Faversham Town 2-2 AFC Whyteleafe - I believe in my players so much, I think they've got so much ability that I just get disappointed when we don't perform to our full potential, says Faversham Town boss Tommy Warrilow

Faversham Town 2 – 2 AFC Whyteleafe
Location	Salters Lane, Faversham, Kent ME13 8ND
Kickoff	03/01/2026 15:00

FAVERSHAM TOWN  2-2  AFC WHYTELEAFE
Isthmian League South East Division
Saturday 3 January 2026
Stephen McCartney reports from Salters Lane

FAVERSHAM TOWN manager Tommy Warrilow says he was feeling grateful for an important point against fellow promotion chasers AFC Whyteleafe at Salters Lane.

The Lilywhites threw away a two-goal lead in front of their highest crowd of the season, as 1,202 fans braved the freezing conditions to watch an entertaining game against Ennio Gonnella's talented side, that have scored four goals in a game on 12 occasions this campaign following promotion.

Faversham Town winger, Kieron Campbell, scored his first goal since 25 October, before attacking midfielder Tommie Fagg, 28, flicked in his seventh goal of the season, following a well-worked three-man set-piece routine to put the Kent side in the driving seat.

However, AFC Whyteleafe dominated the second half and scored twice in the space of only 222 seconds, courtesy of man-of-the-match, right-winger Ryan Gondoh, 28, flicking in his tenth goal of the season, before attacking midfielder Daniel Bennett came off the bench to slot in his 14^th goal of the season.

“Yes, listen, after the second half, I’m grateful for a point,” admitted Warrilow.

“Listen, they’re a good side. Their movement etc, but it’s such a shame we couldn’t put a couple more chances away in the first half and at two-nil, it’s a difficult scoreline.

“I thought first half we were patient. We kept our shape as well as we could, got the two goals, which obviously is a big plus. It’s just a shame we couldn’t get that third.

“We came in at half-time. We knew they’ll go gung-ho. We’ve let a goal in early which is difficult and the second one, why are we trying to play again in the wrong areas? And we got caught and punished.

“To be honest, apart from the odd counter-attack, they were at us so we’ve come out and got what could be an important point.

“They’re just a footballing side, their movement is good. We went down their place and their movement was good and we got a 3-0 (win) down there.

“But for some reason in the second half we seemed to sit in a little bit too deep and like I said we’re playing in the wrong areas and it’s cost us and distances became a little bit big between the front and the back so we left Josh Ajayi isolated a little bit.

“I was thinking of an actual chance in the second half? That’s unlike us.  We normally create, like the first half. We had a couple more chances to score and we’ve not taken that.”

AFC Whyteleafe, who played out from the back and Faversham Town didn't really go and press them, created their first opening after only 64 seconds when centre-half Aaron Goode (who appeared to be carrying some weight) played the ball up to 11-goal central striker Moses Emmanuel, who played the ball out to high right-back Craig Braham-Barrett, who cut into the box and the ball came out to Gondoh, whose left-footed deflected drive from 30-yards was comfortably gathered by Faversham keeper Mitchell Beeney.

With Adam Flemming on AFC Whyteleafe’s management team, it was no surprise that they played tippy-tappy football and bossed the possession stakes during the whole contest.  The away side even won the corner count by eight-to-none.

Faversham Town centre-half Ben Gorham tripped Whyteleafe winger Eniola Hassan and Gondoh floated the resulting free-kick in from the right touchline with his left-foot.

Beeney flicked the ball away (high to his right) and the ball dropped to the unmarked Anthony Grant but the Whyteleafe central midfielder sent his left-footed half-volley looping over the empty goal from 15-yards on the left hand side of the penalty area.

Faversham Town started the game at a very slow tempo but they grabbed the lead through Campbell’s fourth goal of the season, with 16 minutes and 11 seconds on the clock.

Gorham drilled a long ball along the deck that released right-winger Nathan Wood down the channel and he poked the ball to high right-back Bradley Simms, whose cross into the box was cleared out to Campbell, who took a touch before clinically curling his right-footed shot into the bottom far corner from 25-yards on the angle.

“That’s what I mean,” said Warrilow, “Good start, the full-backs were high, good delivery and KC. I’m pleased for him because he’s cutting in and getting shots off of late and he’s not hit the mark for a little while, first time for a little while, so it’s a perfect start.”

The Lilywhites produced a sweeping counter-attacking move (17:49) when Fagg was released down the right and he fed Wood on the overlapping run and his cross found striker Joshua Ajayi at the far post but Whyteleafe had a couple of players inside the six-yard box to deny the 23-year-old former Ramsgate man.

