The latest pre-season challenge for Whitstable was a hastily arranged game against SCEFL First Division team Bridon Ropes. This effectively replaced the cancelled visit to play Chislehurst Glebe two days earlier. The Charlton based club played their part in an entertaining affair that produced six goals, and could well have seen a few more, with Whitstable eventually winning 4-2. Manager Lee Martin took the opportunity to rotate the team a bit, with several players sitting out of the game, including goalkeeper Dan Colmer who was replaced by the coach Henry Newcombe.

The dangerous Ropes number 10 almost scored after just 15 seconds when shooting wide after breaking through the home defence. Whitstable soon began to create chances with the industrious Henry Young having a shot deflected past the post before Tom Derry headed the resulting corner wide. The opening goal was scored in the 20th minute after Jack Nelson chased the ball down the left before passing it back to Kenny Aileru and his low cross into the middle found Young who shot into the corner of the net from 18 yards. Nelson, who caused plenty of problems for the Ropes defence throughout the game, sent an overhead kick over the bar when a free kick was curled into the box.

A Perri Iandolo cross was pushed out by the Ropes keeper to Aileru whose blocked effort reached Nelson, but his shot was saved. Aileru made a promising run and played in a trialist on the right who shot across goal, but just wide. The Ropes dealt well with a period of Whitstable pressure before a break down the left brought them an equaliser in the 39th minute when the number 10 drifted past several challenges and shot into far corner. The Whitstable lead was restored three minutes later as Derry received the ball from Aileru in box and rolled it across to Nelson who instantly slotted it into the far corner to give his team a 2-1 lead at the interval.

The scores were level again in the opening moments of the second half when the Ropes number 10 escaped the last defender on the halfway line, ran through and had one shot saved, but reacted quickly to fire the rebound into the top corner. Whitstable then had numerous opportunities to get back in front. Young set up Nelson whose shot was saved, then a stretching Derry poked a Young cross just wide at the near post. The busy goalkeeper then denied Young before the ball was put into the net by Nelson but he was thwarted by an offside flag.

Both managers started to make changes and it was one of the substitutes, Alex Wall, whose cross from the right to the far post was headed in by Tom Hanfrey for Whitstable's third goal in the 70th minute. A Nelson run and cross produced a chance for Wall whose shot was blocked. Nelson again caused problems with another run down the right to set up Liam Boxall whose shot was well saved. Wall headed a cross against the bar, then battled to win a long ball and crashed a left footed shot off the bar. He was not to be denied though and when a Hanfrey free kick was headed across to him on the right of the area in the 87th minute, he chested the ball down and volleyed it into the far corner. Nelson raced through, but the goalkeeper was out to make another save and a trialist also had a low shot saved just before the final whistle. Both teams had provided plenty of entertainment for the 188 spectators in attendance.

There is no game for Whitstable on Saturday, but they will play their last home friendly of this summer when a Gillingham XI visit on Tuesday evening.

Whitstable Town
Henry Newcombe, Liam Boxall, Jeremiah Gyebi, Tom Hanfrey, Charlie Thomson, Perri Iandolo, Kenny Aileru, Henry Young, Tom Derry (c), Jack Nelson, Trialist.
Subs: Alex Wall, Trialists.
Goals: Henry Young 20, Jack Nelson 42, Tom Hanfrey 70, Alex Wall 87.

Bridon Ropes
Team details not available
Goals: Unknown (no. 10) 39, 46.

Attendance: 188
Referee: Reece Cahalane
Assistants: Will Watton & Connor Cowan