Whitstable Town 1-2 Tilbury - We beleive we can stay up, says Seager

WHITSTABLE TOWN 1-2 TILBURY
Ryman League Cup Third Round
Tuesday 13^th January 2009
Mike Green reports from KRBS Belmont

WHITSTABLE TOWN bowed out of the Ryman League Cup as the Division One South strugglers were comfortably beaten by one of the surprise teams from division one north.

Last season Tilbury only avoided relegation on the final day of the season - this term, however, the Dockers have turned things around and on this display it wasn’t difficult to see how.

In Rahid Kamara and Manlee Brown, they have a strike force which, with respect to the Oystermen backline, would cause havoc at a higher level.

Whitstable boss Marc Seager admitted afterwards that Kamara was one of the best players he has seen this season.

Seager, speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk and BBC Radio Kent, revealed, “What can you say about Kamara, most managers in Kent would bend over backwards to sign him. To say he was quick would possibly be the understatement of the season.”

The Whitstable boss went on, “We tried something different tonight by playing five at the back and for an hour, to be fair, we looked solid.

“We asked a lot of our midfield three after such a long lay-off, and in the end the non-playing cost us. We just didn’t have the legs.”

For long periods in the first half, Seager’s side found themselves pinned back, but the experimental back-line, with Mark Munday playing between Sam Denly and James Campbell, did soak up most that the visitors had to offer.

When the red wall was breeched, on 27 minutes, following a brilliant cross from Jamie Wallace, Kamara managed to deflect the ball goal wards and somehow Kevin Fewell produced a magnificent reflex save to deny Tilbury.

Whitstable had gone ahead on 15 minutes, following a marvellous run and shot from Ian Pulman.

The former Margate striker cut in from the left hand side, and after being found by skipper Liam Quinn, Pulman let fly from 30-yards and courtesy of a wicked deflection off Ricky Hayles the ball looped into the top left hand corner of the Tilbury net.

Pulman was then denied a second by a fantastic full-length save from Andy Hall - the Tilbury keeper went full length to his left to parry and Dan Whisker following up was denied by a brilliant Joe Keith block.

After the break, the visitors upped their game and levelled on 56 minutes when Brown was afforded two match time at the back post to slam home Wallace’s cross.

With Whitstable still reeling, Kamara gave Tilbury the lead moments later.

The nippy striker cut in from the left and brilliantly curled a shot high over Fewell into the top corner.

The Whitstable keeper then had to be at his alert best to deny Kamara his second, when the striker muscled through and shot low to the keeper’s right. Fewell was indebted to his right boot as the ball cannoned to safety.

With Whitstable pushing on, gaps appeared but Denly held the back-line together, albeit at times with some desperate late defending.

At the other end, the Oystermen strived for the breakthrough, but on two occasions an assistants flag denied Quinn as he burst through.

Both decisions, it would has to be said, were correct as one of the Whitstable strikers was in an offside position, although how active is open to debate.

Afterwards, Seager was left to reflect on his side’s fight for survival, and admitted that he was pleased to have Jon Neal back at the KRBS Belmont.

“Jon may not be fit for the weekend, but it does give us another option,” he said.

“We’ve still have a belief that we will stay in the league, but we know that our results must improve.

“Tonight was used to try things, some worked, some didn’t, but we do now have options that we didn’t before.”

Whitstable Town: Kevin Fewell, Gary Sayer, Danny Tipple, James Campbell, Marcos Perona, Sam Denly, Liam Quinn, Mark Munday (Rob Thomas 68), Ian Pulman, Dave Cory, Dan Whisker.
Subs: Shane O’Donovan, Gareth Cornhill, Dylan Macvicar.

Goal: Ian Pulman 15

Booked: Marcos Perona 60

Tilbury: Andy Hall, Danny Smith, Joe Keith, Ricky Hayles, Junior Baker, Jamie Wallace (Patrick Gaskin 78), Greg Cohen, Michael Black, Rashid Kamara (Jason Fontaine 76), Manlee Brown (Zubair Hazeem 85), Gary Burrell.
Subs: Tom Nyama, Glen Robben.

Goals: Manlee Brown 56, Rashid Kamara 58

Booked: Joe Keith 57

Attendance: 100
Referee: Mr Constantine Hatzidakis (Gravesend)
Assistants: Mr Simon Finnigan (Maidstone) & Mr Robert Ayling (Dover)