This was a great game for a neutral spectator, but both teams were probably frustrated with the final result, for different reasons, as they left with just one point each. Whitstable struggled to find a way through the Stansfeld defence in the first half and well taken goals by Jack Calvert and Adam Wallis put the bottom-of-the-table visitors in charge at the break. It was a better showing by the home team in the second half and they carved out plenty of chances that were mostly dealt with by the Stansfeld defence. Malachai Belboda scored on his debut to provide hope of a comeback, but just after Whitstable had almost equalised, their defence went missing allowing Calvert to restore Stansfeld’s two goal advantage. Whitstable continued to press and a great Jake McIntyre free kick pulled one back with a few minutes still to play. In added time Bradley Schafer fired in to tie the scores, but Stansfeld were unhappy the goal was allowed to stand and their protests led to them having to play out the rest of the game with nine men when two were sin binned. Whitstable almost snatched it at the death, but the points were shared.

League leaders Whitstable hosted 19th placed Stansfeld on Saturday, looking for their seventh successive league win. On form, a home win looked the most likely outcome although Stansfeld had won two of their past three games, and have often proved stubborn opponents for Whitstable in past seasons. Whitstable made two changes to the team that beat Bearsted on Tuesday, with new signing Malachai Belboda, dual registered with Bromley, replacing Jayden Boulton who has re-joined Sutton Athletic and Bradley Schafer returning in place of Bradley Walledge. Former Whitstable defender Kai Jeffrey was in the Stansfeld team. On a grey and misty afternoon, the game attracted a great attendance of 672, which was the highest at Step 5 on the day across the country.

Stansfeld were quickly out of the blocks with Glen Bain and Adam Wallis hitting Finn O'Mara and Will Thomas with attempts on goal in the first minute. The ball was eventually cleared by Belboda whose quick feet left Khemani Aiyanyo on the ground and he had to be helped off shortly afterwards to be replaced by Jack Calvert. Stansfeld won a free kick in a threatening position, but Calvert hit it straight to Dan Colmer, then a good Whitstable build up ended with a Bradley Schafer shot being deflected for a corner. Calvert tried a long range shot that swerved towards goal before being pushed away by Colmer. Stansfeld defenders managed to block a couple of shots before they opened the scoring in the 24th minute. Whitstable lost possession and the ball was picked up by Macey Malyon who ran through the middle, past several challenges, before finding Calvert on the right and he shot past Colmer into the roof of the net from a narrow angle. A throw fell to Belboda whose shot struck another player and rebounded to safety, then suddenly Stansfeld doubled their lead in the 29th minute. Bain sent over a cross from the left touchline and Wallis was left unmarked at the far post to volley past Colmer.

Whitstable went close to pulling a goal back in the 34th minute when Belboda received the ball from Jack Nelson, got into the box and past the last defender, but his shot was saved by goalkeeper Cemal Osman. Stansfeld might have added a third immediately afterwards as the dangerous Bain cut in from the left and thundered a shot from 18 yards onto the underside of the bar and, fortunately for Whitstable, it bounced down and out before being cleared. Another Whitstable corner dropped to Belboda and he cleverly made himself room to shoot, but was denied by Osman before the rebound was put over the top. Whitstable ended the half on top, but 2-0 down. They had managed plenty of entries in the box, and won six corners, but Stansfeld had defended better and looked a big threat on the break.

Whitstable returned for the second half with a lot of work needed to turn things around and began brightly with two more corners, although had a scare in the 51st minute when a cross to the back post was headed back across goal, but Colmer was able to collect. A Dean Grant shot on the turn was saved by Osman before Whitstable made two substitutions, introducing Jake McIntyre and Joe Healy. Chances were coming and a corner came back out to Healy whose header was headed out from under the bar by Jeffrey, Fin Cotton's shot glanced off a defender and then Healy just missed the top corner with another effort. An overhead kick by Nelson was saved low down, but a goal seemed likely and it duly arrived in the 65th minute after Schafer put Belboda away on the right and he turned two defenders inside out before shooting past Osman. Roared on by the crowd, Whitstable won a free kick on the left and Schafer's delivery to the head of O'Mara somehow stayed out and they were immediately caught short at the back when a missed header let Stansfeld in to make it 3-1 as Calvert slotted the ball into the net.

It was a big blow to Whitstable's hopes of winning the game, but they kept up the pressure at the other end as Healy headed a Schafer cross too close to Osman and McIntyre tried a right footed shot that was beaten away. In the 84th minute, McIntyre did make it 3-2 when he precisely curled a free kick into the top corner from the right edge of the area after Walledge had been brought down by Tom Green. Whitstable piled on the pressure and after Osman had turned away a cross as Nathan Jeche closed in, Schafer's shot hit an outstretched foot before being cleared. A rare break saw a long range Malyon shot gathered by Colmer, then the referee indicated there would be five added minutes.

Jeche shot over and a bouncing Schafer strike was kept out, but Whitstable's persistence was rewarded with a controversial equaliser. Walledge crossed the ball, Belboda arrived beyond the back post and his effort hit the outside of the post before he hooked the ball back into the middle where Schafer fired it through the crowd to make it 3-3. As the crowd celebrated, Stansfeld protested strongly that the ball had gone out of play after striking the post, but the assistant on the far side did not raise his flag. In the moments that followed, Teddy Green and Ollie Andrews were both sent to the sin bin and there was another card for the Stansfeld bench who had to watch their team conclude the match with nine left on the pitch. Whitstable had one late chance to take all the points when Schafer's left wing cross found Nelson beyond the far post, but he could only steer his header into the side netting. The dramatic ending to an entertaining game meant just one point each, and Whitstable remain top and Stansfeld bottom.

There is no midweek game for Whitstable, so their next game is on Saturday when they travel to play Croydon in the Kent Senior Trophy.

Whitstable	Data	Stansfeld
12	Shots on target	6
8	Shots off target	3
11	Shots blocked	2
11	Corners	1
6	Fouls conceded	6
2	Offside	2
0	Penalties	0

Whitstable Town
Dan Colmer, Ricardo Thompson, Malachai Belboda, Mikey Dalton (Bradley Walledge 74), Finn O’Mara (Nathan Jeche 81), Will Thomas (c), Jack Nelson, Fin Cotton, Dean Grant (Joe Healy 57), Bradley Schafer, Theo Osinfolarin (Jake McIntyre 57).
Sub (unused): Chris Alhassan
Goals: Malachai Belboda 65, Jake McIntyre 84, Bradley Schafer 90+3.

Stansfeld
Cemal Osman, Frankie McCormack, Teddy Green, Ollie Andrews (c), Kai Jeffrey, Stef Kempton (Tom Green 46), Khemani Aiyanyo (Jack Calvert 4, Jimmy Shepherd 87), Adam Wallis, Macey Malyon, Glen Bain, Harrison English.
Subs (unused): Frankie Maciocia, Sam Plant.
Goals: Jack Calvert 24, 68, Adam Wallis 29.
Yellow cards: Frankie McCormack 66, Kai Jeffrey 66, Teddy Green (sin bin) 90+3, Ollie Andrews (sin bin) 90+3, Cemal Osman 90+6.

Attendance: 672
Referee: Jack Mottram
Assistants: Aiden Cooper & Adam Aylward