Whitstable Town 0 Tunbridge Wells 2

Match 20/13/1047 - Tuesday, 3rd September 2013 - FA Cup Preliminary Round Replay

Whitstable Town (0) 0
Tunbridge Wells (2) 2 Fuller (pen) 14, Boyle 23
Att. 184

Entrance: £4 Senior
Programme: £2
Mileage: 74/1,469

Match Report

In my diary, Tuesday 3 September 2013, is going to be highlighted with a big red ring as the day that I believe Tunbridge Wells Football Club can look back and realise that if there were any doubts that the club, and the town, can sustain Ryman League football, then they can be cast aside as the club is ready, on and off the pitch to make that step forward.

Whilst there may have been a few nerves among the Tunbridge Wells supporters during a second half in which Ryman League Whitstable threw everything they could muster at their Kent League (old habits die hard!) visitors, it has to be said that over the course of the 90 minutes, the game was won with relative comfort.

Whitstable’s supporters will quite rightfully point to the fine game that Chris Oladogba produced, making at least five good saves of note apart from his general good handling of crosses into the box, but I can a remember a manager once replying to an interviewer who said that it was his goalkeeper that had won the game with the answer that he is part of the team.

Proof that the club have harnessed the support from last season’s Wembley visit and this season’s early form was that on Saturday, 414 attended the first game at Culverden, whereas, albeit Tuesday night attendance figures tend to be lower, only 184 were at the Belmont for the replay and a conservative estimate would be that forty or so of those came from Tunbridge Wells. The attendances at Culverden this season would suggest that they would be in the top three figures of Ryman South if they were sustained.

I missed the first game, but I understand that a fine goalkeeping display from Whitstable’s Luke Watkins coupled with a penalty miss from Joe Fuller were the principal contributors to this game going to a replay.

Oladogba was called upon to make an early save, but with 14 minutes on the clock, Fuller was given his opportunity to atone for Saturday’s miss when the referee pointed to the spot after Jason Bourne was brought down. Fuller sent Watkins the wrong way, showing great confidence stepping forward once more.

Tunbridge Wells’ travelling faithful were given a further lift 10 minutes later when a corner from the right was firmly planted into the net by the head of Andy Boyle to double the advantage. The Wells had further opportunities to put the game beyond the reach of the home side, but were great value for their two goal half-time lead.

Whitstable’s player-manager, Nicky Southall, responded by making all three of his substitutions during the half time break, one of which was his own withdrawal.

This brought a spirited response from the Oysterman and Oladogba was asked to rise the occasion and this he did with wonderful effect. Three times in the opening 20 minutes he made saves, stretching to tip over the bar efforts from Jordan Wells, Scott Heard and a free kick from a dangerous position by Steve Hafner.

A sparkling run from Lee Radford ended with a shot just wide and, on his last appearance before his emigration to Australia, Josh Stanford was causing the home side all sorts of problems as the Wells counter attacked with frightening pace.

In the time added on, with the visiting supporters baying for the final whistle, Oladogba once again thwarted the home side to earn himself a clean sheet to go with an upcoming First Qualifying Round encounter with Eastbourne Town.

This was my first visit to the Belmont for a good number of years and whilst, nothing much on the face of it has changed, it is still a very tidy little ground with its small grandstand straddling the half way line and its covered terracing behind one goal.

There are a long nine months before May and the word if is going to be used many times, but on the evidence of this FA Cup weekend, there are very good reasons to believe.