A long ball out of the Faversham half by Fagg put Ajayi through on goal but visiting goalkeeper Slavomir Huk came off his line to make a big save, with 22:16 on the clock and Faversham creating the goalscoring chances through direct play, usually starting from Gorham's right-boot out of the home side's back four.

“We could’ve had a goal and we had one off the line from Josh when we’ve crossed and Josh has gone through and made his own chance one-on-one and the goalie saved it and that’s two I can think off,” added Warrilow.

“But yes, listen, we don’t have the divine right to turn up and win a game of football. They’re a good side, they’re up there and they’re up there for a reason and they’ve got some very, very good players, so we’ve taken four points out of six off them so if we can do that with everyone in and around us, then we won’t be far off there.”

But AFC Whyteleafe were wasteful in front of goal, as a diagonal through ball from Jordan Johnson split open Faversham left-back Frankie Smith to put Hassan through on goal but his right-footed angled drive was tipped around the post by Beeney, diving to his right to tip around the post and behind (23:09) for the away side’s first corner.

“Yes, listen, they’re going to get chances, they’re a good team, they’re up there for a reason, so they’re going to have chances, of course they are,” admitted Warrilow.

“But the thing is, you’ve got to take your chances and that’s been our problem. That’s been our problem all season and again I say it, irrelevant of the second half performance, we should’ve come in more than two-nil up.”

AFC Whyteleafe squandered a good opening (27:43) when right-back Craig Braham-Barrett (who launched four long throws into the Faversham box during the game) hit a long first time ball forward before Johnson played in Helge Orome, who lacked composure inside the box and drilled his right-footed shot just past the top of the right-hand post with only the keeper to beat.

Braham-Barrett then travelled over the halfway line and into the final third before playing the ball into Emmanuel, who laid the ball back to the 37-year-old right-back who dragged his low left-footed shot past the right-hand post from a central position some 25-yards from goal.

Faversham Town grabbed their second goal, courtesy a three-man throw-in routine, with 40 minutes and 17 seconds on the clock.

Simms launched his second (of four) long throws into the box, this one was from the left, the ball was flicked on at the near-post by Gorham and the ball dropped to Fagg, who flicked his right-footed shot across Huk to nestle inside the bottom far corner from inside the six-yard box.

“To get the second one from a long throw and a flick, I was delighted with that,” said Warrilow.

“That’s ideal, obviously we work on them and everyone’s got long throws now, like they have. Everyone moans about them or whatever. I don’t know what they’re moaning about because it’s gone full circle at the highest level now. Free kicks and throw-ins and set-pieces are massive!

“I don’t think we had a corner today. No corner. It’s one of them where our deliveries have been really good.

“Listen, at two-nil, I’m obviously disappointed that we’ve let a two-goal lead go. I can’t stand here but at the same time I’m grateful for a point because I think the second half we lost our way.”

The Lilywhites were comfortably two-goal in front at the interval but Gonnella brought on Bennett and ditched their crab (backwards and sideways) football and played plenty of attractive attacking football that put the home team on the back foot for most of the second half.

Warrilow added: “Just to be aware. I said (at half-time) ‘it’s not over yet!’ Obviously the first half, it wasn’t like we ran riot and dominated it all. It was a hard-fought first half but we done a good professional job but the second half we’ve made life a lot difficult for ourselves. We were playing in the wrong areas.”

Fagg found space some 35-yards from goal and cut onto his right-foot before drilling a drive, which was comfortably gathered by Huk after only 67 seconds into the second half.

AFC Whyteleafe produced some slick passing football as they deservedly pulled a goal back with 12 minutes and 1 second on the clock.

Keeping the ball on the deck (one of Flemming’s coaching traits), the away side sprayed the ball about before Gondoh entered the final third, played the ball into Emmanuel (who was closed down by centre-halves Matthew Newman and Gorham on the edge of the penalty area) and his sublime reverse ball played in the composed Gondoh, who clinically flicked his left-footed shot across the advancing Beeney to find the bottom far corner.

Warrilow said: “Two things, one, they shouldn’t be going through us like that, that easy and again just track your runners. There’s enough bodies in there to shut up shop and we didn’t and at two-one it gives you (AFC Whyteleafe) a lift.

“We played a side here that like to rotate and pass the ball and whatever and I’ve got no qualms with teams that do that but the one thing I’ll say with Whyteleafe is second half today they done that and they done it in the right areas, which has opened opportunities for them.

