There will be no repeat of a Kent Senior Cup final for Whitstable this season after a tame exit on a wet night at Ashford. Manager Keith McMahon made six changes to the starting eleven that beat Haywards Heath in the previous game and it was no great surprise that Ashford raced into a two goal lead with early strikes by Gary Lockyer and Josh Wisson. Whitstable did create a couple of chances to get back into the game, but found themselves further behind when defensive errors allowed Jay May to add a third just before half time. Whitstable showed some improvement in a second half that was largely a non-event, but Jack Steventon added a late fourth after a header had rebounded off the bar as Ashford cruised into the second round.

The 2019-20 version of this competition was only completed two weeks ago, with Whitstable finishing runners up to Dartford, but their supporters amongst the very small crowd probably realised this cup run would be a lot shorter when checking the team sheets before the kick off. A reshuffled team included two trialists, Sam Itauma and Mekhi Hyde, and 16 year old Jacob Couzens was named as one of the substitutes. Ashford, currently second in the league, had won the corresponding league fixture 2-0 in October.

With Storm Barra crossing Kent during the early evening, just 88 turned out to watch this cup tie, which must have been in doubt despite the 3G pitch, as the heavy showers before and during the game left a lot of standing water on the playing surface. Dan Eason saved an early shot from Lockyer, but the striker found the net with his next attempt in the 5th minute when Whitstable were unable to clear a long throw. It was 2-0 in the 8th minute when another long throw caused problems and Steventon eventually pulled the ball back for Wisson to find the right corner of the net. Whitstable did test Tyler McCarthy in the home goal when Jake Mackenzie played the ball forward for Hyde whose shot skidded off the wet pitch before being saved. As the rain returned, Eason did well to turn a long range strike from Steventon around the post. Muhammed Cham had a great opportunity to pull a goal back in the 34th minute when he ran on to a good ball from Harry Goodger, but after he got past the covering defender and into the box, he had to contend with a large pool of water as he attempted to beat McCarthy who was able to make the save. Ashford had several more off target attempts, but May made no mistake in the 45th minute when Tommie Fagg took advantage of some sloppy defending to play the ball into his path.

Whitstable made a couple of changes at half time, introducing Gus Barnes and Stephen Okoh and their extra pace did cause the home team a few more problems. Okoh made a good run into the box before being halted and Barnes sent over a few dangerous crosses, one of which gave Goodger the chance to try an overhead finish, but the effort went wide. Steventon was cautioned for bringing down Okoh as he broke clear from the halfway line. There was a nice moment for the club when Jacob Couzens, who first joined Whitstable at the age of 6, came off the bench for his first team debut on 76 minutes. Ashford were awarded a fourth goal in the 87th minute, although as Eason tried to claim a cross from the right, he appeared to be impeded by Luke Burdon whose header came back off the bar before Steventon put the rebound into the net. It made little difference on the night as Ashford progressed comfortably to the next round.

The focus for Whitstable now returns to league points with two Saturday games remaining before Christmas, Sevenoaks away and East Grinstead at home.

Ashford Utd	Data	Whitstable
6	Shots on target	2
7	Shots off target	2
3	Shots blocked	0
4	Corners	4
5	Fouls conceded	7
1	Offside	0
0	Penalties	0

Ashford United
Tyler McCarthy, Tariq Ossai, Bradley Simms, Josh Wisson (c), Jack Steventon, Daniel Hull, Brett Patton, Tommie Fagg (Levi Gold 77), Jay May (Luke Burdon 64), Gary Lockyer, Mamadou Diallo (Roberto Ratti 72).
Subs (unused): Liam Friend, Tashi-Jay Kwayie.
Goals: Gary Lockyer 5, Josh Wisson 8, Jay May 45, Jack Steventon 87.
Yellow card: Jack Steventon 67

Whitstable Town
Dan Eason, Sam Itauma, James Brown (Gus Barnes 46), Victor Aiyelabola, Will Thomas, Tom Mills (c), Rodney Eruotor (Jacob Couzens 76), Jake Mackenzie, Harry Goodger, Mekhi Hyde (Stephen Okoh 46), Muhammed Cham.
Subs (unused): Junior Baker, Kemo Darboe.

Attendance: 88
Referee: Wayne Horsfall
Assistants: Teddy Osborn & Jack Mottram