A patched up Whitstable team began 2026 with their eighth straight win, taking their outstanding league form since the start of October to twelve wins and a draw from their thirteen games played. An early goal by Nathan Jeche set them on their way, but for the remainder of the first half Sutton Athletic, who won the reverse fixture in August, enjoyed plenty of possession without really troubling Dan Colmer in the home goal. In the second half, Whitstable were clinical when they got the opportunities to add to their lead and eventually ran out 4-0 winners with a great Bradley Schafer volley and two well taken Javaun Splatt goals sending most of the 1,110 crowd home in good spirits.

Seventh placed Sutton Athletic had won 4-1 when the teams met early in the season, so despite Whitstable's great run of form that has seen them move to the top of the table, this looked like a challenging fixture to start the new year for the depleted Oystermen. Dean Grant was suspended, Mikey Dalton and Jake McIntyre injured and Joe Healy unwell. Jack Peters has returned to the club from Margate and was given a start in midfield. Former Whitstable players Ashdon Day and "T" Akanni were in the Sutts team. This was the third successive game that Whitstable had played at their home ground over the Christmas and New Year period, with their scheduled "away" fixture being against tenants Faversham Strike Force. Each game has been watched by over a thousand people and official average home attendance is now over 700.

Whitstable were a little slow to deal with a throw in, which allowed Conor Evans a sight of goal in the first minute, but he shot over the bar from outside the box. Finn O'Mara headed the first Whitstable corner back across goal and wide before Malachai Belboda picked up a cheap yellow card for delaying the restart when the ball had gone out. The home supporters had an early goal to celebrate in the 10th minute when Peters sent the ball forward for Nathan Jeche who ran from his own half, got past Cameron Reardon and dinked the ball over Jack Glassborrow into the net. The next Whitstable corner was deep and retrieved by O'Mara whose cross was headed over by Javaun Splatt. On 19 minutes, Bradley Schafer robbed Billy Muckle who proceeded to pull the Whitstable player back to earn himself a booking and the free kick from 25 yards was taken by Splatt whose shot was pushed away by Glassborrow. Will Thomas was first to the loose ball, but could only hit the side netting from a narrow angle.

Schafer then slipped the ball through to Splatt on the left and he curled the ball past Glassborrow and wide of the far post. In the 34th minute Akanni found some space in the box and his shot across goal went wide, but with the visitors expecting a corner, the officials disagreed and a goal kick was the result. Whitstable made an early change in the 38th minute when Belboda, who was already on a yellow card, had a final warning from the referee after a foul and the bench decided to replace him with Fin Cotton. A left wing cross was put wide by Day at the near post as the visitors struggled to test Dan Colmer despite some neat play in midfield. A promising run by Jayden Boulton brought no reward and Whitstable took their 1-0 lead into the break.

At the start of the second half, a free kick by Akanni was comfortably caught by Colmer, but Sutton went close to levelling the scores in the 55th minute. A patient build up gave Muckle the chance to cross from the left, Day poked the ball across goal and Whitstable were rescued by Peters who twice threw himself in front of shots by Aidan Ward and Evans to block. It was then the turn of Namory Kane to get back and deny Schafer when he tried to apply the finish to a Jeche cross. Splatt was next to try, running in from the left before his initial shot was saved and his follow up deflected wide. Whitstable scored their second in the 59th minute when Boulton sent over a good cross from the left corner that was met by Schafer about eight yards out and his left footed volley flew past Glassborrow. Before play restarted, the referee showed a yellow card to one of the visiting coaching staff, after running out of patience with the abuse coming from the bench.

Whitstable went in search of another and Cotton almost got on the end of a Splatt cross. Day went into the book for a challenge on O'Mara, then Sutton made a triple substitution. The points were wrapped up when Whitstable scored again in the 73rd minute after Splatt did well to win possession in the centre circle and pass to Jeche who returned it to Splatt who had continued his run and calmly slotted the ball past Glassborrow. Peters sent Jeche away down the left and he cut into the box, but shot just wide of the far post. Whitstable were unsuccessful with three quick corners, but made it 4-0 in added time when two substitutes combined to set up Splatt. Brad Walledge won the ball and Jack Nelson played a nicely weighted pass for Splatt to stroke home his 19th goal of the season. There might have been a late consolation for Sutton when a cross was only cleared to Joel Wakefield, but his shot struck O'Mara and was cleared away. The freezing weather had wiped out the day's league programme on grass, meaning this result put Whitstable eight points clear at the top.

On Saturday, Whitstable will aim to win their 11th successive league game away from home when they visit Stansfeld, the last team to take a point off them.

Whitstable	Data	Sutton Athletic
6	Shots on target	1
5	Shots off target	6
4	Shots blocked	4
7	Corners	2
7	Fouls conceded	12
1	Offside	0
0	Penalties	0

Whitstable Town
Dan Colmer, Ricardo Thompson, Jayden Boulton, Jack Peters, Finn O’Mara, Will Thomas (c), Nathan Jeche (Jack Nelson 84), Isaac Currie, Javaun Splatt, Bradley Schafer, (Brad Walledge 90), Malachai Belboda (Fin Cotton 38).
Subs (unused): Josh Robson, Thiago Ferreira.
Goals: Nathan Jeche 10, Bradley Schafer 59, Javaun Splatt 73, 90+2.
Yellow card: Malachai Belboda 7

Sutton Athletic
Jack Glassborrow, Namory Kane, Jake McCarthy (James Bayford 66), Billy Muckle (Ben White 74), Ryan Mahal, Cameron Reardon (Tod Bamber 66), Aidan Ward (Frank Little 66), Alex Arif (Joel Wakefield 72), Ashdon Day, Conor Evans (c), Omotunmise Akanni.
Subs (unused): none
Yellow cards: Billy Muckle 19, Ashdon Day 63.

Attendance: 1,110
Referee: Tyler Diminieux
Assistants: Tom Baker & Aiden Cooper