Whitstable travelled to play an in-form Bearsted team in what was the third meeting between the two sides this season, with Whitstable previously successful in both league and cup at the Belmont. This time however, neither team could find a winner as defences dominated, despite plenty of effort. Whitstable almost scored in the opening moments, but Frankie Leonard just managed to deny James Jeffrey. In the second half, Jeffrey again, Tyler Anderson and Emmanuel Oloyede were all unable to convert good chances and Leonard saved a Will Thomas header. Bearsted rarely looked like penetrating the Whitstable defence, but nearly snatched the points with the last attack of the match, but Jordan Perrin and Ollie Gray made sure Whitstable left with a point.

The only change to the Whitstable team that won at Snodland on Wednesday evening was Tyler Anderson coming in for Josh Williams, as George Sheminant and Josh Oliver both remained side-lined through injury. Midfielder Jack Palmby, who started the season at Whitstable, was in a Bearsted team that had won their last five games, scoring twenty goals in the process. Bearsted were just above Whitstable in the table with three more points from three fewer games, as both look to claim a play-off spot at the end of the season. On a Saturday evening in October, during the “SCEFL Groundhop Weekend”, Whitstable had won the reverse fixture 2-1 in front of a crowd of 682 and a few weeks later when the teams met again in the Kent Senior Trophy, Whitstable won 4-1.

The game might have had a very early goal when, only 15 seconds after the ball left the centre spot, Bearsted goalkeeper Frankie Leonard just managed to scramble back to push James Jeffrey’s lob out from under the bar after he had been left stranded following a misdirected header by Marvin Okundalaiye. That led to a couple of Whitstable corners, which were safely negotiated by the home team. There were few other goalscoring opportunities created by either team in a quiet first half that saw yellow cards for Palmby and Bearsted captain Ryan Blake. The best chance for Bearsted came in the 23rd minute when Palmby’s free kick picked out the run of Blake, but he glanced his header wide. The goalkeepers had little to do, except for routine saves from efforts by Liam Gillies and Joel Wakefield. The final action of the half brought a penalty shout when a Bearsted player went down in the box as he tangled with Ollie Gray to meet a free kick swung in by Palmby, but the referee ignored the appeals and blew for half time.

A few minutes into the second half, Anderson made a good break on the right and crossed the ball to Emmanuel Oloyede, but he was crowded out as he tried to shoot. In the 55th minute, Oloyede and Anderson were involved again and this time the ball was played across to Jeffrey, but his low shot was saved by Leonard. After Liam Gillies became the first Whitstable player to go into the referee’s notebook, Nathan Palmer found Eniola Hassan in the Whitstable box and he tried to go around Jordan Perrin, but he allowed the ball to run out for a goal kick. Oloyede then robbed Blake and passed to Anderson in space in the box, but his shot was too close to Leonard. Blake was perhaps fortunate to stay on the pitch when, already on a yellow card, he committed another foul on Jeffrey, but the referee just awarded Whitstable a free kick and Mikey Dalton’s delivery was met by Will Thomas whose close range header was well saved. Thomas was penalised for a foul shortly afterwards and from that free kick the ball rebounded off Gray to be safely gathered by Perrin.

The Whitstable bench grew increasingly frustrated with the assistant’s flag during a spell when three promising runs were all halted by clearly incorrect offside calls. There was the usual flurry of late substitutions, but few further threatening moments at either end until the seventh and final added minute when Palmer crossed to the back post and Will Johnson-Cole’s header was kept out by Perrin and as Josh Froggatt tried to force the rebound over the line, Gray was there with a timely intervention and the ball went over the bar and the points were shared.

There is another away game for Whitstable on Saturday when they travel to play VCD Athletic.

Bearsted	Data	Whitstable
2	Shots on target	5
5	Shots off target	2
1	Shots blocked	2
5	Corners	4
9	Fouls conceded	17
1	Offside	6
0	Penalties	0

Bearsted
Frankie Leonard, Marvin Okundalaiye (Will Johnson-Cole 79), Dennis Agbudume, Jack Palmby (Josh Froggatt 88), Ryan Blake (c) (Phil Headley 89), Daniel Melvin, Nathan Palmer, Joel Wakefield, Ollie Freeman (Louis Lovell 90+3), Eniola Hassan (Adam Turton 66), Jordan Tingley.
Subs (unused): none
Yellow cards: Jack Palmby 16, Ryan Blake 42.

Whitstable Town
Jordan Perrin, Jake Mackenzie, Will Thomas, Mikey Dalton, Ollie Gray, Tom Mills (c), Tyler Anderson (Victor Aiyelabola 71), Liam Gillies, Emmanuel Oloyede, James Jeffrey (Eniye Amgbaduba 89), Harvey Smith.
Subs (unused): Ed May, Jabari Christmas.
Yellow cards: Liam Gillies 56, Will Thomas 76.

Attendance: 148
Referee: Nicholas Bone
Assistants: Graham Smart & Henry Saxton