Two goals from Tom Ngegba and a third from Devonte West in the closing minutes gave Hollands & Blair a desperately needed three points at the foot of SCEFL Premier as the Medway side came from two behind to wreck Whitstable Town’s FA Vase preparations on a mad Tuesday night at the Belmont. 

The home side were coasting courtesy of goals from skipper Will Thomas and Harvey Smith either side of the break with under ten minutes to go when Ngegba’s touched home Blair’s first when a corner wasn’t cleared.

The same player then drove the Gillingham side level less than a minute later leaving the home fans shell shocked as the equaliser was scored in near silence – a silence that was deafening in the final minute of stoppage time when West’s low pile driver rocketed past Dan Colmer to give Darren Blackburn’s team the points. 

The first period gave no indication of the drama that was to follow yet before kick off, Blair were dealt a blow when influential keeper Dan Ellis failed a fitness test meaning a start for young Jack Reeves, and for the majority of the opening period, the young keeper’s more than handled everything that the home side had to offer.

And when he was caught out – as he was from on rampaging forward run from Jayden Boulton – the Blair defence was on hand to clear.

Smith had the home side’s best chance with a drive that the keeper grabbed under the bar before the home side scored just before the break as Josh Oliver’s free-kick tempted Reeves to punch when perhaps he should have caught the ball and as the keeper was trying to regain his ground, Thomas looped a header over a stranded Reeves and into the net. 

The goal spurred the home side to fly out of the blocks after the break and within moments, the lead was doubled as Smith magnificently hammered the ball into the bottom corner from the edge of the box. 

Whitstable thought they’d wrapped the points up when Dean Grant converted another superb Boulton cross but the assistant’s flag denied the much-travelled striker. 

Blackburn then made a quadruple change to try and get Blair back into the game and initially it didn’t seem to have the desired effect as the home side looked for the elusive third to seal the points – Smith drove over when well placed before Reeves made a really fine block to deny Grant.

As the ball was cleared and the visitors broke, West was inches wide with a shot after a super ball from sub-Ade Batula. 

With seven minutes left on the clock, Colmer made a really fine block to deny West but from the corner, Blair grabbed their lifeline as Ngegba somehow managed to scramble the corner over the line. 

Instantly and staggeringly, Blair were level less than a minute later and it was all Ngegba’s own work as he cut in from the wing and drilled a low shot into the bottom corner. 

2-2 with six minutes left and you could have forgiven both sides for settling for the point each, but both sides went for the winner. Whitstable sub-Gerard Sithole was brilliantly denied by a brave Reeves block, and Grant was inches away from winning the game with a prodded effort after a superb Thomas knock down from a free kick. 

But Blair were to have the last word in the fifth minute of stoppage time as George Monger’s free-kick was only half cleared and West drilled home the most unlikeliest of winners given the match position just ten minutes earlier. 

WHITSTABLE TOWN – Colmer, Aboagye, Boulton, Dalton (Sithole), Coyle, Will Thomas, Oliver (Grierson), Cotton, Smith (Ramadan), Gillies, Grant 

Subs – Robson, Jeffrey 

HOLLAND & BLAIR – Reeves, Exall, Brown (Scott), Wells (Joe Thomas), Weston, Dasho, Bailey (Batula), Yao, Walmsley (Monger), Gethin (Ngegba), West 

REFEREE – Mr. Beadle