Ryman League Division One South
Chipstead 3 Whitstable Town 2
DESPITE playing nearly the whole second half with nine men Chipstead beat Whitstable Town 3-2 in a heroic effort.
The High Road side had defender Ben Dyett sent off just before half-time and then goalkeeper Aaron Bufton dismissed after 54 minutes.
But despite Chipstead's numerical disadvantage, Whitstable failed to really test their hosts and any half chances were repelled by the defence and stand-in keeper Asa Rixon-Nicholls.
It took until 21 minutes into the game for a real chance to materialise but you only have to give Dan Moody one chance. The Chipstead skipper evaded Ollie Gray and thumped the ball home.
And less than five minute later Moody had his and Chipstead's second, when more slack defending by the Oystermen left the midfielder with time and space.
And on 27 minutes Chipstead scored their third, making it three in six minutes, Dan Llacer the scorer.
And Llacer might have made it four on 40 minutes when he raced through on goal but a good block from keeper Luke Watkins denied him.
It looked like Chipstead were heading for three points but Ben Dyett made that task more difficult when, already on a yellow, he committed a rash foul and earned himself an early bath.
And less than a minute after Chipstead were reduced to ten-men, Whitstable pulled a goal back when Peter Wedgeworth's free-kick from the right found Luke Doherty at the post to head home.
As if being down to ten men was not bad enough, things dramatically worsened for the home side.
On 54 minutes the visitors were awarded a penalty after a foul on the edge of the box and Chips keeper Aaron Bufton was booked for his protests.
Ryan Golding sent Bufton the wrong way to make it 3-2 but in the aftermath the goalkeeper confronted the Whitstable player and the referee sent him off, leaving Chipstead with nine men, no keeper and a very slim lead.
Playing against nine men should have given the Oystermen a licence to attack, but the visitors struggled to get a meaningful touch in the final third of the pitch.
With ten minute to play, plus a lot of injury time, Chipstead won a corner but elected to leave five men and the keeper back as they defended their lead.
But on 80 minutes, Whitstable finally had the ball in the back of the net only for the referee to rule it out for a foul in the build-up.
With a lot of Chipstead players needing treatment for injuries in the second half, the referee added on seven minutes.
When they weren't on the ground, Chipstead defended heroically and the stand in keeper Asa Rixon-Nicholls made a couple of decent catches.
Whitstable saw a cross ghost across the face of the Chipstead goal before Bobbie Webbe tried his luck with a punt from distance at the other end.
