The Easter crowd at The Belmont was treated to a six-goal thriller by two sides who decided that attack was the best form of defence, as this game charged from end-to-end. 
Eventually Whitstable ran out 4-2 victors over South Park, which was a deserved victory, but the scoreline could have been anything had each side taken their chances.
South Park central defender Jack Higgins opened the scoring on 19 from close range, but within six minutes, the Oystermen had scored two to take the lead. On 22, Park’s other central defender Daniel Guscott had put through his own net to level the scores, then three minutes later, Joe Kane reacted quickest inside the area to lash Whitstable ahead.
The first of Kane Rowland’s brace extended the lead on 57, although it only took 10 minutes for Chris Smith to convert a flowing passing move to give South Park some hope. Rowland rounded off the scoring with 3 minutes remaining to complete a satisfying day for the Oystermen.
The win takes Whitstable above local rivals, Herne Bay, into 7th place, which joint manager, Jim Ward, stated was his remaining ambition for the season. The Scot explained “I think we were better than them, but they played such an open game that it didn’t suit us at all. I’ll get the excuses out of the way first; the pitch was lively, the ball was lively and their open game was difficult to get to grips with.”
“They’ve got a few good players – the boy, Chris Smith, up front took his goal well – but we were the better team all day. You’ve got to get the goals, but in the end we’ve got four and it could have been as many as you want.”
“We’re never surprised to go behind, because it’s happened so many times this season. I think it’s about three quarters of the games that we’ve been behind. But fair play to our lads, they keep going. If we play like that on Monday though, we’ll get beaten and we’ve just talked about that.”
“We’ll have more or less the same starting team on Monday (although the experienced Ian Pulman may be available after suspension), and we’re really looking forward to it. We’re in a good position, although I can’t see that we can make the playoffs. Our aim now is to finish higher than Herne Bay, which will keep our supporters happy; then we can build again.”
Although the deadlock wasn’t broken until the 19th minute, both sides will wonder how they hadn’t registered on the scoreboard before this. Within the first ten minutes, Joe Kane rounded South Park keeper, Jordan Markey, but the keeper was able to recover well enough to parry his shot behind for a corner, and Kane Rowland couldn’t steer a header on target from Jake Mackenzie’s cross. In between, Dale Burgess’ shot seemed to be heading for the corner, until Luke Doherty deflected the shot into the arms of Luke Watkins.
Park’s leading scorer, Chris Smith was given the freedom of the Whitstable half as the home defence was slow to react to a throughball, but his effort was deflected wide. Moments later, a mistake from Nick Treadwell freed David Smith inside the home area, who skipped past one challenge, but Watkins was quickly off his line to smother the shot for a corner.
Whitstable’s defensive shortcomings were evident from the corner, as the ball was whipped into the 6-yard box, where Watkins had to make a block on the line. But the ball ran loose to Jack Higgins, who made no mistake from 2 yards.
Within three minutes, Whitstable were level, but it was through an own goal from Daniel Guscott. Scott Heard’s freekick into the area was headed clear to the right side of the box. Doherty chased the clearance down and curled a dangerous ball in towards the near post, where Guscott could only divert his attempted clearance into the right corner of the net.
Chris Smith came close to restoring the lead for South Park, but on 25, it was Joe Kane who put Whitstable 2-1 up. Treadwell flicked another Heard freekick on into the path of Kane Rowland. His shot was blocked by two defenders, but bounced up allowing Kane to lash a shot into the corner of the net.
Luke Girt and David Smith each tested the respective keeper from distance, but Whitstable seemed grateful to hear the half-time whistle.
The opening 15 minutes of the second half was more like a tennis match, with the action switching from end-to-end. Mackenzie’s had a shot blocked, which allowed Tom Loynes a shot that deflected straight to Markey. Then Loynes’ cross found Rowland in space, but the forward couldn’t make a good enough connection with his header.
Markey was looking increasingly nervous under the rain of crosses going into his box, and pushed one Mackenzie cross away from Rowland, only for the ball to fall straight to Loynes. The winger’s first shot cannoned off Rowland’s back, and his second effort crashed off the right hand upright to safety.
Chris Smith worked some space on the edge of the Whitstable area and curled a delightful left foot shot towards the top left corner. But Smith was denied by a flying save from Watkins, clawing the ball away as it seemed to be past him.
Rowland though he’d extended the lead on 55, heading home a Mackenzie cross from close range, but the assistant referee deemed the ball had crossed the line before the fullback’s cross was played in. But it took only two further minutes for Rowland to register his first of the afternoon. Heard’s whipped freekick from the left wing was fumbled by Markey, with Rowland bundling the ball across the line for his fourteenth of the season.
Watkins was forced into a save from David Smith’s glancing header, but had no chance with South Park’s second goal on 67, which followed the best passing move of the game. The Surrey side moved the ball using one or two touches through the Whitstable half, with Burgess, Nathan Ayling, David, Chris and Ryan Smith all being involved, before Chris Smith gave Watkins no chance with a calm finish into the bottom right corner.
Whitstable’s turn to attack saw Kane sweep a crossfield ball out to Loynes on the right,whose cross found Kane arriving in the area, but his header grazed the top of the bar. Heard then released Loynes in behind the South Park defence. Loynes rounded Markey and shot from a narrow angle, but Guscott had recovered to slide the effort away for a corner.
Play switched ends immediately, as Jamie Hatfield’s long ball was controlled first time by David Smith, which took him past the advancing Watkins, but Mackenzie slid in to deflect Smith’s shot away with the empty net beckoning.
The Oystermen seemed to have sealed the game with three minutes of normal time remaining, as Rowland claimed his second of the afternoon. From a South Park corner, with men committed upfield, Kane hooked into the path of Heard, who was closest to the South Park goal, while still 15 yards inside his own half. The midfielder led the charge towards the goal, drew Markey out, then slipped a ball inside for Rowland to tap into the empty net.
South Park should have scored a third, as Burgess’ low cross towards Jamie Rice was missed by the substitute with the goal gaping, but it was Rowland who had the last real chance of the game in stoppage time. Heard intercepted a loose pass in the South Park half and played Rowland in. The forward pushed his shot under Markey, but saw it bounce back off the left post, and Treadwell, following up, couldn’t control his shot onto the target.
WHITSTABLE TOWN: Luke Watkins, Ollie Gray (Jack Healey 88), Jake Mackenzie, Aaron James, Luke Doherty, Nick Treadwell, Scott Heard, Luke Girt, Joe Kane (Josh Alger 88), Kane Rowland, Tom Loynes (Josh Donnelly 88).
Subs not used: Ollie Lee, Harry Brooks.
Goals: Daniel Guscott 22 (og), Joe Kane 25, Kane Rowland 57 & 87.
Booking: Jake Mackenzie 35.
SOUTH PARK: Jordan Markey, Justin David, Jamie Hatfield, Jack Stafford (Jamie Rice 67), Daniel Guscott, Nathan Ayling, David Smith, Jack Higgins, Dale Burgess, Chris Smith, Ryan Smith.
Subs not used: Harry Kirby.
Goals: Jack Higgins 19, Chris Smith 67.
Bookings: Justin David 56, Jack Stafford 64, Chris Smith 77
Attendance: 163
Referee: Mr Nick Dunn
Assistants: Mr Jason Down and Ms Louise Saunders
Picture supplied by Les Biggs.