Holders Whitstable Town made a safe return to the last 16 of the FA Vase with a 4-1 Fourth Round win at Harpenden Town. Javaun Splatt fired them into an early lead, which proved to be the only goal of a relatively low key first half. Whitstable improved after the break, without ever really being at their best, but they defended stoutly when required. Splatt headed in just after the hour mark to put them in command and they had chances to settle the outcome shortly afterwards, but Harpenden never gave up and a stunning Conor Clarke volley briefly increased the tension for the many Oyster supporters that had made the trip to Hertfordshire. They need not have worried because Nathan Jeche soon restored the two goal margin and a fine late strike by Bradley Schafer completed the scoring, so thoughts could turn to the Monday’s draw and being just three rounds away from a Wembley return.

This meeting of the tenth placed club in the Spartan South Midlands League Premier Division and the leaders of the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division was for a place in the Fifth Round of the Isuzu FA Vase and a step closer to the final at Wembley Stadium. Hosts Harpenden Town had already gone further in the competition this season than ever before, while Whitstable had reached the last 16 twice previously, in 1996-97 and of course last season when they memorably beat AFC Whyteleafe to lift the trophy in May. Harpenden had produced three good wins to reach this stage and Whitstable themselves were enjoying a great run of form in multiple competitions. The Oystermen did have to shuffle the pack for this match however, with Jake McIntyre and Mikey Dalton still out injured, while Jack Nelson and Isaac Currie were both cup-tied. Theo Osinfolarin returned to play his first game in a Whitstable shirt since November and Under 18 forward Jack Fenton was included in the match day squad for the first time. Harpenden have a relatively new 3G pitch, so the large number of travelling Oyster fans that were among the 743 crowd packed into Rothamsted Park did not need to worry about pitch inspections after a very wet spell of weather.

The game was punctuated with a number of long throws by both teams, so it was fitting that the first opportunity came from a Lewis Chambers throw that was flicked on before being headed over the bar by Whitstable captain Will Thomas. Henry Jones was generally the main threat for Harpenden and in the eighth minute he collected the ball in the centre circle before driving forward and curling a shot just wide of the left hand post from 25 yards. A long ball from Thomas was hooked into the box by Bradley Schafer and Javaun Splatt chested it down before volleying it towards goal, but Alfie Bonfield, playing in goal for Harpenden because Connor Freeman was suspended, made a good one handed save. The resulting corner though did bring Whitstable's first goal in the 17th minute. Schafer's delivery was helped on, then headed back across goal by Thomas to be met by Chambers whose own header was nodded off the line by Josh Codling, only for Splatt to volley the ball into the roof of the net from six yards.

The home team's only effort on target in the first half was a low shot from 25 yards by Jones that Dan Colmer was able to bend down and collect without alarm. Good chances were scarce and Whitstable were caught offside six times in the first half an hour, although a couple of the decisions looked very marginal. Harpenden suffered an injury blow that led to an early substitution when a limping Codling had to be replaced by Joshua Dooley in the 36th minute. Chambers headed a Schafer free kick wide and Splatt wasn't able to hit the target when he got his head to an Osinfolarin cross. George Devine headed the ball forward down the right for Jones to run on to and he got to the edge of the penalty area before blazing his shot high and wide. Schafer struck a long range free kick over the top just before the referee brought a fairly uneventful half to a close with Whitstable leading 1-0 and in control, but Harpenden were still very much in the tie.

Harpenden won their first corner of the game shortly after the restart, but it was Whitstable that went close to extending their lead soon afterwards when Colmer's clearance was headed down by Grant for Splatt who steadied himself before placing his shot just past the far post from 25 yards. Grant himself almost got clear of the home defence, but they were able to force him wide and his shot from a narrow angle sailed over the bar. Jones then received the only yellow card of the afternoon for a challenge on Ricardo Thompson. A couple of unproductive Whitstable corners were followed by a Harpenden free kick that Ryan Plowright swung into the box where the ball briefly bobbled around dangerously before being scrambled clear.

