Kingstonian 3-0 Whitstable Town
K'S CRACK OPEN THE OYSTERMEN

Kingstonian halted their slide down the league table with a workman-like three-goal win against Whitstable.

With the visitors unable to find a rhythm it was left to K's to deliver and this they did with goals from Bobby Traynor and Steve Goddard.

Photo: Chris Hatton - Kingstonian FC

Traynor gave the home side their all-too-familiar early goal when his low shot had Kevin Fewell well beaten after only 15 minutes. Traynor had picked up a pass from Dean Lodge. Then after 36 minutes Goddard drove a low shot from the middle of the area past the keeper to double the advantage.

Photo: Chris Hatton - Kingstonian FC

A third goal came in the 82nd minute when Goddard once again beat the keeper after a poor clearance had come back to Traynor, who passed back towards the goal area and found Goddard.

Kingstonian began the game brightly as usual, with Fewell a spectator as the ball went looping over his crossbar and landing on the top of the net in the second minute. The resulting corner kick went out and then a second by NJ Lampton went back to the centre of the pitch to Lodge whose shot went driving towards the goal and over the bar by only a few feet.

Still the defence found itself under pressure with a long throw-in, not from the usual Wayne Finnie but Goddard. Lodge found the ball in a packed area but with so many bodies the ball bounced around and the chance was cleared.

Traynor then had a 25 yard chance easily picked out of the air by the 'keeper and then Shawn Beveney was next with another shot over the bar. In the end it was no surprise that the goal did come with Traynor duly delivering.

Kingstonian still persisted, with Gavin Cartwright's header just wide. As the drizzle began to sweep into the visitor's faces so the half then began to drift. A free kick from Lampton from 35 yards out went straight to Fewell just before the half hour.

Photo: Chris Hatton - Kingstonian FC

Minutes later this continued persistence, albeit at a slower rate, paid off with Goddard struck his first goal since returning to the club. Lampton nearly added a third when his 30-yard free kick rounded the wall from the left and only an alert Fewell, diving to his left, prevented a certain goal, particularly with Jon Coke following up to pounce on any fumble.

Within minutes of the restart Whitstable had to bring on Dan Wisker after Gary Sayer picked up a cut over the left eye but this was about as much action as the away side had. For the home side things continued as before.

Lodge's low shot was cut out by the keeper in the 52nd minute and then Beveney headed over after picking up a pass from Traynor. Minutes later Beveney should have scored but his weak shot was easily stopped by Fewell. Lodge had found him with a cross from the right.

This was soon followed by another header, this time to the right by Jamie Beer. And then finally in the 75th minute Whitstable managed a chance. Jake Gass went just wide from a corner.

Normal service was soon resumed when Goddard struggled with a short pass from Traynor, who had picked up a longer ball off Cartwright. Unfortunately for Goddard, his shot was just not strong enough again and Fewell held it easily. This was quickly followed by a Nick Rundell free kick from 30 yards out on the left but Lodge's shot went wide to the right.

However Goddard soon made up for it with his goal a minute later, in the 82nd minute, after poor defending from the Kent side.

Photo: Chris Hatton - Kingstonian FC

With K's three goals to the good, manager Alan Dowson felt secure enough to take the ever-bossing Traynor off and gave Danny Summers a short run out.

But then with Goddard still on the field his options were there and he was immediately repaid when Goddard crossed in only to find the ball, heading for the centre of the net, saved by the goalkeeper.

One more time, their second real chance, the visitors tried to breach Luke Garrard's goal with Ian Pulman heading over the bar. An ever-improving Beveney counter-attacked and was unlucky when defender Liam Quinn stopped the ball off the line for a definite goal. And then in injury time both Cartwright and Lodge both missed.

Photo: Chris Hatton - Kingstonian FC

The team finally produced something they were capable of - winning. Too often the players have come with little or nothing in spite of dominating the others and if they reproduce such workman-like performances again, both before the end of April and then with the play-offs, then promotion and trips further afield could beckon.