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1st March 2007 By JAMES BROWN Whitstable Town 3 Faversham Town 0 OYSTER BOY Dave Read helped inspire Faversham Town to one of their best performances of the season at The Belmont on Tuesday night. Midfielder Read made a big impression in the heart of midfield against home-town club Whitstable Town in this Premier Division Cup quarter-final. Stuart King's controversial penalty on 44 minutes put Marc Seager's Treble-chasing Kent League leaders in the driving seat at the half-time interval. But Read and the Lilywhites had a real go after the break and were unlucky not to equalise before skipper Marcus Perona scored twice in the last four minutes to set up a semi-final against Hythe Town. Read was drafted in to make his first start for re-born Town after catching the eye of boss Terry Cordice playing for Brett Harrison's Reserve team. And the popular 25-year-old, who played junior football at The Belmont before signing for the Lilywhites under Simon Kay, forged an immediate understanding with former Whitstable first team player Steve Aslett in the middle of the park. Faversham have struggled in 2007, winning just one game in five and went into this eagerly-awaited derby burdened by the knowledge that the two teams were separated by a whopping 30 points in the Premier Division. But they proceeded to confound the poor souls forced to endure the harrowing spectacle that was the opening 69 minutes of the trip to bottom-of-the-table Sporting Bengal with a revitalised display full of passion and desire. Skipper James Holder was in great form at the heart of a Town defence missing the suspended Wes Hammond and we finally saw some width with Jason Mills enjoying alot of ball at left wing back. Read and Aslett more than held their own against a Whitstable midfield including former Maidstone and Dover star Jimmy Strouts while Anthony Pace always looked lively in attack. A worrying groin injury forced off stand-in centre half Kris Parker after just 24 minutes which led to a major reshuffle. The busy Tyrone Smith came on up front, Andy Martin dropped back into midfield and the ever-willing Mark Smith filled in at the back. Town pressed on regardless and never looked out of their depth although the wisdom of removing top scorer Martin from the firing line raised a few eyebrows on a night of missed opportunities for the Lilywhites. Rob Thomas flashed a header wide from a Jake Gess cross on four minutes before Mark Smith let fly with a speculative 30 yarder that sailed into the night sky above Kevin Fewell's goal at the other end. Ex-Stones skipper Strouts fired home just a spilt second after referee Alan Marshall had blown for an offside and then Town goalkeeper Tony Diment made the first of several key saves when he parried a Tony Martin drive. Gary Sayer earned the game's first yellow card for a late tackle on Mills before Pace was disappointed that play stopped for a foul by Tyrone Smith just before he rolled a shot home to make it one apiece on disallowed goals. The pivotal point of the first half came just two minutes before the interval when former Thamesmead striker Pace was sent clear after Martin flicked on Diment's long clearance. The striker did everything right as he went round Fewell but could only find the side-netting with his weaker left foot. It was to prove a costly error for the unfortunate Pace because Whitstable were ahead within 60 seconds. A high ball into the box looked to have caught Andy Constable a couple of yards offside but Marshall pointed straight to the spot when the home striker and Mills tangled in the box. Mills was still protesting his innocence in the bar afterwards but his more vociferous claims in the moments that followed the alleged offence earned him the second yellow card of the night. Town more than played their part in an exciting second half, showing a passion not seen since their pulsating revival against Herne Bay on the opening day of the season. An Aslett corner from the right found Read in space and when his shot was parried by Fewell, Tyrone Smith moved in only to see his effort charged down. Nineteen-year-old King - the Kent League's leading scorer with 24 goals - did well down the right soon after before picking out Martin whose shot was deflected wide for a corner. Diment made good saves to deny Gess and then Constable as Whitstable turned the screw culminating in a right-foot drive from Perona that smacked against the upright. Tyrone Smith received the game's third caution just before the hour for a foul on Sayer before the hard-working Pace was found wanting again. This time Read was the architect with a cracking ball into the right channel and again Pace did all the hard work by turning inside his defender at speed. But when it came to shooting for goal, the player was left cursing his misfortune once more with a second left foot shot wide of Fewell's goal. To his credit, Pace did not let his head drop and a super run down the right ended with a decent ball to the edge of the area where Mills arrived at speed to unleash two shots in rapid succession that were both blocked. Admittedly, he knew more about the first than the second. Town's purple patch continued into the 78th minute when Aslett somehow picked his way past three defenders before teeing up teenage substitute Adam Oxberry on the angle. But the 16-year-old, who must have loved every second of his 26-minute run-out, fired straight at the imposing Fewell who made a simple catch. Whitstable and Perona finished this memorable cup clash in some style, although the skipper's late brace was more than a little cruel on the battling visitors. Indeed, Town turned pinball wizards as King's shot was first parried by Diment before a mass of bodies kept out Alex Hossick's follow-up. But Perona had found his range and he made it 2-0 with a super finish into the top corner on 86 minutes. Andy Martin almost pulled a goal back at the other end with a turn and shot from 12 yards that Fewell was equal to and the impressive No 1 was at it again to deny Pace just seconds later following Aslett's late corner. Yet Perona was to have the final say when he applied a rather flattering look to the scoreboard with another fabulous right-foot finish from just outside the box two minutes into time added on. One wag in a crowd of 212 leaving the Belmont giggled about Salters Lane playing host to the club's end-of-season party at the weekend - a couple of months earlier than planned. But for long-suffering Town fans it did not seem like such a bad idea. For despite going out of the League Cup and struggling in the league, their under-achievers had at last produced a performance worth celebrating. Town's Top Man: Dave Read - cracking display in mid-park Marks (out of 10): Tony Diment 7, Junior Farrell 6, Jason Mills 7, Kris Parker 6, James Holder 7, Gary Stock 7, Dave Read 8, Steve Aslett 7, Andy Martin 7, Mark Smith 7, Anthony Pace 6. Substitutes: Tyrone Smith (for Parker, 20 minutes) 6, Adam Oxberry (for Farrell, 64) 6, Richard Gamble (for Smith, 76) 6
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