Larkfield & New Hythe 3-2 Whitstable Town - We really have to utilise that disappointment today and make sure that we don't fall short in the next two competitions that we're really fighting hard for, says Whitstable Town assistant Matt Longhurst

Larkfield & New Hythe 3 – 2 Whitstable Town
Location	Gallagher Stadium, James Whatman Way, Maidstone, Kent ME14 1LQ
Kickoff	13/04/2025 14:00

LARKFIELD & NEW HYTHE  3-2  WHITSTABLE TOWN
DFDS Kent Senior Trophy Final
Sunday 13 April 2025
Stephen McCartney reports from James Whatman Way

LARKFIELD & NEW HYTHE manager Michael Phillips says his players have gone down in history after winning their maiden Kent Senior Trophy Final against play-off chasing and Wembley bound Whitstable Town.

 

The Larks are playing in the Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division for the first time this season – after winning the First Division Play-Off Final under Danny Lye last May.

Larkfield & New Hythe went into this showpiece final on a run of nine games without a win and in eighth-place in the table with 46 points (12 wins, 10 draws and 14 defeats).

Larkfield & New Hythe made the 12-mile round trip to Maidstone, having beaten Lordswood (2-1), West Wickham (4-3), Hollands & Blair (4-1 on penalties after a 3-3 draw), Snodland Town (1-0) and Bearsted (7-6 on penalties after a 1-1 draw).

Whitstable Town, meanwhile, reached The FA Vase Final seven days ago with a goal-less draw in Gloucestershire, beating Hartpury University 2-0 on aggregate and made five changes to their side for their emphatic 4-1 win at fellow play-off chasers Punjab United but the sixth-placed side (59 points – 18 wins, five draws and nine defeats) put in a night-and-day performance to the one in Gravesend in midweek.

The Oystermen have won four away ties to reach this Final, beating Canterbury City (1-0), VCD Athletic (2-1), Faversham Town (3-1) and Stansfeld (3-0).

Player-manager Jamie Coyle made three changes, himself included and Larkfield & New Hythe’s left-winger Tyler Ibe put in an unplayable performance, scoring from a quality free-kick on the stroke of half-time to give Phillips’ men the lead at the end of a first half stalemate.

Ibe then notched his 14^th goal of the season, from the penalty spot, before fellow winger Tyrell Richardson-Brown tapped home at the far post after some outstanding wing play from Ibe.

Gillingham loanee, goalkeeper Carter Sullivan, punched the ball into his own goal following a corner to give Whitstable Town a 67^th minute lifeline and they turned the game on its head when substitute centre-half Jake McIntyre rifled in a penalty just 144 seconds later but Larkfield & New Hythe showed plenty of desire to lift their first piece of silverware in the ninth-tier of English football.

Phillips, 42, has won four, drawn six and lost six of his 16 games since replacing Lye at the helm at New Hythe Lane.

“It’s just amazing, I’m just so happy with everyone involved in the club, everyone behind the scenes for all the effort they put in, all the fans,” said Phillips.

“The boys done so well to get us here in the first time in the history of Larkfield and to win it, is just incredible, it’s been brilliant.

“I had a feeling, as soon as I found out we were in the home changing room, I had a little feeling that it was going to be our day because I’ve got great memories being in that changing room.  I won a lot with Maidstone in my playing career.

“It was lovely walking out with Coylie as manager as well, playing with him (at Samuel Montagu) as a youngster and at Maidstone. I’m just over the moon that we won.”

With his winners’ medal around his neck, Phillips appeared choked during the post-match interview.

“Tyler Ibe was superb today! He was unplayable, exactly what I said. I knew he was up for it before the game. I could tell. He had that look in his eyes.

“I only brought him off because I had to because he’s had to catch a flight to Portugal, he’s got a trial with a pro club tomorrow, so I wouldn’t have brought him off otherwise.

“He stayed to collect his medal and player-of-the-match award, so if I would’ve known that I wouldn’t have brought him off!”

Phillips added: “Yes, it’s emotional, it’s nice, really nice. I’ve only been in management a few months, to lead Larkfield to the Final and to win it, yes it feels good!”

