hurcombe combined to break through only for the Mead’s own sub keeper Lucas Lidakevicius to make a fine block.

A great start then for Thamesmead but many questions for Will Graham to answer for the Oystermen. The count down to the Ryman League season has finally began in earnest – four weeks and counting!!!