AFC Whyteleafe (1) 1 Bennett 17
Whitstable Town (0) 2 Smith 52 Sithole 100
After Extra Time
Combined Attendance: 38,600
Admission: £10
Mileage: 100/6,853
Report from Non-League Chronicles
The first game of Non-League Finals Day pitted AFC Whyteleafe against Whitstable Town in the FA Vase Final.
Whitstable were looking for silverware having missed out in the league (Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division) and playoffs as well as the Kent Senior Trophy Final.
As for AFC Whyteleafe, who knows where they finished last season?! The absolute shambles that is the Combined Counties League still have not decided on who has and has not been guilty of fielding ineligible players in the Premier Division South meaning the playoffs are still on hold and have been for some time! Surely the playoffs cannot take place in June either given the insurance on player injuries as well as potential holidays booked for players and coaches alike so a pre-season playoff tournament anyone?!
A famous resident of Whitstable is Madness frontman Suggs and Whyteleafe’s Daniel Bennett found himself one step beyond Whitstable’s backline, finishing a lovely team move in the 17th minute when he dinked the ball over the diving Whitstable goalkeeper Daniel Colmer and into the bottom right.
The only other real significant chance of the first half saw Whyteleafe’s Aaron Watson have a dig that was well saved wide by Daniel Colmer.
It only took Whitstable seven minutes of the second half to equalise when Harvey Smith came up with a finish into the bottom left corner to set up a house of fun for the remainder of the game.
Whyteleafe then had a big chance to re-take the lead when both Aaron Watson and then Ryan Gondoh were denied by good Daniel Colmer saves before both sides had efforts off target - Ronald Sithole for Whitstable and Daniel Bennett for Whyteleafe.
Whyteleafe could have won the game at the death - Rodney Eruotor curling an effort off the bar before having the rebound saved by the feet of Colmer and how Whyteleafe would rue that eventually
If truth be told Whitstable dominated the chances in extra time - Ronald Sithole and Harvey Smith denied with saves from Whyteleafe goalkeeper George Hill before Sithole somehow missed a chance by hitting the left post with the goal gaping.
Sithole however made amends. After he had an initial effort saved, he kept his composure before tucking a shot into the top right corner to kill the game like Peter Cushing as Dracula out for the count - a former resident of Whitstable.
So it was a case of “Wembley’s a Sithole - I want to go home” for Whitstable - and so they did - with the trophy and a million memories.
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