Whitstable Town assistant manager Matt Longhurst said: “I think for 65 minutes or whatever it was, they were better than us and then I thought we had a little go and I thought we were the better team for the 25 minutes at the end of the game but it was too late.

“I thought we started the game really slowly and I think that gives a little bit of credit to them as well.  We have to give credit to them. They looked like they were really desperate to win and we looked like we were a little bit ‘After the Lords Mayor’s show after the last couple of games (against Hartpury University).

“Very disappointing, disappointing result but I think hopefully for us as a group it gives us a lot of learning that we know what that feels like now with what we’ve still got to play for this season.”

The crowd of 1,036 watched a first-half stalemate.

Larkfield & New Hythe created the first opening with six minutes and 45 seconds on the clock, following a three-man counter-attack.

Central midfielder Jerome Wade was inside his own half when he played the ball along the artificial pitch to Richardson-Brown, who played the ball over the top of Whitstable’s Town’s left-back Adedapo Olugbodi to play in 16-goal striker Matthew Day, but he lacked composure while in space inside the box, drilling his right-footed drive over the crossbar from 15-yards on the angle.

“I can’t even remember, it’s been such an intense game, going back that far, it seems like a long time away,” admitted Phillips.

“I thought first half we controlled most of the first half. I said to the boys at half-time, I said ‘just have a little bit more conviction and belief in you going out second half and they did that and we started the second half, came out of the traps flying.”

Longhurst added: “Really slow game. We just started really slowly. We didn’t look like we were playing with any intensity that we normally play with really high intensity and we just didn’t play with that intensity today.

“Unfortunately today we just weren’t good enough and we have to give them a little bit of credit as well.”

Whitstable Town should have taken the lead following the first of their five corners, inside the opening 16 minutes.

Central midfielder Finley Cotton swung the ball in from the right with his right-foot and striker Dean Grant found a pocket of space at the near post to plant his header just past the right-hand post from 10-yards.

“Got to score! He’s got to hit the target, a free header. I thought you have to score from a set-piece,” admitted Longhurst.

“I thought we looked a threat from set-pieces for most of the game but we didn’t make the most of that today.”

Whitstable Town’s midfielder Connor Wilkins hooked a left-footed volley up field, the ball was hit in the opposite direction by Larkfield’s right-back Ross Ibbertson before the impressive Ibe cut onto his right-foot and stroked his 25-yard drive bouncing past the left-hand post.

Whitstable’s central striker Grant missed a glorious chance to change the outcome of the game in the 34^th minute.

The recalled Wilkins knocked a header down to Grant, who was standing close to him within the centre-circle and Grant charged straight down the middle of the pitch and once inside the D his right-footed drive was heading towards the bottom right-hand corner, only for Sullivan to get down low to his left and use a strong left-hand to push the ball towards safety.

Longhurst said: “Although the game was very flat early on, we still had one or two better chances than they did in the opening stages before the goal but like I say, unfortunately it was a little bit flat from us.”

Phillips added: “That was a very good save, unreal.  Played very well today, Carter.  He was at fault for the first goal but other than that, I thought he had a really good game.

“He’s in the youth team at (League Two) Gillingham. Our goalkeeper Jordan Carey left and I spoke to Bryan Bull at Gillingham, the youth team manager. He very kindly let him come on loan to us and he’s done really well since he’s been here, for a young lad as well. He’s never played senior football, up until a few games ago, so to go in today and play as well as he did in a Cup Final, there was a lot of pressure on him and he done really well.”

Larkfield’s number nine, Day, missed a decent chance too.

Richardson-Brown got in behind Olugbodi to reach the by-line and hung over a deep cross from the right by-line towards the back post.  Fraser Walker knocked the ball down for Day, whose left-footed half-volley from six-yards deflected past the foot of the left-hand post.

“That was unlucky, unfortunate. I thought he could’ve done better Matty but sometimes that’s football isn’t it?  You don’t get a good connection and sometimes they go in, sometimes they don’t,” added Phillips.

The game ignited when Larkfield & New Hythe took a deserved lead with 46 minutes and 10 seconds on the clock.

Whitstable Town’s holding midfielder Mikey Dalton claimed to referee Benjamin McDonald that he won the ball as he tackled Ibbertson.