“Most teams that we play against, like the so-called keeping the ball, normally just go side-to-side, backwards and whatever and I’ve got no problem with that but today second half, like I said, they exploited us a little bit and they get their just rewards.

“But I don’t want people to forget about the first half. I wish we could’ve swapped it around, finished how we started and then we’ll be talking about that but first half, good, happy. Second half, one of them.”

AFC Whyteleafe still created a couple of goalscoring chances before they deservedly restored parity.

Firstly, high left-back Aziz Sankoh drilled in a left-footed cross from within the left channel towards the back post where the unmarked Bennett knocked his header towards the near corner, only for a diving Beeney to use a strong left-hand to push the ball behind for a corner (14:09).

“Again, a free header from someone not tracking their runner in the box! It’s just basic stuff and luckily Mitch has got his hand to it,” added Warrilow, who was asked about the 30-year-old goalkeeper’s performance while Jacob Russell is still out with his torn hip flexor injury.

“Alright, he’s a good goalie, he’s not on trial or nothing. He’s come in here, he’s a proven goalie. What he had to do today, he done well, so I can’t fault him for any of the goals really, so he’s doing his job.”

Braham-Barrett’s third long throw came in from the left and centre-half Corey Holder flicked his header straight at Beeney, who grabbed hold of the ball but Faversham Town holding midfielder Aaron Barnes was at fault for the equaliser when it arrived with 15 minutes and 43 seconds on the clock.

Barnes had his pocket picked inside the defensive third by a hungry Johnson (they call it pressing nowadays), who slipped a lovely pass in behind Gorham to feed Bennett, who clinically drilled his left-footed shot across Beeney to find the bottom far corner.

Warrilow recalled a similar situation during last Saturday’s 2-1 win at Sheppey United, which led to Harrison Pont being sent off and serving a one-match suspension today.

 “Barnsey, Ben (Gorham) shouldn’t be giving him the ball there anyway!

“The amount of times, we done it at Sheppey. Mitch (Beeney) has rolled the ball into Ponty and a man was on him straight away, so pressure’s on him and Ponty got sent-off.

“Today we done it again but today it’s cost us a goal. We don’t invite teams onto us like that and play in the wrong areas and irrelevant of the second half, if we’ve seen it out, we would’ve come away with a win.

“But we’ve been punished. I’m not going to say they didn’t deserve that but again for me we’ve gifted that by playing in the wrong areas.”

Fagg was swarmed by four green shirted players and his progress was ended by Grant, who received AFC Whyteleafe’s only caution of the game and Campbell’s resulting right-footed angled free-kick from 25-yards only just missed the foot of the near-post.

Dominant AFC Whyteleafe squandered some decent chances to win this game, as Faversham were clearly missing their 23-goal hit-man Tashi-Jay Kwayie, who was ruled out through a hamstring problem.

Warrilow revealed: “Tashi’s got a hamstring problem, so he said to me ‘he felt it in the warm-up as well,’ so it was just to leave him out prior to it because he was struggling with it a little bit.

“At half-time, he said, ‘when he was doing a few strikes, he felt it’ so it’s the right decision (to leave him on the subs bench).  Obviously, if he’s fit, 100% fit, without doing any damage to it, he plays, but there’s no point in playing and putting him out for six weeks.

“Big Eniye(layefa Amgbaduba), we’re just waiting on Eniye for a little while. I don’t know how long he’ll be, hopefully not too far. He’s done something to his foot against VCD (29 November). It’s not broke, there’s no fracture or nothing like that, just got really bad bruising.

“Jacob Russell’s not a million miles away now and Ponty is available, he’s served his one game suspension today.”

Faversham Town just don’t look the same without Kwayie up front in the number eight shirt as Ajayi and Fagg in behind him just wasn’t working in the second half, with Whyteleafe centre-halves Holder and Goode untroubled.

“Faggie had sort of a free hit in and round sitting off him, so Josh, I thought he done well, I thought he done well with what he had to do today. He chased everything,” said Warrilow.

“We’re trying to address our goal situation. Josh became available and if we can get him back to how he was playing (during his first spell at Ramsgate), we’ve got a good player on our hands and he’s shown glimpses. He’s only been here five minutes, so he’s showing glimpses of that at Sheppey and here again today.

“I thought he was feeding off scraps to be honest and making his own, fighting his way through for chances.”

