Rams unbeaten run comes to an end

A disappointing result for the Rams brought an end to the unbeaten run under Tim O’Shea, but gave ten man Whitstable Town a well-earned win against the Croydon side.

It all started so well for Croydon Athletic, with some good early chances.

Charlie Ide sent a lovely ball in to Ian Selley, whose shot from 30 yards went just over the bar as early as the second minute of the game, and Serge Makofo, playing his best game for the Rams, came close when the keeper blocked his close range shot in the fourth minute.

With both sides pushing for the goal, a well worked move between Ide and Sam Clayton saw Ide’s cross into the box falling to Clayton in space and he calmly struck the ball home from 20 yards to put the home side 1-0 up in the 15th minute.

There were further interactions between the two players, suggesting an interesting partnership in future matches, but Whitstable also had their chances to equalise.

Ross Flitney blocked one attempt in the 23rd minute, and Bradley Duke made a timely interception when the Oystermen looked to be in line for a goal opportunity.

A good chance fell to Lyle Taylor, making his debut for Croydon Athletic on loan from Millwall, who was through on goal with just the keeper to beat, but his shot just fell wide of the left hand post.

Whitstable had the ball in the back of the net in the 26th minute but the linesman ruled it offside, and Gareth Cornhill saw his shot from 20 yards go well over the bar for the away side.

For the Rams, another great move involving Ide and Clayton saw Clayton’s cross into the box headed just over by Ide. Whitstable kept pushing for the equaliser and gradually began to control the match, with their persistence paying off when Ian Pulman struck the ball across the goal past Flitney into the net in the 39th minute.

Immediately after Makofo had a chance, beating the Whitstable defence but his shot was well saved by Kevin Fewell in goal.

In the second half a great move involving Lamin Ojo, Ide and Clayton again finished with an easily saved shot by the keeper, but Whistable were not to be beaten and Ojo had to clear off the line at the other end of the pitch to keep the scores level.

However it was Whitstable who looked the more controlled in the second period, with Croydon rather losing their way, and the away side were awarded a penalty in the 61st minute when Makofo was judged to have fouled in the box.

Liam Quinn made no mistake and suddenly Croydon were looking at their first defeat in seven games.

In the 80th minute Cornhill picked up his second booking of the game for a foul on Makofo, and the referee had no choice but to show him the red card.

An unfortunate injury to Ian Selley saw the Rams’ captain for the night clutching his arm for the last five minutes of the game, and it was later confirmed he had suffered a fracture.

In addition a Whitstable player also picked up an injury, resulting in the stretcher being brought on in the final couple of minutes of the game.

Whitstable deservedly won the points on the night, dominating the second and most of the first half, while Croydon suffered a rare setback and will be looking to bounce back against Cray Wanderers on Saturday.

Croydon Athletic: Ross Flitney, Neil Smith, Robbie Ryan, Lamin Ojo, Bradley Duke, Richard Blackwell, Ian Selley, Sam Clayton (82 mins Tom Bolarinwa), Charlie Ide (72 mins Shabazz Baidoo), Lyle Taylor (72 mins Jeremiah Olusanya), Serge Makofo. Subs not used: Danny Waldren, Jeremy Williams