HANWORTH VILLA 4 WHITSTABLE TOWN 1
Emirates FA Cup First Round Qualifying
Saturday September 5 2026 15.00

Hanworth Villa ultimately proved too strong for a depleted Whitstable team who exited the FA Cup despite a battling first half display. A great Henry Young strike provided the perfect start for the Oystermen and although Haydon Vaughan replied a few minutes later, the scores remained level at the half time interval despite both teams creating chances. The home team raised their game after the break and Michael Harding soon made it 2-1, but Kweku Lucan almost tied things up again when his curling shot came back off the bar. Dan Colmer and the frame of the goal came to Whitstable's rescue on several occasions, but Harding again and Gio McGregor did add further goals to put the tie out of reach for Whitstable who suffered yet more injury woe and finished the game with a number of young players on the pitch.

Two home wins against Roffey and Newhaven had earned Whitstable an away tie at Southern League Premier South club Hanworth Villa in the Emirates FA Cup First Round Qualifying. The Step 3 hosts only entered the competition at this stage, but have started the season well, with four wins and a draw from their six league games. Whitstable were once again missing numerous players, but included in the squad were Zach Keeble, Jack Fenton, Mason Buckingham and Marli Collier, who were all in the FA Youth Cup team that beat Sutton Athletic 5-0 on Friday evening. In addition to the six ruled out due to injuries, Nathan Green was serving a one game ban and Alex Wall was away. A crowd of 328 were at the tidy Rectory Meadow ground, with its relatively new 3G pitch, in south west London.

Whitstable started well and had the ball in the net inside two minutes when Perri Iandolo won possession and Kweku Lucan slipped the ball through to Derek Asamoah who was flagged offside just as he thought he might have scored another FA Cup goal. The travelling fans soon had something to celebrate though when Whitstable did strike first in the fifth minute. A quick break following a Villa corner saw Iandolo release Asamoah on the right and he did well to cut inside before passing to Henry Young in the centre on the 18 yard line. The young midfielder fired a great left footed shot into the top right corner giving goalkeeper Tyla Dickinson no chance. Another good Whitstable move led to Young putting Asamoah through on goal, but again he was halted by an offside flag. Villa equalised in the 12th minute when Brandon Curtis chipped the ball out to the right where Haydon Vaughan broke clear to deliver a low cross that was initially blocked by Harrison Pont, but Vaughan continued his run into the box to put the rebound into the net.

Whitstable threatened again when Pont played a long ball over the top to Lucan who hit a rising shot from a narrow angle on the right that Wilkinson managed to keep out at the near post. In the 31st minute, Vaughan escaped again down the right, cut in and his shot from outside the box was somehow pushed over the bar by Colmer. The lively Asamoah chased a lost cause down the left, regained the ball and set it back for Robbie Rees whose shot was blocked. Villa were beginning to dominate possession and won a corner that was headed down towards goal by Guy Ansah-Palmer and saved by Colmer, then when the ball came out to the edge of the box, it was volleyed over by Gio McGregor. Just before half time, Toure Williams spun in the box, but Colmer got down well to turn his shot around the post. Rees latched on to an attempted clearance and tried a 20 yard shot that was straight at Wilkinson. The final action of the half saw a right wing cross trouble the Whitstable defence before the ball was hacked away. Whitstable would have been happy with their first half efforts, but aware there was a lot more work ahead to stay in the tie on a very warm afternoon.

There was an early scare for Whitstable at the start of the second half when Billy Nutbeam whipped in a low cross that was cut out and cleared - just! Liam Boxall then managed to block a shot by George Wells after he had weaved his way past several challenges. The threatened goal arrived in the 49th minute as an attempted clearance hit Vaughan who took full advantage and sped into the box to cross for Michael Harding whose shot found the net despite the efforts of a couple of defenders. Another quick goal almost followed after Whitstable strangely sent the ball straight out for a goal kick from the kick off and Williams was soon skipping down the left to deliver a cross that Harding volleyed against the bar. The ball was put out for a corner from which Nutbeam's near post header struck the post. Whitstable then regained a little composure and Young shot just over before Jack Nelson replaced Asamoah.

It was nearly 2-2 in the 57th minute when Lucan outmuscled Ansah-Palmer and cut into the box to shoot past Dickinson only to see the ball cannon off the bar. Colmer saved a 25 yard effort from Lucas Defise, but Villa scored a third in the 67th minute. It was another right wing cross by Vaughan that was fired in by Harding. A ball through the middle sent substitute Brandon Barzey away, but he was denied by Colmer's outstretched leg. McGregor tried a long range shot that flew over Colmer and clipped the top of the bar and then a Vaughan cross/shot from the right corner also bounced off the top of the bar. Villa made it 4-1 on 76 minutes when Defise slid a pass through the Whitstable defence for McGregor to score. With the game effectively over, Whitstable took the opportunity to give some minutes to young players Fenton and Collier. A long ball over the top sent Nikolay Zlatev away, but once again Colmer's leg came to the rescue. Unfortunately, a collision ended Pont's game early as the Whitstable injury curse struck again and they were left to play out the remaining time with ten men.

As both Margate and Whitstable were knocked out of the FA Cup, neither will be involved in midweek replays, so their scheduled Kent Senior Cup clash will go ahead at Hartsdown Park on Tuesday evening. Whitstable will need to shuffle the pack again for this game ahead of their FA Trophy clash with Egham Town on Saturday.

Hanworth Villa
Tyla Dickinson, Josh Casey, Guy Ansah-Palmer (Guy Hollis 84), George Wells (c), Haydon Vaughan, Billy Nutbeam (Jake Leahy 75), Toure Williams, Lucas Defise, Gio McGregor (Remi Onabanjo 81), Brandon Curtis Brandon Barzey 63), Michael Harding (Nikolay Zlatev 81).
Subs (unused): none
Goals: Haydon Vaughan 12, Michael Harding 49, 67, Gio McGregor 76.

Whitstable Town
Dan Colmer, Matty Holness, Ryan Bernal (Jack Hillier 75), Charlie Thomson, Harrison Pont (c), Liam Boxall, Robbie Rees (Jack Hanson 63), Henry Young, Derek Asamoah (Jack Nelson 55), Perri Iandolo (Marli Collier 77), Kweku Lucan (Jack Fenton 77).
Subs (unused): Zach Keeble, Mason Buckingham.
Goal: Henry Young 5
Yellow card: Henry Young 74

Attendance: 328
Referee: Samuel Olhausen
Assistants: Ronnie McGibbon & Joshua Evans