Whitstable gave their supporters few anxious moments as they beat Rusthall 3-0 to reach their eighth Kent Senior Trophy final and earn the chance to go one step further than last season when they were runners up to Larkfield & New Hythe. Bradley Schafer lifted the ball over goalkeeper Reece Hobbs to give them an early lead and although Whitstable missed good chances to increase their advantage before half time, they rarely looked like conceding. Schafer scored his second with a good diving header just after the hour mark and when Javaun Splatt was fouled in the box, the top scorer took the spot kick himself to confirm Whitstable's place in the final at Maidstone in April.

The fixtures meant that this was the second Saturday running that Rusthall visited the Primcura Healthcare Stadium. They are still well positioned in the league, although now 23 points behind leaders Whitstable with four games in hand. Their quick return to the north Kent coast following a 5-0 defeat the previous week made Whitstable favourites, but with both teams making changes and a cup final place on offer for the winners, a closer game was certainly a possibility. Rusthall's midweek fixture was a victim of the wet weather, but Whitstable had played and beaten Tunbridge Wells 4-2. There were some enforced changes for the home team with both Jack Nelson and Isaac Currie cup tied. Other absentees included the injured Jake McIntyre and Mikey Dalton, while Fin Cotton has dual registered with Sheppey United to get some more regular football. Rusthall made three changes to their starting eleven and set up a little differently. This was actually Whitstable's sixth consecutive home game and once again was well attended with 618 there to watch events unfold.

There was a good opportunity for Whitstable in the opening minute when a long throw by Ronald Sithole was allowed to bounce into the box and Javaun Splatt hooked it towards goal, but it was an easy save for Reece Hobbs. A few minutes later, it was the turn of Lewis Chambers to ask questions of the Rusthall defence with a long throw, which reached Sithole who helped it on, although it lacked the power to really test Hobbs. The Rusthall goalkeeper could no nothing to prevent Whitstable taking a 12th minute lead though when a long ball forward by Finn O'Mara gave Bradley Schafer the chance to outpace Arun Suman and get into the box before chipping the ball over the advancing Hobbs and into the net. A quick break down the left by Jesse Hammond gave him the chance to try a shot from just inside the box, but Will Thomas got across to block at the expense of a corner. Whitstable should have added a second goal In the 21st minute, when Sithole did well to rob Rahman Kareem in the left corner, but with Splatt, Schafer and Theo Osinfolarin all hoping for a tap in to an open goal, the cross went behind all three and Rusthall escaped.

There was little goal threat for the rest of the half, but when Ricardo Thompson sent the ball forward in the 34th minute, Schafer got around his marker into the penalty area and his cross was somehow put behind for a corner with two waiting in the middle. A long range Harvey Kedwell effort was blocked, but there was little else to report before the interval apart from a crazy incident in the 45th minute. The ball went out by the away bench and the Rusthall manager appeared to grab it, preventing Sithole from taking a quick throw. After a brief delay, the referee showed him a red card and then, to the frustration of the Whitstable bench, Sithole received a yellow card. Whitstable led by just the single goal at half time, leaving the game still in the balance, although Rusthall had yet to give Dan Colmer anything to do in the Whitstable goal.

Rusthall created the first opportunity of the second half after Robbie Bissett and Finlay Lovatt combined on the left and crossed to Jack Kirby who set up Charlie Clover, but he shot high and wide from 18 yards. They then won a free kick outside the box in a promising position, only for Frankie Griffin to fire the ball well over the bar. Rusthall's challenge of getting back into the game became much tougher when they fell further behind in the 61st minute. A quickly taken throw by Splatt was initially collected by Daniel Blunn, but Sithole managed to take the ball off him on the right edge of the box before delivering a left footed cross that was met by Schafer whose great diving header from around the penalty spot beat Hobbs. Whitstable went searching for another and Kedwell headed the ball forward to Schafer who tried a shot from just outside the box that was saved.

Both teams then began to make substitutions and Dean Grant shot over the top soon after his introduction. A Rusthall corner kick was partially cleared and Griffin tried a shot that Thomas managed to block. A good run by Jaevon Dyer on the right took him into the box and his cross seemed to be defected up dangerously off O'Mara, but Thomas was on hand to head clear. Rusthall's fourth and final corner was cleared by Schafer and Splatt chased the ball into the right corner before getting past Kelvin Boampong who brought him down for a penalty that was calmly tucked away in the 77th minute by Splatt for his 29th goal of the season. Rusthall used all five substitutes and kept trying, but their shots were either blocked by a well organised Whitstable defence or off target, until the 86th minute when a good run by Ayodeji Owoeye took him into the box where he was finally able to test Colmer, although his low shot lacked any power. Whitstable had done enough to reach another cup final where their opponents on Sunday April 19th will be Punjab United who scored three times in the last few minutes to beat FC Elmstead 3-2 in the other semi-final.

Whitstable have yet another home game on Saturday when Larkfield & New Hythe are the visitors. Since Whitstable won the reverse fixture 2-1 in December, the Larks’ form has been inconsistent, but they still hold second place in the division, 17 points behind Whitstable who have also now played one game fewer.

Whitstable	Data	Rusthall
7	Shots on target	1
2	Shots off target	4
1	Shots blocked	4
3	Corners	4
12	Fouls conceded	7
3	Offside	1
1	Penalties	0

Whitstable Town
Dan Colmer, Ricardo Thompson, Jayden Boulton, Harvey Kedwell, Finn O’Mara, Will Thomas (c), Ronald Sithole (Dean Grant 68), Lewis Chambers (Jack Peters 78), Javaun Splatt (Joe Healy 88), Bradley Schafer, Theo Osinfolarin.
Subs (unused): Jamie Coyle, Josh Robson.
Goals: Bradley Schafer 12, 61, Javaun Splatt (pen) 77.
Yellow card: Ronald Sithole 45

Rusthall
Reece Hobbs, Rahman Kareem, Jesse Hammond (Kelvin Boampong 74), Dan Blunn, Robbie Bissett (c), Finlay Lovatt (Ayodeji Owoeye 68), Josh Reid (Jaevon Dyer 74), Arun Suman (Jack Low 78), Charlie Clover (Louie Clarke 68), Jack Kirby, Frankie Griffin.
Subs (unused): none
Yellow cards: Robbie Bissett 61, Kelvin Boampong 76.

Attendance: 618
Referee: Byron Beard
Assistants: Louis Husk & Joshua Nixon
Fourth Official: William Rough