A young Whitstable team progressed to the third round of the Velocity Trophy with a win at their local rivals, just a couple of weeks after Herne Bay had comfortably won the corresponding league game. George McIlroy scored the only goal of the first half during a good period of play by Whitstable and Dan Eason later made a couple of good saves to ensure his team held the advantage at the interval. Callum Watts increased the lead early in the second half and a late consolation by Bode Anidugbe was not enough for the home team in a tie watched by a crowd of 511.

Whitstable entered the competition at this stage, but Herne Bay had beaten East Grinstead 6-1 in the previous round. Herne Bay made five changes from the team that had won the Christmas league meeting 7-2 and Whitstable made four, but both still looked relatively strong. Young goalkeeper Lucas Hanley started for the home team, which included leading goal threats Zak Ansah and Kieron Campbell, also former Whitstable striker Aaron Millbank. Keith McMahon gave a debut to the under 18 captain and defender Cameron Chamberlain, who played alongside experienced heads Junior Baker and Tom Mills in the heart of the defence. The match day squad included four other teenagers, McIlroy, Watts, Samuel Itauma and Montrell Deslandes. Danny Walder returned after missing the last match, but Kemo Darboe and Muhammed Cham were amongst those unavailable.

Herne Bay started brightly, winning some early corner kicks and having a few sights of goal without testing the goalkeeper, while at the other end the lively Watts and McIlroy both had efforts blocked.
Whitstable took the lead in the 21st minute when Harry Goodger got his head to a ball from Eason, sending it out to the right where Watts beat his marker before squaring it between the last defender and advancing goalkeeper to leave McIlroy the simple task of rolling it into an empty net. Whitstable had a good spell and Itauma got clear on the right, but his low shot was easily saved, then Goodger was played through with a neat ball and took an early shot that flew wide. Walder received a pass from McIlroy and struck a first time shot from distance that might have been heading towards the top corner, but Hanley tipped over. In the 33rd minute, a Herne Bay corner was headed out by Baker as far as Campbell whose shot was well saved by Eason. The Whitstable goalkeeper denied Campbell again a few minutes later, then also did well to push an Ansah shot around the post and Whitstable led 1-0 at the break.

Eason saved an early shot from Adem Ramadan after the restart before Walder collected the only caution of the evening for a foul. Ramadan shot wide after his initial free kick had rebounded off the wall. Goodger did well to win a corner on the right that was scrambled away at the second attempt, but Whitstable did manage to double their advantage soon afterwards in the 55th minute. Goodger received a forward pass and spread the ball out to Itauma on the right. The young full back had a little fortune, playing an accidental one-two with defender Jacques Kpohomouh, but then drove on towards the box before slipping the ball perfectly into the path of Watts who steered it past Hanley to score his first goal for the club. The ever dangerous Campbell delivered a good low cross, but there was nobody to apply the finish. Herne Bay made two substitutions, introducing Anidugbe and Kane Phillip, and Whitstable sent on Stephen Okoh in place of Goodger who had done a great job up front.

Chamberlain had an impressive debut alongside his more experienced teammates, and the home team were struggling to get through a well organised Whitstable defence, with a couple of wayward efforts from distance and another Ramadan shot not really troubling Eason. Play was briefly halted while an incident that saw an object thrown into the Whitstable goalmouth in the 73rd minute was dealt with by the referee. Herne Bay had rarely looked like getting back into the game since falling two behind, until they pulled a goal back in the 84th minute to give them some hope. Anidugbe won the ball in midfield and fed Campbell who tried to find Millbank in the box and although Itauma got across quickly to block, the ball ran loose for Anidugbe to score. Kpohomouh chipped a threatening ball into the box shortly afterwards, but Whitstable just managed to clear, then Herne Bay sent over a couple of crosses that Eason claimed safely under pressure. There was one final opportunity for an equaliser in the 96th minute when the home goalkeeper went up for a corner, but the away fans breathed a sigh of relief when the ball went straight into the side netting and the final whistle soon followed, confirming an away win and a trip to face Margate in the next round.

The Margate tie, and a reunion with former manager Lloyd Blackman, will take place on Tuesday 25th January at Hartsdown Park, but next up for Whitstable is a testing home league fixture on Saturday against the current leaders Hastings.

Herne Bay	Data	Whitstable
6	Shots on target	4
6	Shots off target	3
6	Shots blocked	3
11	Corners	3
3	Fouls conceded	11
5	Offside	2
0	Penalties	0

Herne Bay
Lucas Hanley, Jacques Kpohomouh (Jack Parter 87), Reion McFarlane, Bradley Schafer (Kane Phillip 65), Dan Johnson, Daniel Carrington, Adem Ramadan, Hamilton Antonio, Zak Ansah (c) (Bode Anidugbe 65), Aaron Millbank, Kieron Campbell.
Subs (unused): Laurence Harvey, Jordan Perrin.
Goal: Bode Anidugbe 84

Whitstable Town
Dan Eason, Samuel Itauma, James Brown, Junior Baker, Cameron Chamberlain (Will Thomas 87), Tom Mills (c), Callum Watts (Montrell Deslandes 70), Danny Walder, Harry Goodger (Stephen Okoh 66), Jake Mackenzie, George McIlroy (Alex Gaggin 90+3).
Subs (unused): Victor Aiyelabola
Goals: George McIlroy 21, Callum Watts 55.
Yellow card: Danny Walder 49

Attendance: 511
Referee: Nick Dunn
Assistants: Marcin Indyk & Mathew Pointer