Braham-Barrett’s final long throw came in from the right and the ball was cleared out to an unmarked Bennett, who cracked a rasping left-footed half-volley towards the top far corner from 15-yards, only for Beeney to fly high to his left and use a strong right-hand to push the ball over the crossbar (21:09).

Holder hit a long ball out of defence to release Johnson into the left-channel and the away side linked up well along the by-line with Sankoh and Hassan before the ball was worked to Emmanuel at the far post but the 36-year-old striker placed his left-footed shot just past the foot of the far post.

Gondoh then released Emmanuel, who beat Simms, before Bennett had his moment but Benney dived to his right to make another big save.

Faversham Town then created a couple of openings, when James Dyer swept the ball out to Wood, who cut into the box down the right and his left-footed angled shot flew across the goalkeeper and was missed by a sliding Fagg at the back post.

In a bid to make amends from his earlier costly error, Barnes travelled down the heart of the pitch before cracking a right-footed drive from 30-yards, which whistled past the top of the right-hand post.

With Faversham Town hanging on, AFC Whyteleafe looked the more likely to be the team that would win this game.

Warrilow agreed, adding, “I’m pretty honest. I said to the boys, now the game’s finished I’m grateful for the point because of the second half there was only one team that was really having a go and no matter what we did, it just wasn’t there. It just kept coming back!

“We’ve got a point but I won’t forget the first half. We’ve come in two-nil up when we could’ve been three or four nil up.”

The Leafe had their moments as Bennett floated their seventh corner in from the right and Emmanuel sent his free-header sailing across Beeney and past the far post (44:11).

Gondoh cut a free-kick back from close to the left by-line towards the unmarked Jamie Mascoll but the substitute left-back lacked composure and swept his first time left-footed drive over the crossbar from 17-yards.

Faversham Town created a couple of stoppage time opportunities to snatch an unlikely victory.

Fagg fed Campbell down the left and his right-footed angled drive from outside the box was gathered at the second attempt by Huk, who won promotion out of this division with Burgess Hill Town last season.

Fagg then had his Kenny McLean moment. (Scotland’s fourth goal in their 4-2 home win over Denmark in November that sent Steve Clarke’s side to their first World Cup since 1998), which will bring our smile to this website’s Scottish readership.

Fagg hit the ball from the half-way line with his right-foot but Huk made a comfortable low save to his left and held the ball to prevent the ball nestling into the corner of the net.

Warrilow added: “Do you know what? Why not? Not being funny, we didn’t look like scoring from open play in the second half from many opportunities, so fair play to Faggie. He’s hit the target hasn’t he? He’s had a bit of movement in there and caused some problems.

“I thought Faggie worked his socks off today. He gives you everything he’s got and I felt for him today because he’s put a great shift in.”

When asked what was missing from his side during the second half, Warrilow replied: “Just a little bit of composure and organisation, I think. Game management, all the old sayings. We were two-nil up, so we shouldn’t be putting ourselves in a situation we put ourselves in.

“If you’re having a bad time in football, no matter what, just get up the pitch! Turn them for five minutes and just get up the pitch and play in the right areas and we didn’t do that.

“Fair credit to them, it kept coming back and they’ve got their just rewards.”

Only six games beat the freeze in the Isthmian League South East Division today, including Three Bridges claiming a 4-0 home win over Broadbridge Heath and Ashford United coming away from Hartsdown Park with a 4-2 win over Margate.

Three Bridges remain at the summit with 60 points from 25 of 42 league games.

AFC Croydon Athletic (52 points from 24 games), Faversham Town (49 points – 14 wins, seven draws and three defeats), AFC Whyteleafe (48 points – 15 wins, three draws and six defeats) and Sittingbourne (47 points from 24 games) are in the play-off zone.

The next three sides are Jersey Bulls (41 points from 25 games), Merstham (41 points from 25 games) and Margate (38 points from 25 games).

Faversham Town are scheduled to travel to Crowborough Athletic on Tuesday night.  The newly-promoted side are in the bottom six after today’s depleted card.

Sean Muggeridge – who has taken charge of 551 games – has guided his side to eight points clear of the relegation zone, having picked up 28 points (eight wins, four draws and 11 defeats) and their Sussex derby at Hastings United was frozen off today.

“A different kettle of fish. God knows what the pitch will be like, so a different animal,” said Warrilow.

“If you want the truth, I don’t really know (what to expect there). I’ve not seen Crowborough play. Obviously I know H (Henry Muggeridge) and his dad and all that over there. I know some of their players.

