It will go down as the first win of the Whitstable Town season as young Jordan Wells, who had been on the pitch less than a quarter of an hour, bravely stooped to head home an 87th minute winner.
But the game will be remembered by another of the Oystermen’s subs for very different reasons.
A lot has happened in the life of Steve Hafner in the past couple of years, but sadly for the travelled midfielder not a lot of it on the football pitch as he has battled testicular cancer. And it is for that reason the look of complete joy and jubilation on his face when Wells headed home his cross to seal the home side’s fight back three minutes from time really was something to behold!
After coming close to beating Redhill on the opening day and frustrated in midweek against Crawley Down Gatwick, Whitstable player boss Nicky Southall named himself in the starting eleven for the first time this season, and his players responded magnificently by opening the scoring inside two minutes with a lightening start. Skipper James Morrish burst into the Chipstead box only to be upended and sent crashing to the ground. Referee Dunn had no hesitation and pointed to the spot and Mo Takaloo gleefully rolled his first goal of the season into the net as visiting keeper Anthony Hall dived the wrong way.
Indeed the home side were dominant in the opening half with Scott Heard outstanding and at the heart of all the good things that the home side were about. Just past the quarter hour, he caught a ball that seemed a lost cause wide on the right, and his driven cross saw Hall make a fantastic reflex stop to deny Charlie Smith. Ten minutes later, Heard following up from a corner had a drive which ricocheted into Morrish’s path, but this time a well timed tackle denied the skipper. Heard went closer still six minutes from the break as Hall had to be at his alert best – diving away to his right to palm aside a rasping thirty yard drive.
As Mr Dunn’s whistle blew to start the second period, few of the Belmont faithful could have imagined what was about to happen upon the resumption as the visitors finally threatened going forward and indeed were in front within ten minutes.
On 50 minutes an innocuous ball into the box saw Sean Rivers go down under a challenge from Laurence Harvey and for the second time, referee Dunn had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Just as Takaloo had done in the first half, Dan Moody comfortably despatched the penalty sending home keeper Luke Watkins the wrong way.
Five minutes later, the visitors led courtesy of a goal that had manager Southall seething. A long ball down the Chipstead left saw Rivers and Harvey clash again in an aerial challenge – a clash that had Southall and his assistant Jason Lillis claiming that the Chipstead striker had led with his elbow. As Harvey picked himself up, Morrish was penalised for a foul on Moody, and from the resulting free kick Rivers rose with Harvey and the ball flew into the corner of the net – who had the final touch was debatable but Rivers will claim the goal.
After replacing the player manager at half time, Hafner slowly got more and more into his first game for the club, and it was from his corner just before the midway point of the half that the home side deservedly levelled. The right wing flag kick was nodded down for Takaloo who’s attempted over head kick went straight to Morrish who forced the ball over the line to equalise.
Just as it seemed that both sides had settled for a point, the home side sealed the points. The ball broke to Ross Webb on the edge of the box, and his low drive was brilliantly saved by Hall. Problem for the Chipstead keeper was that the ball stayed alive, and was played wide to Hafner, who’s first time cross was headed home by the unmarked Webb as the visitors defence standing appealing for an infringement. Such were the protests of full back Tom Penson that the referee didn’t like what he was heard and the full back was sent off for a second yellow card.
The final whistle drew the cheers of the home fans, and a knowing smile for a midfielder who had not only set his side on the way to victory on the pitch, but off the pitch has beaten an opponent greater than any footballer faces on the field of play!
WHITSTABLE TOWN – Luke Watkins, Dan Wells, Adam Hooper, Jake McKenzie (Ross Webb 83), Laurence Harvey, Gary Cook, Nicky Southall (Steve Hafner 46), James Morrish, Charlie Smith, Mo Takaloo (Jordan Wells 74), Scott Heard
Subs not used – Billy Cobb & Jack Simon
CHIPSTEAD – Anthony Hall, Elvis DeFreitas, Tom Penson, Simon Cooper, Dan Ryan, Ben Raynor, Dan Moody, Will Heavey (Dan Elgar 64), Sean Rivers (Sam Spencer 83), Junior Kaffo, Jayden Gibbs
Subs not used – Jake Rose, Sam Charles & Abiola Alade
Attendance 167
Referee – Mr Nick Dunn
Assistants – Mr Theo Parfitt & Mr Stephen Brown
TAGS: Whitstable Town