Whitstable Town 1-0 Redhill - Seager keen on securing Munday

The experienced central midfielder was one of 22 players that Seager fielded during the club’s opening pre-season friendly, against decent opposition in Sussex County League top-flight outfit, Redhill.

“Mark Munday has done the pre-season with us and done really well,” Seager told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“He’s had a great career, he’s a great player (and) he knows his legs won’t last forever.

“But I feel he can improve us in anyway and gives us something that we haven’t got, which he showed in the first half.

“When you look in the first half, he never gave the ball away, so he’s had a good, solid game.

“We know where we’re going and hopefully we can work something out - he hasn’t actually put pen to paper.”

The Surrey side had some familiar faces in their side with former Bromley manager Stuart McIntyre in charge and Tommy Sampson was able to make the match, sitting down in a white chair beside the away dug-out.

Former Maidstone United trio, goalkeeper, Michal Czanner, left-back, Jason Barton and right-back Paul Ribbons, played the entire 90 minutes, as did former Bromley pair, Dean Forbes, who played a holding midfield role, and striker, Marcel Dennis. Former Margate man, Michael Azzopardi came off the bench during the second half.

Whitstable Town were able to field two squads during the game, but were without their influential midfielder Clint Gooding, who turned his ankle at the training ground a couple of night’s ago.

Seager admitted afterwards that the eleven players that started the game didn’t impress as the new players need time to settle in.

The crowd of 85 were able to cast their eyes on new signings, Paul Ainsworth (Walton & Hersham), Jack Tanner (Dover Athletic), Jack Crawford (Stevenage Borough) and James Campbell (Sittingbourne).

And there were other players who were keen to impress Seager, including Munday, who played for Ramsgate last season, Nathan Eastwood and Bertie Braidwood, promoted from the club’s reserve side, Shane Suter, who played for Ramsgate and Chatham Town last season, and reserve team player Stephen Baines, who came in following Gooding’s withdrawal.

But it was Redhill who impressed during the first half until their lack of numbers ensured they tried during the second half.

Whitstable Town’s second half side, who performed much better than the players’ they had replaced, went on to miss an 69^th minute penalty, through striker Dave Cory, but Rob Thomas ensured they sealed the win, scoring late on.

When Whitstable’s left-sided midfielder Shane Suter rolled an angled left-footed shot into Czanner’s arms with just thirteen seconds on the clock, things looked good for the Kent side.

But Redhill began to take control, as Whitstable’s new players found it difficult to settle in.

Redhill’s impressive central midfielder, Aaron Murphy, cut into the home side’s penalty area after eight minutes but his shot was dealt with by Kevin Fewell.

Peter Barkley, the only player to be booked during the game, blazed his right-footed shot high above Fewell’s crossbar from thirty-yards and the same thing occurred when Barton tried his luck from similar distance.

When Whitstable striker Ian Pulman sent his drilled right-footed free-kick well wide after half-an-hour, this summed up the Kent side’s disjointed performance.

However, they almost grabbed the lead after 32 minutes when Fewell’s clearance found Pulman, who squared the ball to ginger-haired Tanner, whose stroked left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area was parried by Czanner.

Fewell was called into action at the other end immediately when Ahmet Suleymanoglu cut inside Eastwood and drilled a right-footed shot towards the near corner from inside the penalty area, but the goalkeeper, who missed only one game last season, dived to his right to push the shot around his near post.

Fewell ensured it was level at the break, getting down low to keep out Murphy’s dinked right-footed shot from the edge of the box, after he latched onto a short pass from Dennis.

But an inspiring second half display from Whitstable ensured they opened their campaign with a win under their belts.

Seager missed the last eight minutes of the first half to issue instructions to his second half side, and they responded in style.

“They obviously saw the mistakes and I’m pleased for them that they actually learnt from what they actually saw from the first half,” Seager said of his second half side.

“Most of the side were players who have been playing together for a little while, where the first (half) team was made up of players’ new to the club.

“I thought we looked sharper second half but a lot of that was down to the lads keeping their shape better.”

Jake Gess headed two early chances off target, following balls into the box from Tommy Martin and Nick Bagley.

But Redhill should have broken the deadlock after 53 minutes when Dennis latched onto a route-one clearance straight down the middle of the pitch from Slovakian goalkeeper Czanner, but the nippy striker sent his right-footed lob from eighteen-yards over.

Gess squandered an excellent chance after 67 minutes when he turned Cory’s low centre from the right over with his right-footed shot from eight-yards.

But they were made to pay the penalty, something that will cost them league points when their campaign kick’s off for real, at Chipstead on 16^th August.

Eighteen-year-old defender Charlie Stagg was guilty for upending Dan Whisker on the left-hand side of the penalty area, but Cory’s right-footed penalty bounced off the foot of the right-hand post and Gess wasted the rebound.

As Redhill, who only brought a fourteen-man squad with them, tired, Whitstable’s frustration continued, especially after Cory blazed a good chance over, Dan Whisker and Nick Bagley both went on to find the side netting.

Dennis got in behind the Kent side’s defence in the last ten minutes but he was denied by the advancing Crawford, who blocked the shot with his legs.

But Whitstable’s persistence finally paid off.

Tom Parker delivered a corner towards the far post and Thomas’ side-footed shot from six-yards, crept inside the bottom left-hand corner, through a crowd of players.

Seager admitted some players found it difficult in the warm and sunny conditions.

“Typical first pre-season game,” he said. “As a player, I always looked forward to them but as a manager I’m just pleased we got it out of the way really.

“Everybody’s a little bit rusty, a few cob webs and that, but it was a good work out today.

“The lads’ worked hard and we could have been a lot more convincing in the end.

“So giving a run of 22 players and the same will happen again (at home to Margate) for Tuesday and then I’ll start whittling them down to make sure we’re ready for the 16^th (August) against Chipstead.”

Redhill’s manager, Stuart McIntyre, meanwhile, admitted a lack of numbers put pay to his side’s chances.

“I thought we played well first half and the game was effected second half with them being really fresh and we still had basically the eleven that we started with,” the Scott told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“Their legs started to tire a little bit but I thought we gave a good account of ourselves.”

The former Bromley and Kingstonian manager, who was without striker Tony Reid (foot) and pint-sized former Dartford midfielder Teddy Ansell, who was attending a wedding, added: “Whitstable were fresh at the beginning of the game and fresh at the start of the second half but I thought the players did well to deal with that.”

Whitstable Town: Kevin Fewell (Jack Crawford 45), Nathan Eastwood (Gary Sayer 45), Danny Tipple (Tom Parker 45), Liam Quinn (Rob Thomas 45), Paul Ainsworth (James Campbell 45), Mark Munday (Stephen Baines 45), Jack Tanner (Tommy Martin 45), Marcos Perona (Dan Whisker 45), Ian Pulman (Nick Bagley 45), Bertie Braidwood (Dave Cory 45), Shane Suter (Jake Gess 45).

Goal: Rob Thomas 89

Redhill: Michal Czanner, Paul Ribbens, Jason Barton, Aaron Murphy, Charlie Stagg, John Difford, Tommy Brown (Jonathan Birkholtz 67) Dean Forbes (Michael Azzopardi 57), Ahmet Suleymanoglu (Lee Radford 45), Peter Barkley, Marcel Dennis.

Booked: Peter Barkley 76

Attendance: 85
Referee: Mr Daniel Wyatt
Assistants: Mr B Wesley & Mr W Cooksey