“So again, all I expect is a very, very tough game and I expect us to be hurt from today because the second half wasn’t good enough but that’s one half our of a whole season and we got a point against a good side here – but I will demand more of the boys on Tuesday and the most important thing is to bounce back with a win and take it into Saturday.

“But there’s no givens in this League. I don’t care where Crowborough are in the league, top, middle or bottom. There’s tough games every week. I’ve just got to make sure that we’re right.”

Reflecting on their third-place position, Warrilow added: “At the moment, we’ve only lost three games.  It’s like anything, you do well and I always keep a level head on stuff.  I’ve said I’m not happy because the game’s finished and I wasn’t happy with how it finished but overall I’m delighted with how the season’s been.

“I’m delighted with where we are in the League. Would we liked to be top? Of course, we would but it is what it is at the moment. What we’ll do is we’ll go to the wire and give everything because we’ve got an opportunity this year to sort of make a fist of things.

“We’re in the right area, we’re up there. I just want to stay up there for as long as we can, keep the season alive for as long as we can and hopefully come the end of it, it makes a bit of success - but maybe not.

“But I’d rather look back on it than do you know what? For a debut season (the club’s first in this League since relegation under Sammy Moore in 2023) in there, it's a good season, considering we’re at a club that when it got relegated it had some really good players here as well that everyone expected, everyone was shocked.

“So I think all around have all come to a conclusion of football doesn’t give no-one a divine right to win anything. The most important thing is to get a team and get the work-ethic right and make sure that we don’t get carried away with ourselves.

“I’m pleased (with the attendance). I’m gutted a little bit with the second half performance but I’m pleased because that’s what the club would like to try to get down here every week.  I know there were a lot of games off but for the neutral it would’ve been a good game.

“Like I said, I think we won the first half and they’ve won the second half, so a draw is probably a fair result.”

Warrilow celebrates his second anniversary in charge at Salters Lane on 10 January.

“Is it? Blimey, that’s gone quick hasn’t it?  Listen, I think overall I’d like to think it’s been a good, two positive years.

“Every time we draw it’s a massive disappointment. We come into a relegated side into a tough League (Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division) and managed to get out of that and this year it’s been a successful year. We’ve had a good run in The FA Cup (including a 1-0 win at Enterprise National League South side Maidenhead United in the Second Qualifying Round) and that’s an important point today, looking at the League table. We’ve just got to stay focused and just carry on doing what we’re doing.

“We demand a lot out of the lads. I told the lads’ I weren’t happy and I said I wasn’t going to sugar-coat it and I’m grateful for a point because of the way the game finished.

“It’s a tough League. There’s some good sides and we played one today. Like I said, a little bit of realism every now and again and perhaps from me but I believe in my players so much. I think they’ve got so much ability that I just get disappointed when we don’t perform to our full potential and I felt second half today, we lost our way.”

Warrilow was full of praise of Gonella’s side and expects the Surrey outfit to be in the play-off picture come the warmer months of the campaign.

“We’ve had a relatively good Christmas. We had a tough game at Sheppey and got three points and we’ve had a tough game against a side who I expect to be up there as well at the end of the season, so we’ve not lost.

“It’s important we don’t go to somewhere like Crowborough and everyone says they’re down the middle, bottom, whatever and toss it off. We’ve got to dig in and get a result there.”

Faversham Town: Mitchell Beeney, Bradley Simms, Frankie Smith (Jack Parter 89), Aaron Barnes, Matthew Newman, Ben Gorham, Kieron Campbell, James Dyer (Ethan Smith 88), Joshua Ajayi (Johan Caney-Bryan 80), Tommie Fagg, Nathan Wood (Tariq Ossai 88).
Sub: Tashi-Jay Kwayie

Goals: Kieron Campbell 17, Tommie Fagg 41

Booked: Nathan Wood 81, Tommie Fagg 86, Bradley Simms 90, Aaron Barnes 90

AFC Whyteleafe: Slavomir Huk, Craig Braham-Barrett (Hani Hechachena 76), Aziz Sankoh (Jamie Mascoll 76), Helge Orome (Daniel Bennett 46), Aaron Goode, Corey Holder, Eniola Hassan, Anthony Grant, Moses Emmanuel, Jordan Johnson, Ryan Gondoh.
Subs: Stefan Iilic, Cairo Duhaney-Burton

Goals: Ryan Gondoh 58, Daniel Bennett 61

Booked: Anthony Grant 63

Attendance: 1,202
Referee: Mr Simon Cutler
Assistants: Mr Matthew Charles & Mr Marian Stoichitoiu