21stjuly03

Goalkeeper Renolds impresses for Whitstable Town
Whitstable Town manager Matt Toms praised new goalkeeper Tony Renolds after the side's 2-1 defeat against Dr Martens League Eastern Division side Hastings United, writes Tony Rouse.

Toms said: "This young lad, is real quality, what a find for Whitstable." Hastings United took the lead on 28 minutes just after the match referee quite sensibly called a water break in the extreme heat, a slip by Dale Watkins allowed a Hastings winger enough time to draw Renolds before slotting the ball to Peter Taylor who site footed into an empty net in a neatly worked goal.

Whitstable responded with a neat corner routine that ended with John Utterson flashing the ball into the Hastings net only for the goal to be ruled offside.

Utterson, said after the game: "It was a perfectly good goal, I slipped onside past the defender to glance the ball into the net, and I was gutted when the goal wasn't given."

Wholesale changes were made at the break, and the Sussex side to double their lead after 57 minutes when Graham Webb scored from the penalty spot, despite a good effort from Renolds to keep the ball out.

Whitstable's Nick Smith was bundled over inside Hastings area and Scott McRobert added his name to the
score sheet with an unstoppable penalty.

New Hastings United manager Steve Lovell, joked before the start of the game, when asked for the team sheet. "

"You'd better give that back I don't know half the players, some are ex YTS from Gillingham, we have never played together as a team before."

After the match a delighted Lovell said: "The result did not matter, it matters to the players because every player wants to win but at this stage of the season it's not about points but it does give the boys confidence a boost when they have won. I think that we got a lot out of the game, it was a very hot day both teams worked hard and it's another step forward. I think we learnt a lot, our Peter Taylor, the left sided lad took the first goal very well; he's a good lad, tricky neat player who gets into the box and causes problems. As a team we have a long way to go yet, there is a month before the start of the season, we have a lot to do but this is a good start."