REPORT | WEALDSTONE 5-1 WHITSTABLE TOWN

Wealdstone booked their place into the First Round Proper of the Emirates FA Cup, defeating a spirited Whitstable Town 5-1 at Grosvenor Vale.

The Stones raced ahead to a commanding five-goal lead by half-time through braces from Micah Obiero and Olufela Olomola, as well as an Omar Mussa finish, with Dean Grant pulling a goal back for the Oystermen in the second-half.

Sam Cox made three changes to the side that drew with Altrincham last week, as skipper Jack Cook, Sak Hassan and Omar Mussa returned to the starting line-up.

The Stones made the perfect start, scoring within three minutes of kick-off as Olufela Olomola squared the ball to Obiero who produced an excellent flicked finished to send his team into an early lead.

Six minutes later, Wealdstone nearly doubled their advantage, with Sak Hassan’s teasing corner finding Cook at the back post, with only the post denying the defender.

The second goal was almost a carbon copy of the first as Enzio Boldewijn squared for Obiero to convert home again with another smart finish, in the 21^st minute.

Cox’s side then trebled their lead in style as Nathan Tshikuna set the ball back for Mussa on the edge of the area, who powerfully fired past Daniel Colmer.

The goals continued to flood in for the Stones as Olomola pounced in the box on the 31^st minute mark to comfortable slot home past Colmer for the Stones’ fourth.

Seven minutes before the stroke of half-time, the favourites had notched their fifth goal, with the dangerous Hassan driving into the box and firing at Colmer, who parried straight into the path of Olomola to tap home his second.

However, the Oystermen returned from the break with added impetus, scoring within a minute of the restart as Grant coolly fired past Dante Baptiste to reduce the deficit.

Whitstable Town then came close to pulling another goal back in the 54^th minute through Jake McIntyre’s driven free-kick, which drew a solid save from Baptiste.

The visitors’ confidence increased further as the second-half progressed, and Baptiste had to be alert to deny Theodore Osinfolarin’s powerful strike from range in the 70^th minute.

As the match entered the final ten minutes, Cox’s side looked like they would net a sixth, but Nathan Young-Coombes was thwarted twice in quick succession by Colmer to preserve the scoreline.

Wealdstone: Baptiste, Cook (Hutchinson 46), Woodman, McAvoy (Tiensia 46), Boldewijn, Georgiou (Kadji 15), Mussa, Hassan, Tshikuna (Day 87), Obiero (Young-Coombes 60), Olomola.

Subs not used: Covolan, Diarra.

Report by Nicole Cho-Yee