Goalkeeper Daniel Colmer lined up a three-man wall standing along the 18-yard line and Ibe whipped a quality left-footed free-kick over the wall and into the right-hand corner from 28-yards.

Phillips said: “What a superb free-kick! I made sure that he was on it. I shouted out to get him on it because I know what he can do from free-kicks. 

“It didn’t surprise me because I know what Ibes can do. I had a feeling he was going to do that. It was a good feeling to go 1-0 up just before the break as well.

“What did I say? It did work!  I just said to go out there and do exactly what you have done in the first half.

“Just be, if you can, be a little bit more clinical in the final third.  I said you will get more goals; you will create more chances and also to stay switched on from the long-throws and set-pieces. Whitstable are very direct, not just the first phase, maybe the second phases where we haven’t dealt with the situations well this season.

“I thought we dealt with the second phase really well and we dealt with what they threw at us.”

Longhurst added: “I thought he won the ball! I’d like to see it back. I don’t think it’s a free-kick but fair play, you can’t take it away from him, it was a hell of a strike from the player. A decent free-kick. He was a constant threat.

“We lost Jerald Aboagye in the warm-up on Tuesday night who’s our natural right-back. Ricardo (Thompson) had to come off after 38 minutes, he done his ankle and he got caught and he went over on his ankle so he had to come off and I thought (Ibe) was a real threat.

“He scores a great free-kick, so I don’t think it was a free-kick but once he had stepped up, it’s a great free-kick!

“We just thought we were really flat and we needed to liven ourselves up and we needed our front players to put a little bit more pressure on the ball, which they didn’t do.

“I think that was a similar story in the opening stages of the second half, hence why we sort of started the second half slowly again.

“I thought we started the second half like we finished the first, quite flat.”

Whitstable Town started the second half with Dalton rolling the ball back to his goalkeeper, who took a touch before launching a long ball, which was cleared out to ineffective left-striker Harvey Smith, who dinked the ball towards goal, the ball bouncing and was comfortably caught by Sullivan at head height after only 13 seconds.

Larkfield captain Walker was inside the centre-circle and swept the ball out wide to Richardson-Brown, who charged down the right and his cross was plucked out of the air by Colmer, with two hands raised above his head.

Colmer launched a big kick upfield and Grant’s deft touch saw him play the ball short and inside to wide right striker Ronald Sithole, who lacked power and conviction just outside the D and Sullivan comfortably collected.

Longhurst added: “He flattered to deceive today Ronald. I thought it was probably a little bit one game too many. He’s played a lot of football and he’s been really good for us Ronald but he looked a little bit flat today but you can only make so many changes.

“I thought we were a little bit lightweight in the front areas of the pitch, certainly in the first 65 minutes.”

Larkfield & New Hythe doubled their lead with only eight minutes and three seconds on the clock.

Day worked the right channel and put in a cross from the by-line and Ibe drilled a left-footed drive from inside the box and referee Benjamin McDonald pointed to the spot as Finn O’Mara (who switched over to right-back after Ricardo Thompson was withdrawn due to injury) was harshly penalised for handball as he charged the shot down.

Skipper Walker threw the ball to Ibe who placed the ball on the penalty spot and drilled an emphatic left-footed penalty high into the roof of the net – straight down the middle – as Colmer dived to his left.

“A great pen! It’s funny because I had Matt Day on pens but I think because Ibes was playing so well, I think the argument on the pitch was that he was going to step up and take the pen and rightly so – it was a great finish,” said Phillips.

Longhurst added: “Good penalty! I don’t know. It’s a bit harsh really, it’s so close to him, he’s smashed the ball at him. I don’t really know if he can get out of the way.

“We had one similar in the first half and the referee said ‘no,’ so two big calls from the referee but unfortunately for us it didn’t go our way, so at 2-0 you’re staring down the barrel of a long afternoon but you have to give credit to the opposition.”

O’Mara was having a shaky spell at this point in proceedings and Phillips admitted he was in ‘dreamland’ when his clinical side raced into a 3-0 lead with 10 minutes and 32 seconds on the clock.

Davisson knocked the ball into the left-channel and Ibe easily cut inside O’Mara within the channel, easily danced past McIntyre and fizzed a lovely cross across the face of goal and Richardson-Brown tapped in his fifth goal of the season at the back post.

