The historic run in the Isuzu FA Vase continues after Whitstable won their eighth match in this season's competition on Saturday. They had to fight back from 2-0 down though after early goals by Callum Knowles and Harry Bower had given their visitors from Shropshire, Whitchurch Alport, a great start. Ronald Sithole crucially narrowed the deficit before half time and when Nathan Jeche equalised in the second half, the momentum was with Whitstable. Harvey Smith netted a dramatic late winner in added time, following in after his penalty kick was initially saved, to spark wild celebrations amongst the majority of the record breaking crowd.

Whitstable entered in the First Qualifying Round, so this quarter final against Whitchurch Alport was their eighth match in the 2024-25 FA Vase. Both teams have enjoyed good recent form, although the visitors from the Capelli Sport Midland Football League had lost their previous two games following a long sequence of wins, including a great 2-1 victory at North Shields in the previous round of the FA Vase. Whitstable were in their best form of the season, with eight wins and a draw in their last nine games. Dean Grant and Bradley Schafer were cup tied, but Ronald Sithole and Mikey Dalton returned to the starting eleven and there was a debut for striker Nathan Jeche. There was plenty of support for Alport with a good number of their fans making the long journey from Shropshire. This Vase campaign has certainly generated plenty of local interest in Whitstable and the attendance of 2,656 was the highest ever recorded at the ground.

The visitors from Shropshire launched the ball forward from the kick off as they tried to make a fast start, but Adam Hailes found himself with a very quick yellow card for a crunching tackle on Connor Wilkins. Whitstable broke down the left and Wilkins pulled the ball across for Jeche whose shot was well blocked by Lewis Brown. Alport looked threatening in the early stages and were rewarded when they took the lead in the 9th minute. A good move on the right led to a cross only being partially cleared to Harry Bower and he managed to spread the ball out to the left for George Carpenter whose cross was touched in by Callum Knowles from close range to temporarily silence the home crowd. A Whitstable corner was headed over by Jamie Coyle, but the Oyster fans were stunned again when their team fell further behind in the 18th minute. Coyle tried to nod a lofted clearance by Freddie Bishton back to his goalkeeper, but Knowles intercepted the ball and sent it out to the right and when Hailes whipped in a dangerous cross, Bower arrived to flash a header into the net from six yards.

Whitstable needed a response and they quickly found one when Fin Cotton collected the ball in midfield and chipped it forward to Sithole who chested it down before firing a right footed shot past Jack Sheward into the left corner from 18 yards to get his team back in the game on 20 minutes. Whitstable were beginning to create some chances and a good build up gave Jake McIntyre the chance to test Sheward from a tight angle on the left. In the 33rd minute, Whitstable almost levelled the scores when Ashdon Day hooked the ball on and Jeche got the better of Bishton, only to have his shot blocked by Roman Allen, but the ball rebounded to Wilkins whose shot cannoned off the top of the bar. Jerald Aboagye sent over a cross that was nodded back into the middle by Day where Wilkins managed to get a shot away, but it lacked power and was comfortably saved. Bower and Aboagye were both shown yellow cards for an incident in the 42nd minute and when the referee called a halt to the first half, Alport still held their 2-1 lead.

When play resumed after the break, Day got his head to an early Whitstable corner, but Alport got bodies in the way and the ball was cleared. At the other end, Luca Whitney tried a snap shot after Bower headed the ball on for him; the ball may have been going just wide, but Dan Colmer made sure by pushing it around the post. Whitney then dragged a long range effort wide. Alport had to make the first change in the 56th minute when Hailes limped off to be replaced by Billy West. Sithole worked his way into the box from the left before his shot was parried by Sheward and the ball was scrambled clear. Whitstable made a substitution in the 68th minute, as young striker Day was replaced by Harvey Smith. Alport were now struggling to maintain any effective possession, although a Jack Loughran shot was blocked and Bower struck the ball over the top from the right edge of the box. Smith headed the ball on for Jeche who brought it under control before trying a low shot that was saved.

The moment Whitstable had been striving for arrived in the 72nd minute. A clearance by Sheward dropped to McIntyre who sent the ball back into the Alport half and Jeche's pace took him past the last defender and around the on-rushing goalkeeper before coolly rolling the ball into the net from a tight angle on the left to bring the scores level. The ground erupted and from that point on, the home side always looked more likely to find a winner before a potential penalty shootout. Smith lobbed the ball forward and Jeche raced into the box again and as he tried to lift the ball over Bishton, he was convinced it struck the defender's arm, but the referee thought not. As Whitstable increased the pressure, Wilkins headed the ball down for Smith whose shot on the turn was straight at Sheward. Sithole then had an effort blocked after some good work by Jeche.

Then, when a determined McIntyre was fouled in the box by Harry Farnsworth just as the clock reached 90 minutes, Whitstable had the opportunity to win the game. With some not able to watch, Smith put the ball on the spot, but Sheward saved the penalty only for Smith to follow in and put the loose ball into the net. The celebratory scenes that followed saw three of the Whitstable substitutes race onto the pitch to be rewarded with a yellow card each. Things got worse for Alport a few minutes later when the impressive Cotton was brought down by Bower as he was trying to carry the ball forward and the referee produced a second yellow and then a red card for the Alport captain. Whitstable saw out the remaining time in the corner to book a deserved place in the two legged semi-finals, when they will have a shot at their first ever Wembley final.

Meanwhile, Whitstable are back in the hunt for league points on Tuesday evening when they travel to play league leaders VCD Athletic.

Whitstable	Data	Alport
9	Shots on target	3
3	Shots off target	3
4	Shots blocked	1
7	Corners	2
6	Fouls conceded	20
4	Offside	0
1	Penalties	0

Whitstable Town
Dan Colmer, Jerald Aboagye, Jake McIntyre (c), Mikey Dalton, Jamie Coyle, Finn O’Mara, Ronald Sithole, Connor Wilkins, Nathan Jeche, Fin Cotton (Robbie Rees 90+8), Ashdon Day (Harvey Smith 68).
Subs (unused): Jayden Boulton, Will Thomas, Albie O’Mara-Knapp.
Goals: Ronald Sithole 20, Nathan Jeche 72, Harvey Smith 90+1.
Yellow cards: Jerald Aboagye 42, Robbie Rees 90+2, Albie O’Mara-Knapp 90+2, Will Thomas 90+2, Jake McIntyre 90+5.

Whitchurch Alport
Jack Sheward, Lewis Brown, George Carpenter (Sam Flory 84), Adam Hailes (Billy West 56), Roman Allen, Freddie Bishton (Ollie Holden 90+3), Harry Bower (c), Ellis Turner (Harry Farnsworth 80), Callum Knowles, Jack Loughran, Luca Whitney.
Sub (unused): Matty Downward
Goals: Callum Knowles 9, Harry Bower 18.
Yellow cards: Adam Hailes 2, Lewis Brown 90.
Red card: Harry Bower (two yellows 42, 90+5)

Attendance: 2,656
Referee: Ayrton Hursey
Assistants: David Spain & Jake Woodman
Fourth official: Craig Barnett