Whitstable made it 2-0 in the 62nd minute when a Chambers pass released Schafer who fed the ball out to Osinfolarin on the right and he cut back before floating a good left footed cross to the back post where Splatt outjumped the defenders to head the ball over Bonfield and into the net. Whitstable then brought on Nathan Jeche for Grant and almost scored again when Schafer found Splatt who outpaced Dan Heald, but Bonfield did well to divert his shot past the post, just out of the reach of Jeche as he tried to follow in. Harpenden somehow managed to survive the resulting corner with the ball flying back and forth across goal; Splatt and Jeche were unable to find the target with headers and eventually Bonfield got down to save from Jeche. Finn O'Mara then tried to catch Bonfield out from the halfway line, but with the goalkeeper hurrying back, the ball dropped on top of the net. Jayden Boulton shot over after Splatt set him up, but Whitstable still couldn't find a third goal and Harpenden briefly quietened the Whitstable fans in the 74th minute when Boulton tried to head away a Heald throw into the box, but only succeeded in finding Conor Clarke who volleyed the ball straight past Colmer from about 15 yards to suddenly give his team renewed hope.

Jeche glanced a Schafer cross wide as Whitstable pressed forward again. Harpenden launched several dangerous balls into the box, but O'Mara and Thomas did a great job heading them away and Whitstable settled any nerves with a third goal on 80 minutes. Schafer's cross reached Splatt whose misdirected shot was diverted towards goal by Jeche and although Bonfield initially saved, Jeche was quick to react and tuck away the rebound. A Harpenden long throw was only partially cleared and Ben Spaul’s shot from just inside the box was blocked by O'Mara and Devine sliced the rebound wide. The game swung from end to end for a while before Schafer produced a moment of quality to score Whitstable's fourth in the 89th minute. O'Mara rolled a quick free kick to him out on the left and he took the ball to the edge of the penalty area before firing in off the far post. There were a few late substitutions including a very brief debut for Fenton, but Whitstable had done enough to see off a spirited Harpenden team in front of their second best ever home attendance.

The result keeps alive the possibility of a Wembley double and was also Whitstable's tenth in a row in all competitions. Perhaps even more notable is an incredible away record of 17 wins from their last 18 games, the only exception being the FA Cup loss at Wealdstone.

There is a late fixture change next Saturday, as a result of Fisher's FA Vase tie at Windsor & Eton being postponed, so Whitstable will now host Phoenix Sports in a league match and the home Kent Senior Trophy quarter final against Fisher will move to the following Saturday.

Harpenden	Data	Whitstable
2	Shots on target	10
6	Shots off target	11
1	Shots blocked	2
2	Corners	4
7	Fouls conceded	11
2	Offside	6
0	Penalties	0

Harpenden Town
Alfie Bonfield, Isaiah Hilaire, Ryan Plowright (c), Dylan Joyce, Conor Clarke, Dan Heald, George Devine, Ben Spaul, Henry Jones, Josh Codling (Joshua Dooley 36), Ollie Salami (George Wilde 90).
Subs (unused): Shay Kelly, Josh Agambar, Edward Clement.
Goal: Conor Clarke 74
Yellow card: Henry Jones 55

Whitstable Town
Dan Colmer, Ricardo Thompson, Jayden Boulton, Lewis Chambers, Finn O’Mara, Will Thomas (c), Dean Grant (Nathan Jeche 63), Jack Peters (Fin Cotton 82), Javaun Splatt (Joe Healy 90+1), Bradley Schafer (Jack Fenton 90+4), Theo Osinfolarin.
Sub (unused): Josh Robson
Goals: Javaun Splatt 17, 62, Nathan Jeche 80, Bradley Schafer 89.

Attendance: 743
Referee: Joe Wright
Assistants: Thomas Fogden & Adam Fox
Fourth official: Matthew Rendell