“A great run from Ibes. I think he went by two players, they sucked him in and he's put a great ball across for T to slot in the third,” said Phillips, who was then asked how he felt at this stage of the game with a commanding and deserved lead as Whitstable Town took one eye of the prize.

“You’re in dreamland kind of thing aren’t you. You look at where Whitstable are going, they’re going to Wembley, they’re probably going to make the play-offs and this Cup Final, so they’re really on a good run, so the energy within the changing room is high, the team spirit is high so I was never stupid enough to think the game was over, no way.

“Maybe if we got a fourth, but 3-0 can be a dodgy scoreline and then for them they came back with two quick goals and then you think ‘here we go.’”

Longhurst said: “We got caught too high from the first long ball that we haven’t dealt with and that one was a poor goal from our side of things.

“I thought we’ve got to defend the ball better, the first ball. We haven’t won the header and he’s then got down the side of Jake and he’s come the other side and he’s come back in and come back the other side and our full-backs still not back round.

“I think that one is probably one of the worst goals that we’ve conceded for quite a long time because we’ve been really good defensively but the second goal probably took the stuffing out of us a little bit so early in the second half and they then capitalised on it.

“We’re quite happy to give credit to the opposition when credit’s due. You’ve got to give them credit and for the first 65 minutes they were brighter and better than us, until we got our goal and then I thought the pendulum sort of swung the other way and then we looked strong but you can’t go 3-0 down and expect to get something out of the game.”

At this point, it looked like Whitstable’s busy schedule was catching up on them but they showed plenty of character to fight back.

McIntyre almost caught out Sullivan on the hour-mark with a right-footed free-kick from 30-yards on the angle, which bounced past the diving goalkeeper and only just missed the near-post.

Larkfield & New Hythe produced a counter-attack just 45 seconds later with Davisson, Richardson-Brown and Ibe linking up before Day cut inside and stroked a right-footed angled drive from 25-yards, which was comfortably saved by Colmer down on his knees.

Wikins released Finley Cotton in behind Larkfield’s left-back Nathan Gordon and he hung over a cross from the by-line towards Smith and Olugbodi but the pair went for the same ball inside the six-yard box and the ball looped over the bar.

Whitstable Town were given a lifeline, pulling a goal back with 21 minutes and 37 seconds on the clock, following their second corner.

Substitute central midfielder Robbie Rees floated the ball in from the right towards the back post and Larkfield goalkeeper Sullivan punched the ball downwards and watched it bounce over his goal-line for an own goal.

“I thought we didn’t put him under any sort of pressure early on – he’s only a young lad, looks like he’s got a decent future at Gillingham but we put him under a little bit of pressure for the first time and he’s put the ball in his own goal, so that gave us a little bit of a lifeline with plenty of time to go,” said Longhurst.

“We got the second one and I thought after that we gave them a lot of problems and unfortunately we haven’t done enough.”

Phillips added: “It’s just unfortunate, he’s going to make mistakes, he’s a young kid. He just got his positioning a bit wrong and he jumped too early and he made a mistake but that was his only mistake of the game, so you can’t be too critical with him.  I thought he was superb today.”

Whitstable Town charged back and scored their second goal swiftly afterwards, coming with 24:01 on the clock, following the second spot kick of the game.

O’Mara launched a long ball out of defence into the Larkfield box and centre-half Jahmal King was penalised by the referee for bringing down Smith.

Wilkins gave the ball to McIntyre who drilled his emphatic penalty into the top right-hand corner, giving Sullivan no chance as he dived low to his left.

Longhurst said: “It’s a penalty. It’s a good strike from Jake. There was a little bit of pressure on him as well but he’s stepped up as a captain and smashed it into the roof of the goal and then it was game on.

“I did think from that moment onwards I thought we looked like we were going to get back in the game – but it’s a long way back when you’re 3-0 down, so it’s disappointing.”

Phillips added: “He just got the wrong side of him, didn’t he. It was a good finish from him and at that point I’m thinking I’ve got to make some subs here and freshen it up a little bit.

“Shortly afterwards, the boys came on and they put a good shift in and they got us over the line in the end.

