There was a time, specifically during the 2006/7 season in the humble days of the Kent League when encounters between Whitstable and Deal were classics. On three occasions back then, Whitstable emerged victorious. On each occasion, the scoreline was 5-4. Was there a chance of a repeat? No chance.

Perhaps with half an eye on tomorrow night's game against Maidstone, Seags fielded a team predominantly of new, fringe and reserve players shored up by Liam Quinn and Rob Thomas at the back. I'm afraid I don't know all their names and I apologise. The reserve keeper (Dylan) was in goal and he did ok. Nathan Eastwood and Duffy at full back. Whisker and Baines in the middle with Bagley and Suter on the wings. Up front, Braidwod led the line with Ben Brown (not of Herne Bay). There were a number of substitutes including Joe Smith. The sub who caught the eye in brief spells wore the No.17.

In the first half. most of Whitstable's creative play came down the right with Eastwood and Bagley combining well but the end product looked distinctly average.

The only real threat came from corners where Liam Quinn, as ever, looked dangerous both with his head and his feet. On 18 minutes, Whitstable got another corner which was flighted in beautifully. The Deal keeper found himself in no-man's land as one of his own players headed into his own goal.

A minute before half time, Whitstable conceded a penalty. It looked dubious from where I was standing, but the taker slotted it cooly past the outstretched reserve keeper who, to be fair, went the right way.

In the second half, Suter came to life on the left wing. It's unclear to me why it takes him 45 minutes to get going. Two attempts at putting Brown through failed, however, with slightly over-weight balls. The experienced Munday (who according to the Deal website is set to sign for Whitstable) was sorely missed. Brown went off on 55 minutes having worked quite hard, but failing to make much of an impact. He was mixture of AC and Jon Neal.

On 60 minutes Suter chased back from his left wing position to intercept a ball destined for the net. But the ball broke for a Deal player who shot from distance only for Dylan to save. A minute later, he saved well again from distance. Two minutes later, Bagley took the ball down expertly on the right wing, continued his run and centered well, but the ensuing shot was saved. Duffy then broke down the left, but his cross produced another good save from the Deal stopper.

On 76 minutes Suter was brought down in the box, but the referee didn't see it as such. Maybe it was because the foul happened in an area of the pitch that had no floodlighting? Three minutes later, Bagley was pushed in almost exactly the same spot, and again, the referee failed to see anything untoward. It was very dark there after all ... Apart from keeping the yellows in his pocked throughout the game, he didn't have a very good one from Whitstable's perspective. A minute later, Whisker was brought down about 30 yards out. The Whitstable No. 17 took the free kick which the keeper palmed over. Ten minutes before time Whisker again dribbled out of midfield but his hard work was left unrewarded. More or less the final action of the game was a Whitstable corner which came close to a goal, but the Deal keeper saved bravely.

On the whole, not a bad performance given the team, but Whitstable is still guilty of giving the ball away too much... But with Maidstone visiting the Belmont tomorrow, Whitstable are to face another proposition altogether!

Oysterman of the match, by a country mile, Liam Quinn.