Today the boys faced our local rivals Whitstable Town FC.

Dontae had our first chance of the game. Sam made a good run down the wing before finding Dontae in the middle, but his effort was saved well by the keeper.

Two minutes later we took the lead. Danny made a strong run down the right wing and played a great ball across to captain Charlie Hunter, who smashed his effort into the roof of the net. 1–0.

Thirty minutes in, the boys were in full control, dominating possession and winning all their individual duels.

On 40 minutes Dontae came close again. A long free kick into the area found him and his volley was saved by the keeper.

Just before the break, Dontae and Barnaby linked up nicely down the right. Barnaby dribbled into the area and his effort was parried by the keeper, falling to Jack, whose goal-bound shot was deflected off a defender and wide.

On the stroke of half time, Toby whipped a decent cross into the area, which was flicked on by Jack to Barnaby, who volleyed the ball past the keeper. 2–0.

It was a well-deserved lead at the break – defensively solid, dominating possession and in full control, with Whitstable not managing a shot on target.

Half time: 2–0

Whitstable came out with a new spark and formation, pulling a goal back within five minutes, Isaac firing a good strike from the edge of the box.

Whitstable levelled 30 minutes into the second half. The boys lost their shape and, despite two players appearing to be offside, the linesman kept his flag down. 2–2.

With 10 minutes to go, Jude burst down the left wing, beat his man and was brought down in the area. Penalty! Toby made no mistake, finishing calmly from the spot and sending the keeper the wrong way. 3–2.

Whitstable came close late on, striking the crossbar, but the boys held on to take all three points.

The second half was a complete contrast to the first. The boys had been in complete control but let the game slip and were ultimately a little fortunate to come away with the three points. That leaves us 4th in the league 7 points off top, with a game in hand. If we can play every game as we did the first 45 minutes today they can beat any team in the league.