“It was a great team performance from everyone involved today.”

Whitstable Town dominated the remainder of the game but Larkfield’s players showed plenty of desire to get over the line, including the 11 minutes and 19 seconds of stoppage time.

“I was like, ‘where did you get all that time from?’ but it is what it is and we dealt with it really well because I think there was still about 20 minutes left when they came back to 3-2 and after that we dealt with everything they threw at us really well, which I’m really pleased about,” said Phillips.

An ecstatic Larkfield manager added: “I said to the boys before the game ‘do you want to make history? Do you want to be remembered or not because no one remembers the losers or the runners-up, so up the little Larkfield, eh? A special day, it really is a great day.”

O’Mara pinged a 60-yard diagonal out of defence from right to left and Smith brought the ball down before cutting inside Ibbertson and rolling his shot towards goal from 20-yards, which Sullivan comfortably gathered down on his knees (28:54).

Whitstable Town’s momentum continued and they continued to knock on the door during the lengthy period of stoppage time.

“We had a massive go, credit to the players because we are emotionally, physically tired but I don’t really want to make that as an excuse for today. I just felt yes we did look a bit jaded, yes we did looked a bit tired but I don’t think that’s an excuse,” said Longhurst.

“I think when you get to a Cup Final, I think the Adrenaline should kick in and I just thought if anything we looked tired at the end of the game, rather than at the start.

“It’s a real disappointinhg day but I think we’ve still got a lot of young players in there and I think they’ve conducted themselves in a great manner before, during and after the game and we’ve remained professional and we’ve got a hell of a lot to play for this season.”

O’Mara recycled the ball back into a crowded penalty area and Smith steered his header past the left-hand post (48:31) but Larkfield & New Hythe’s players held on to make it a special day for the club who will be looking to mount a serious challenge next season.

Faversham Town (81 points from 35 of 38 games) will claim the league title with at least a point at Tunbridge Wells on Tuesday night.

VCD Athletic (75 points from 36 games), Fisher (65 points from 36 games), Rusthall (62 points from 25 games) and Punjab United (61 points from 36 games) are in the play-off zone this weekend.

VCD Athletic ended Rusthall's 20-match unbeaten run with a 2-0 home win yesterday.

Whitstable Town (59 points from 32 games) are in sixth-place, Erith & Belvedere follow in seventh with 50 points from 25 games and Larkfield & New Hythe complete their first campaign at this level with games against Kennington (home, Easter Monday 21 April) and at Sutton Athletic on the final day.

Phillips said: “Two to go, yes, that’s the thing because we fell out of the play-offs (in early March) didn’t we, so it would’ve felt like a disappointing season if we didn’t win today but now we’ve won the Cup it feels like it’s been a good season.  To win the Cup and make history for the first time, so it’s good.

“We’ve just got to go and put two good solid performances in and hopefully the boys can show me what they’ve got to make sure we make those play-offs or if not go and win the league next season.

“I think the owners will be over the moon to see what we’ve achieved in such a space of time, so long may it continue.”

For Whitstable Town, meanwhile, their next two games are against two sides inside the relegation zone.  Lydd Town are three points adrift of safety (Snodland Town), while Lordswood are four points behind Lydd on 28 points, both with three games remaining.

Whitstable Town play Lydd Town (home, Tuesday 15 April), Lordswood (away, Thursday 17 April), Rusthall (away, Saturday 19 April), Fisher (home, Easter Monday 21 April), Corinthian (away, Wednesday 23 April) and Glebe (home, Saturday 26 April).

The play-offs then follow, with the Final at the highest placed finisher on Monday 5 May, before Whitstable Town lock horns with AFC Whyteleafe in The FA Vase Final at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 11 May (12:15).

The Whitstable Town fans were often signing about ‘going to Wembley’ during this Final – and Longhurst said: “Wembley, we’ve got to park. We’ve got some massive league games  coming up now and we need to make sure that we now utilise the group and we’re at it every single game, which is a tough ask.

“We’re in a good place. We’ve got ourselves to a first Cup Final in our first season, we’ve got Wembley and we’re in with a fighting chance to get into the play-offs, so we’ve just got to suck today up and get on with it.

