Whitstable Town were brilliant for 89 minutes. And then…
A season to remember for Whitstable Town FC, but a week to forget. But even in playoff defeat, Whitstable Town showed how and why they were the best team in the league for much of the year...
At halftime in the first round playoff game between Whitstable Town and Fisher FC, I texted a friend.
Is it possible that Whitstable Town have done so well this year by simply hoofing the ball forward whenever it lands at their feet? Is that possible? Is it?
At step 5 - definitely yes.
Six minutes into the second half they were ahead 1-0.
Good hoofing.
It’s easy to watch direct teams and think route one is football at its most basic. And sometimes it is.
But there’s more to it than that, as I was beginning to realize.
Whitstable Town is in the FA Vase final. And in the league, they had ended the season with a run of 21 games unbeaten. This was more than hoof-ball.
But how exactly?
The mastermind behind it is manager Jamie Coyle, who also happens to be their right-sided center back.
His approach is a pragmatic one, with an emphasis on verticality. Or to put it bluntly: hit everything forward. I know… that sounds a lot like Route One football. But bear with me.
It starts at the back. Coyle has demonstrated he’s a capable manager this season, but also a canny player. At 41, he’s in the career red zone. But you don’t need to run around much, or take on players, if you have a superpower.
And Coyle has a superpower.
Defensively he simply can’t be beaten in the air. His heading is superb. He times his jumps perfectly. He gets height and power behind the ball. He looks impossible to beat. And anything on the ground he hits long.
Which is where Dean Grant comes in.
Grant is the center forward. His job is to hold onto the ball. Then to either lay off wide or connect with Ronald Sithole on the overlap. Sithole does this well, operating from slightly deeper, and across the width of the pitch.
But more than anything there’s the team ethos: Get the ball into the box.
This is how they cause their opponents problems. It’s not pretty – and you see it at all levels of non-league football. Most of the time it might even seem wasteful. But the pressure is relentlessness. It keeps the opposition on the defensive. At some point it creates chances.
Which Jake McIntyre took advantage of in the 51st minute to put them ahead.
But sometimes the ball does reach the ground, and bounce. So supporting these attacks are two creative wide players (inverted wingers?) who tuck in to occupy the half-spaces. They are Connor Wilkins on the left, and Asdon Day on the right. Both like the ball at their feet. Both can take players on.
Their positioning inside creates two advantages. It means they’re quick to second balls on those longer passes from deep. But they’re also well-positioned to press on turnovers.
This does leave space wide, especially in transition. But it formed part of a defensive structure with a record that stands out: Whitstable only conceded more than one goal once since January.
The whole team presses through the center when defending their own half. They deny opponents time. They force turnovers. Then play more of those long passes to the man up top.
And it worked. You could see it working. Right up to the 89th minute.
Fisher had only managed long-range shots all game, easily handled by Colmer. But then a second phase shot in the last tired and desperate minutes, through a crowded box which surprised everyone. The ball snuck its way into the bottom corner. Heartbreak.
The only thing missing from Whitstable’s setup was five decent penalty-takers.
They missed the first one. And Fisher was still buzzing from rescuing the game in the closing second. Whitstable was beaten in their heads before they were from the penalty spot. Promotion will have to wait.
As I write this they’re just over a week away from that FA Vase final at Wembley. Then a summer to regroup. Will Coyle play another season at center back (he had talked of retiring if they’d gone up)? And will he keep hold of the core group of players who looked so well-drilled at the business end of the season?