From hero to villain back to hero again – all in an afternoon’s work for Hythe’s very own Captain Marvel, Dave Cook.

His 26th and 27th goals of the season all but guaranteed Play Off action for his side, leaving Nicky Southall and the Oystermen still anxiously looking over their shoulder towards the foot of the table!

This defeat leaves Whitstable in 17th place with 40 points just six point ahead of rock bottom Walton Casuals who have three games still to play as opposed to the second bottom Horsham with just two games to play, and left Southall a very frustrated manager.

Played throughout in a swirling wind and in showers of rain and on a very sodden pitch that was under water on Friday, this was never going to be a game for the purist and so it proved as for long periods the game was a midfield battle in which you could hardly tell the difference between the side challenging at the top and the one fighting for for survival.

The flow of play wasn’t helped, especially in the first half, by a very fussy official who seemed intent on blowing his whistle at every opportunity… and by some “derby tackling” which was to result in seven players being shown the yellow card!

The visitors were in front on the quarter hour – and it was a goal that Whitstable’s former Hythe keeper Dean Ruddy will not remember with any fondness.

The ball ran loose to Michael Yianni on the edge of the box and as his shot looped up into the air, it came down spinning horrendously and whilst the keeper blocked the shot, the ball ran loose and as it did so Brendon Cass reacted quicker than anyone.

As Ruddy tried to grab hold of the loose ball, he brought down Cass and referee Yeo pointed to the spot.

Up stepped Captain Cook who drilled the ball under the diving keeper and into the net.

Incredibly, referee Yeo was to be centre of the action again just three minutes later as a ball ran loose on the edge of the home box, and as Cass shaped to shoot he was unceremoniously dumped to the ground and a second penalty was given.

Again up stepped Cook; again he drove the ball to the keepers right, but this time Ruddy had out fixed his old team mate and was able to bloke the spot kick with his legs.

Cook did get the ball on the net for a second time on 30 minutes as he drove home a right wing cross at the far post but the flag was already flying for offside.

It was almost as if this let off finally kick started the home sides efforts as they finally upped a gear and began posing their visitors problems – problems that were to lead to a home equaliser four minutes from the break.

Scott Heard initially did well coming in off the right only to appear to have been crowded out by the Hythe defence.

Heard to his credit was able to thread the ball back out to the wing for full back Tom Axford who had plenty of red shirts to aim at, yet the full backs centre was poor and he was fortunate to see it fall for Tom Brunt.

The ball though ricocheted off Brunt only to fall for Micheal Everitt who promptly slammed the ball high into the net beyond a stationary Dan Eason in the Hythe goal.

Fortunately the second half was a better spectacle as the rain continued to soak the Belmont.  Ten minutes into the second period Cook almost restored Hythe’s lead.

A fabulous interchange between Cass and his skipper on the edge of the box released Cook and as looked to shoot only a brilliant block from Laurence Harvey kept the scores level.

Within a minute, Steve Thompson bore down on goal and as he flicked the ball over the advancing Ruddy, Harvey was on hand to scramble the ball off of the goal line.

Meantime at the other end Eason reacted brilliantly to keep out Micheal Everitt’s header as the Whitstable skipper arrived late to meet the cross – literally an inch either way and the home side would have taken the lead.

They went even closer on 76 minutes when Michael Smissen just could stretch enough to reach sub Dan Hanshaw’s teasing back post cross – it was a shame as Hanshaw had beaten three defenders before putting over a brilliant cross.

With the home side then pushing on when perhaps they should have settled for a point, they were punished by almost the perfect break away goal.

Jake Hobbs received the ball out wide and as he raced into the wide open spaces it soon became clear that if the right ball was played it would have been three against three in the middle.

And the ball was good – far too good for the home defence – and as it fell to the far post, Cook arrived from deep to strike a super shot into the corner of the net and Hythe’s lead was restored.

The home side to their credit kept going and almost snatched an unlikely draw in stoppage time.  Indeed it was only a brilliantly timed tackle from Ashley Porter that stopped Whitstable sub Dave Raggett levelling the scores.

The game boiled over in stoppage time following an ugly tackle on Hanshaw, and as referee Yeo eventually the game to an end, it was the Hythe’s arms that raised in triumph for their 12th victory on the road – a victory that, along with results elsewhere, means that it is looking more and more likely that the four Play Off places in Ryman South will all be taken by Kent clubs….

WHITSTABLE TOWN – Dean Ruddy, Tom Axford (David Raggett), George Crimmen (Billy Cobb), Micheal Everitt, Laurence Harvey, Ollie Lee, Jake Beecroft (Dan Hanshaw), James Everitt, Michael Smissen, Tom Brunt, Scott Heard

Subs – Jake MacKenzie and Adam Woollcott

HYTHE TOWN – Dan Eason, Ashley Porter, Greg Smith (George Savage), Pat Kingwell, Craig Cloke, Ronnie Dolan, Dave Cook, Craig Thompson (Jamie Collado), Jake Hobbs, Brendon Cass, Michael Yianni

Subs – Lee Coburn, John Walker and Tom Elliott

Referee – Keith Yeo
Assistants – Jeffrey Stanley and Rhys Battye

Pictures supplied by Les Biggs