Whitstable Town 1-2 Margate. Seager: Thanks for showing us respect!

A passionate crowd of 1,114, the highest crowd at the Belmont for nearly forty years, witnessed an enthralling FA Cup clash.

And when youth team product Jake Gess grabbed the Oystermen the lead, with his fourth goal of the season - against the run of play with five minutes of the first half remaining - Whitstable were in dreamland.

But their energy was sapped from their legs later in the game, especially after winger Micky Lane came within a whisker of putting Whitstable into the next round, but his shot, after a mazy run, struck the top of the near post with 12 minutes remaining - the turning point of the game.

Fans poured into the Belmont ground, graded to host more matches like this in the Ryman League once the club climb out of the Kent League, two hours before this eagerly awaited clash between David and Goliath.

The Whitstable Town faithful, the Oysterboys, found their voices some 45 minutes prior to kick-off and played their part in a real FA Cup atmosphere.

And after just 189 seconds into the game they witnessed the first of many chances reigning towards their goal.

Gravesend born goalkeeper Kevin Fewell, however, was equal to Dean Standen’s long range drive, tipping the ball over his bar.

The Oysterboys were, however, relishing their biggest game of their season so far, outsinging their Thanet counterparts but they held their breath in the fourteenth minute when Margate player-boss Robin Trott headed Lee Proterhoe’s corner past the near post.

The Kent League underdogs fought for every ball against their higher league opponents and one case of this resilience came six minutes later when Steve McKimm was just about to pull the trigger, but in came home grown defender Gary Sayer to make a goal saving penalty box tackle.

Then striker Andy Constable reminded Margate goalkeeper Scott Chalmers-Stevens that the Kent League side would be no pushovers, running into the goalkeeper and being warned by the referee after Mr G Atkins spoke to the flag waving assistant on the packed stand side of the ground.

Constable, meanwhile, had some defensive duties to undertake at the other end, when he nodded Jimmy Jackson’s corner from underneath his own crossbar over for another set piece.

Then McKimm saw a deflected shot loop just past the far post and in total Margate forced a total of nine first half corners, seven more than the hosts.

So it was quite a shock when Whitstable Town stole the lead, against the run of play, with 40 minutes on the clock.

Tom Parker rolled the ball towards Gess and with the Oysterboys roaring him on, kept his composure to slot past Chalmers-Stevens and into the middle of the net.

Another Margate chance went begging on the stroke of half time when Pinnock glanced his header agonisingly past the far post after Protheroe whipped in a cross from the left.

Constable then saw his 20-yard hooked shot spilt by the former Ashford Town (Middlesex) goalkeeper but it was the Kent League leaders, with maximum points from their first six league games, that went into the half-time break with the lead.

Whitstable created a couple of decent chances early in the second half.

Alex Hossick’s corner kick was met by the impressive central defender Josh Maine, but his header flashed over.

Then a long diagonal ball over the top of the Margate defence by Parker sent former Bromley and Sevenoaks Town striker Constable charging towards goal, but his near post shot was never going to beat Chalmers-Stevens.

Fewell made his second superb save in the 57^th minute when he tipped over Jackson’s 22-yard volley over the bar, right in front of the Margate faithful at the River end.

Yiga, under a brave challenge from Maine, wasn’t able to get full purchase on his shot, enabling Fewell to save and both players needed lengthy treatment.

Whitstable striker Steve Marshall, 34, needed to wear a bandage around his head following a head injury, but the former FA Vase winner (with Deal Town with Whitstable Town manager Marc Seager) battled bravely on.

But Margate sensed their hosts were tiring and should have equalised in the 70^th minute but McKimm somehow sent his shot over the bar after Yiga sent in a dangerous low cross from the right.

Then came the turning point with 12 minutes remaining. Lane went on a mazy run down the right hand side, cut into the penalty area, and unleashed a shot towards goal, but his shot bounced back off the top of the near post.

You could, however, sense the relief coming from the Margate fans when they equalised in the 83^rd minute when Yiga rose to plant an eight-yard header past Fewell following Louis Smith’s ball into the goal mouth.

Whitstable’s dreams were shattered with three minutes remaining when former Welling United striker Pinnock scored his sixth goal of the season.

Paul Abbott’s ball over the top found the striker inside the penalty area, and after cutting inside, drove a shot past Fewell and inside his near post.

Former Herne Bay striker Stuart King came desperately close to forcing a lucrative replay at Hartsdown Park on Tuesday night.

Latching onto Gess’ long ball down the middle, King left Smith and Trott in his wake, but his shot was brilliantly blocked by the advancing Chalmers-Stevens.

But Whitstable’s performance left an impression on Margate, both on and off the pitch.

“To be honest I was quite impressed with Whitstable,” said the man that scored the winning goal.

Pinnock added: “They’re a strong team and I wasn’t surprised to see they were top of the league.

“But as soon as we got the one back we looked like going on and winning it.”

Pinnock, meanwhile, was full of praise for the way the home side shut him out - that is until the 87^th minute.

“I think it was my only shot of the game,” he said. “The centre halves were on me for the whole game and it was the one chance I had.

“I just shot early and I caught their keeper by surprise and it went in his near post.”

Robin Trott, Margate’s player-manager, was pleased that the striker took his chance especially with ten-goal leading scorer Danny Hockton injured.

He said: “It’s been hard for Pins, Danny Hockton’s had a knock and Pins’ been up there on his own.

“He deserved the goal today. He had the one chance and he’s put it away . That’s what Pins’ is about.

But Trott, who marked Alan Shearer during Stevenage Borough’s two FA Cup clashes against Newcastle United in the past, was pleased that his side came through unscathed.

“I knew what Whitstable were going to be like,” he said. “We are playing away, a decent pitch but they’re a good team, got a good set-up here, a young team want to play for each other, got a lot of heart, they want to play for their manager, they enjoy their football.”

Marc Seager, Whitstable Town’s proud manager, added: “It’s been a great day for the club. The only disappointing thing is the result at the end of the day.

“We was hanging on at times but we got that goal to get in front and we made it very difficult for them.

“Margate are a top side, played some great stuff today and we had to withstand a lot of pressure in the first half.

“But that’s what cup games are all about. We came in at half-time one-nil up. We just knew 45,46,47 minutes keep a clean sheet and we are in the next round.

“I thought towards the end we started to look really tired. The lads gave everything. I was so proud with them. They’ve done the club proud and we’ve gone out to two great finishes.”

Seager felt his side would have won the game had Lane’s shot not struck the woodwork.

“It’s a couple of millimetres and if we got the second one and gone 2-0 we would have been in the next round to be honest. I think that would have made them totally deflated but as soon as they got the equaliser we couldn’t keep it level for long enough.

“It put them straight back in the game and it was always hard for us to come back against them.

“If I’m honest, in my opinion, I think we deserved a replay. I thought we done enough to have that, but we haven’t that’s the FA Cup. We’re out, we move on, bread and butter stuff, back to the Kent League.”

Seager, who admitted he will “earn his money” raising his troops for the Kent League Cup Group C game against whipping boys Sporting Bengal at the Belmont on Tuesday night, thanked Margate for showing his side respect.

He added: “If I can say fair play and hats off to Margate because Robin Trott and all the Margate people showed us the utmost respect.”

More interviews from this game to follow.