WHITSTABLE TOWN 1 FC ELMSTEAD 1 (after 90 minutes – no extra time)
FC Elmstead won 5-3 on penalties
Roy Vinter Respect Charity Shield
Saturday September 6 2025 15.00

There was a short break between league and FA Cup games for Whitstable as they hosted FC Elmstead to compete for the Roy Vinter Respect Charity Shield. A tight game with a limited number of clear chances livened up towards the end when Jack Hyslop put the visitors ahead following a good move. That, and some late substitutions, seemed to rouse a somewhat lacklustre Whitstable and Joe Healy soon headed an equaliser. Whitstable pressed for the winner, but with the scores still level after 90 minutes, penalties were needed and a save by Tom Cleary from Will Thomas was enough for Elmstead who scored all five of their penalties to win the shield.

This annual charity match between the two teams with the best Respect record, which bears the name of Roy Vinter, a former league and Whitstable Town secretary, also this year honoured John Moules who helped form the Kent Invicta League and its subsequent merger that created the SCEFL that exists today. There had been two previous meetings between the teams, both in 2017. Whitstable won an FA Vase tie 5-1 at Holmesdale FC, the home of Elmstead at that time, then were again successful with a 3-2 home win when they met in the Kent Senior Trophy a few weeks later. The visitors currently play in the First Division, one step below Whitstable. There was just one change to the Whitstable team, with Finn O'Mara returning in place of captain Jake McIntyre who was unwell. The attendance for this unique game was 340.

The best early chance fell to Elmstead in the 12th minute when Tom Goodayle clipped the ball over the Whitstable defence to Stacey Petrou who found himself with just Dan Colmer to beat from 6 yards, but he shot straight at the Whitstable goalkeeper. They kept up the pressure and Dan Kommu made a good run on the right before cutting in, but Will Thomas was there to block his shot and then another effort was deflected for a corner. Jason Dawson was spoken to by the referee after a couple of robust challenges in quick succession, and there was a blow for Whitstable when Bradley Schafer picked up an injury and had to be replaced by Fin Cotton in the 20th minute. Whitstable had a couple of corners as they began to threaten, then Theo Osinfolarin found Javaun Splatt in the box and his shot struck Ryan Croucher when it looks destined for the far corner of the net.

In the 25th minute, a long ball from Finn O'Mara was laid off by Dean Grant for Splatt whose shot was saved by Tom Cleary, then Jack Peters then had a shot blocked. The game went through a quiet period before a deflected shot by Dawson was safely collected by Colmer. Whitstable then had a good spell of possession that ended with Grant firing a shot wide of the near post. An Osinfolarin cross was headed over the bar by Splatt and Jayden Boulton had an effort blocked just outside the area. Whitstable finished the half with plenty of possession and a Peters shot struck a defender, but in truth a disappointing half rarely looked like producing a goal and unsurprisingly ended 0-0.

A quiet start to the second half was almost interrupted when Whitstable won a corner on the left in the 58th minute and Osinfolarin curled the ball in under the bar where it was clawed out by Cleary, but Splatt headed it back towards goal where a defender managed to head it off the line. A Whitstable free kick out on the left was curled over by Osinfolarin and struck the top of the bar, but it was Elmstead that scored first, in the 76th minute. A long ball down the left was collected by Josh Fill who carried it across the box before finding Kommu on the right and he sent the ball back over to the far post where an unmarked Jack Hyslop arrived to shoot past Colmer.

Ashdon Day was introduced from the branch in the 83rd minute and almost immediately set up an equalising goal when he ran on to a long pass down the right from Thomas, got around Alfie Sanders and sent over a cross that a diving Joe Healy headed past Cleary. Callum Peck, on the left, then set up Healy again, but Cleary saved at the near post. Whitstable went for the winner and Thomas had a shot deflected past the post. Osinfolarin shot wide after Healy had knocked the ball down for him, then after Hyslop received the game's only yellow card, Healy had an effort blocked and Day headed a Ricardo Thompson cross wide. There would be no late decider, so a penalty shootout was required.

Elmstead went first and scored all five of their spot kicks, but the second Whitstable kick by Thomas was well saved by Cleary, so when Hyslop sent Colmer the wrong way with the final Elmstead penalty to make it 5-3, his team were crowned as winners of the shield.

Whitstable make a quick return to league action on Tuesday with a visit to Gillingham to play Hollands & Blair.

Whitstable Town
Daniel Colmer, Ricardo Thompson, Jayden Boulton, Mikey Dalton, Finn O’Mara, Will Thomas (c), Dean Grant (Callum Peck 60), Jack Peters, Javaun Splatt (Joe Healy 69), Bradley Schafer (Fin Cotton 20, Ashdon Day 83), Theo Osinfolarin (Jake Abrahams 88).
Subs (unused): none
Goal: Joe Healy 83

FC Elmstead
Tom Cleary, Luke Alliband, Jason Dawson, Alfie Sanders (c), Ryan Croucher (Lewis Neale 46), Matt Faithorn, Josh Fill, Stacey Petrou (Fraser Page 52), Tom Goodayle, Dan Kommu (Ryan Penton 78), Jack Hyslop.
Subs (unused): Donte Degannes-Fidyk, Adam Potten.
Goal: Jack Hyslop 76
Yellow card: Jack Hyslop 90

Attendance: 340
Referee: Nick Monkman
Assistants: Bradley Godden & Antony Rawlings
Fourth Official: Michael Donnelly