An early goal was enough for VCD to take the three points on a very windy afternoon in Crayford. Whitstable started the game, looking like a team that had not played for a couple of weeks and paid the price when Alex Gaggin shot past Dan Eason. Whitstable struggled to create much at all and the home team looked the more likely to find the net again, although two efforts from a narrow angle by Gaggin that were pushed out by the Whitstable goalkeeper were the nearest they came. Whitstable only managed two shots on target in a game that will not live long in the memory of the meagre crowd.

VCD started this fixture in 10th place, with one more point than Whitstable, having played an extra game. The teams drew 1-1 back in October at the Belmont. The last outing for VCD resulted in a 1-0 win at Herne Bay, but Whitstable had not played for two weeks, since their draw with Ramsgate. Whitstable manager Lloyd Blackman named an unchanged team.

The pitch contained several sanded areas, although the game was not really in any doubt despite the recent rain. A bigger factor was the strong wind that blew throughout the afternoon to make conditions challenging for both teams and the 79 in attendance, almost half of which had travelled to support Whitstable. VCD twice got into threatening positions in the opening stages, before the Whitstable defence blocked balls in the box, but they did not have long to wait to take the lead. A long punt upfield by Jack Steventon saw Charlie Macdonald get past Tom Bryant and play the ball across to Gaggin, who worked himself an opening before hitting a left footed shot past a couple of defenders and Eason into the net in the 8th minute. A brief spell of Whitstable pressure led to Harry Stannard flicking the ball through to Aaron Millbank, but his shot was comfortably held by former Cray Wanderers goalkeeper Nick Blue.

Whitstable suffered an injury blow when their captain, Bryant, hurt his knee when challenged by Macdonald and had to be helped off before being replaced by Leo Mazzone, with Luke Girt dropping back into the defence. Bode Anidugbe struck a weak free kick straight at Eason and then in the 29th minute, Gaggin sent in a low cross from the right that Eason had to push behind at his near post. From the resulting corner, Gaggin was played in again by Anidugbe before trying his luck again from a very tight angle and once again Eason kept the ball out. Stannard swung a free kick dangerously into the box, but the home defence cleared the ball away and there was nothing else of significance to report in the first half, so VCD still led by the single goal at the break.

In the 53rd minute, Mazzone, probably the most effective Whitstable player on the day, fed John Ufuah who got the better of Bradley Simms and hit a good shot from just inside the box, but Blue was able to make the save. There were two chances at the other end, early in the second half, for Henry Ikeije, but he blazed both well over the top. Jay Hards replaced Marshall Wratten on 71 minutes, as Whitstable tried in vain to find an equaliser against a physical home defence. Ali Fuseini attempted a low shot that was safely held by Eason, before the referee got his yellow card out three times in the space of a few minutes. The two big VCD central defenders both went into the book for heavy challenges, then Tijan Jadama joined them soon afterwards. Fuseini and substitute Ainsley Everett tried to extend the lead without success and Whitstable won their only corner in the 91st minute that was headed over by Mazzone. In truth though, neither team really looked much like scoring and the home team were happy to see out the game and take maximum points from a game played in difficult conditions.

Whitstable are now scheduled to play Ramsgate at the Belmont Ground in a Kent Senior Cup quarter final on Tuesday, before Guernsey visit on Saturday, assuming the weather does not have other ideas.

VCD	Data	Whitstable
6	Shots on target	2
5	Shots off target	2
1	Shots blocked	1
6	Corners	1
14	Fouls conceded	11
5	Offside	2
0	Penalties	0

VCD Athletic
Nick Blue, Bradley Simms, Raphe Brown, Temi Eweka, Jack Steventon, Rob Bartley, Alex Gaggin (Ayman El-Mogharbel 83), Bode Anidugbe, Ali Fuseini (Theo Fairweather-Johnson 90+2), Charlie Macdonald (c), Henry Ikeije (Ainsley Everett 61).
Subs (unused): Harry Sargent, Theo Mackenzie.
Goal: Alex Gaggin 8
Yellow cards: Temi Eweka 75, Rob Bartley 80.

Whitstable Town
Dan Eason, Jake Mackenzie, James Brown (Liam Dickson 90+1), Luke Girt, Ollie Rowe, Tom Bryant (c) (Leo Mazzone 22), John Ufuah, Tijan Jadama, Aaron Millbank, Harry Stannard, Marshall Wratten (Jay Hards 71).
Sub (unused): Josh Spencer
Yellow card: Tijan Jadama 82

Attendance: 79
Referee: Simon Finnigan
Assistants: Peter Georgiou & Paul Agboola