“Lydd is a massive game, they’re fighting for their lives and it will be another one, a little bit like today, fireworks I’m sure for the first half-an-hour and we need to be better than what we were today.

“Myself, Jamie and the rest of the staff will speak tonight and tomorrow and look at what we can do in terms of freshening it up.

“We get Jerald (Aboagye) back, we get Bradley Schafer and Jayden Boulton (both were cup-tied today) back from today.  Jerald was injured, Ricardo should be ok which gives us another body in midfield and at the back. We’ve got some bodies to come back, which is good, so it gives us a few more options, which we’re going to need.

“It’s an enjoyable season. We’re in a fantastic place as a football club and look at the numbers that we’re here, it’s absolutely phenomenal.

“Disappointed that we couldn’t give them something to go home and cheer about but I think today we really have to utilise that disappointment today and make sure that we don’t fall short in the next two competitions that we’re really fighting hard for.

“It’s our first season in the football club, we’ve exceeded expectations really and I think today hopefully can be a real big learning curve. Someone has just taken our unbeaten run away from us after 19 games, couldn’t quite get to the 20^th game but better teams than us have lost Cup Finals, better teams than us have lost long runs and I think it’s really important now that we stick together and we go back on another run and that starts on Tuesday against Lydd, which is going to be a real tough game.”

Take it from experience, losing at Wembley Stadium is the worst feeling to experience in football.

Longhurst said: “I generally do feel that this can fuel us now for the rest of the season.  We’ve got some really important league games coming up. We need to win three from six to guarantee ourselves in the play-offs and that starts on Tuesday night.

“We want to get those three wins under our belt as quickly as we can and we’ve got three games in a week which we’re capable of going and winning.

“Obviously losing the game today people are going to see that as maybe a little bit of a chink in the armour but anyone watching the last half-an-hour of today’s game will realise there’s a lot of fighting spirt in this group because going 3-0 down we could’ve thrown the towel in and we didn’t.

“I have to give great credit to the players for that and I think we show that fighting spirt like we have done for the last 19 games we’ll finish the season on a real high.

“We’ve had some real tough games. This time last week we’ve just got off the pitch getting to Wembley, a week later we’ve just lost a Cup Final. That’s an emotional roller-coaster for a group of players, management, staff and supporters.

“You can see how relentless this level of football is. You can’t take your foot of the gas for any moment of time, otherwise you come away unstuck.

“But the fans can see that they’ve got a real team that puts a lot of time and effort into what we’re doing and today unfortunately we’ve come unstuck but today gives us that fuel to make sure it doesn’t happen again so the fans will get behind us, they’ve been fantastic all season.

“Today is a disappointing day for everyone involved but a big thanks to the fans for coming out today and hopefully we can make sure that we give them something to cheer about next time round.”

Larkfield & New Hythe: Carter Sullivan, Ross Ibbertson, Nathan Gordon, Ben Davisson, Nathan Daly, Jahmal King, Tyler Ibe (Harrison Carnegie 83), Jerome Wade (Kieron McCann 76), Matthew Day (Bryan Zepo 76), Fraser Walker, Tyrell Richardson-Brown (Clark Woodcock 81).
Sub: Luke Russell

Goals: Tyler Ibe 45, 54 (penalty), Tyrell Richardson-Brown 56

Booked: Matthew Day 72, Nathan Gordon 77, Ben Davisson 86, Fraser Walker 86, Bryan Zepo 90

Whitstable Town: Daniel Colmer, Ricardo Thompson (Jake McIntyre 38), Adedapo Olugbodi (Ashdon Day 88), Mikey Dalton (William Thomas 90), Jamie Coyle, Finn O’Mara, Harvey Smith, Finley Cotton (Albie O’Mara Knapp 88), Dean Grant, Connor Wilkins, Ronald Sithole (Robbie Rees 63).

Goals: Carter Sullivan 67 (own goal), Jake McIntyre 70 (penalty)

Booked: Mikey Dalton 51, Finn O’Mara 77, Robbie Rees 86

Attendance: 1,036
Referee: Mr Benjamin McDonald
Assistants: Mr Henry Saxton & Mr Tyler Diminieux
Fourth Official: Mr Mitchell Bush