This league fixture between Whitstable and Rusthall provided plenty of first half action for the crowd of 337, but unfortunately play never restarted after the break because of a knee injury suffered by the Rusthall goalkeeper just before the half time whistle.

There was a first start in a Whitstable shirt for Harvey Smith as the team looked to bounce back from an under par performance at Deal in midweek. The game kicked off almost twenty minutes late due to Rusthall players being delayed in heavy traffic.

Whitstable started the game well and an early Josh Oliver free kick was easily saved by Stefanos Akras, then Josh Williams crossed from the right and the ball went across the box without anyone being able to connect. A weak back pass by Abdullah Khalil gave Williams an opportunity, but his shot was blocked by Akras at the expense of a corner. Whitstable continued to look dangerous and Williams created a chance for Smith who curled a shot wide. Rusthall had committed a succession of fouls as they tried to get into the game and after Smith was brought down again just outside the area, the free kick by Williams was met by Steadman Callender whose shot was pushed out for a corner from which Whitstable opened the scoring in the 16th minute. The delivery by Oliver was headed in by a determined Smith who rose to score his first goal for the club. Whitstable then appeared to switch off as Rusthall equalised almost immediately when Tarik Ibrahim was given the space to curl a shot into the left corner from 20 yards, with the possibly unsighted Dan Eason not able to get across to save. That seemed to change the momentum for a few minutes and Rusthall had a great chance to take the lead In the 27th minute when Tom Mills tried to deal with a Khalil header into the box, but did not see Joe Plant arrive on the scene and the referee decided that he had been fouled as the Whitstable captain tried to clear the ball and awarded a penalty. Reece Deakin stepped up but dragged his spot kick wide of the right post, to the relief of most in the ground. A good low cross from the right by Addo Amankwah was well defended by Jake Mackenzie, but nothing came of the corner kick and Whitstable were soon back in control.

Williams passed to Jack Palmby who swept the ball out to Callender on the left and he did well to get past his marker before crossing to the back post where Smith arrived to volley the ball past Akras in the 30th minute. Smith then shot into the side netting following a Mackenzie throw in. Ibrahim was almost able to equalise for the second time after Whitstable gave the ball away in a dangerous area, but Mills got across to make a saving tackle. Whitstable made it 3-1 in the 41st minute when a corner on the right was swung over to the back post by Oliver and headed back by Palmby for Mills to nod in from close range. A fourth Whitstable goal in the 47th minute put them in complete command when some neat play on the right led to Smith playing the ball in for Williams who took it past two defenders before shooting past Akras. The last action of the half saw Akras kick the ball up field, but immediately go down holding his knee and the referee called on the physio before blowing up for half time.

During the scheduled interval, a stretcher was brought out for the goalkeeper who had apparently dislocated his knee, but following lengthy discussions and phone calls to the emergency services, the Rusthall physio was not happy that the player could be safely moved and decided to wait for an ambulance to arrive. The referee eventually abandoned the game at around 5.15pm, with an ambulance not arriving at the ground until after 7pm. The unfortunate player, who had been lying on the pitch for over three hours, was taken to hospital for tests and everyone wishes him a speedy recovery.

The FA Vase is up next for Whitstable, who face Lingfield at the Belmont on Saturday.

Whitstable	Data	Rusthall
7	Shots on target	1
3	Shots off target	1
0	Shots blocked	0
3	Corners	2
5	Fouls conceded	13
1	Offside	1
0	Penalties	1

Whitstable Town
Dan Eason, Jake Mackenzie, George Sheminant, Jack Palmby, Will Thomas, Tom Mills (c), Steadman Callender, Liam Gillies, Harvey Smith, Josh Oliver, Josh Williams.
Subs (unused): Tyler Anderson, Harry Gamble, Gus Barnes, Rodney Eruotor, Eri Akintimehin.
Goals: Harvey Smith 16, 30, Tom Mills 30, Josh Williams 45+2.

Rusthall
Stefanos Akras, Louis Anderson, Abdullah Khalil, Dan Blunn, Callum Adonis-Taylor (c), Jeffrey Njuguna, Addo Amankwah, Joe Plant, Reece Deakin, Tarik Ibrahim, Jesse Hammond.
Subs (unused): Luke Miller, Josh Stirman, Jonathan Sanchez, Jack Lyons, Hayden Velvick.
Goal: Tarik Ibrahim 17
Yellow cards: Jesse Hammond 19, Callum Adonis-Taylor 21.

Attendance: 337
Referee: Christopher Cannon
Assistants: Adam Aylward & Michael Marsh