Cray Valley Paper Mils picked up their first league win of the season beating fellow early-season strugglers Whitstable Town. The Millers took the lead in the 22nd minute when Mal Turner linked with Dayo Santanna, who got to the bi line and put a low cross into the near post where veteran striker Chris Dickson was on hand to defly direct the ball past the keeper Daniel Colmer.

The Oystermen spent the rest of the half trying to get back into the game but the Millers made it to half time clutching onto their narrow lead with keeper Harrison Chamberlain having been called into action to make a fine double save.

The second half provided excellent entertainment with no goals. Cray Valley defended stoutly and caused Whitstable problems when they launched raids on the counter.

In added time Dickson went close for the visitors, his effort tipped onto the cross bar and away for a corner. There was however one final chance for the hosts, Whitstable’s Alex Wall lined up to take a free kick on the edge of the D outside the penalty area. Surely fate wasn't going to deny the Millers the three points as has happened a couple of times late on in earlier matches? Greens' low shot was well struck and looked destined for the bottom corner before Chamberlain got a strong hand to the ball, diving low to his left, to push it away and then scramble back across goal to prevent anything arising from the subsequent dink to the far post.

To the relief of Kevin Lisbie and his side the first three point haul of the season was secured along with smiles on the faces of the Millers supporters.

Man of the Match: Harrison Chamberlain (Cray Valley PM)

Oystermen: Colmer, Green (c), Hunter, Aileru (Asamoah 63), Young, Rees (Berry 57), Holness, Nelson (Wall 57), Jadama (Yeboah 63), Lucan, Bernal. Sub not used: Boxall

Millers: Chamberlain, Turner, Okoye, Ekpiteta, Sankoh, Santanna (Gayle 66), Agyemang, Uchechi (Gordon 62, Hassan (Cain 79), Shokunbi, Dickson. Subs not used: Leahy, Smith
Caution: Turner

Referee: Richard Joss
Assistants: Tyler Diminieux and Marshall

Post Match Interview: That winning feeling - Kevin Lisbie
https://www.crayvalleypmfc.com/videos/kevin-lisbie-postmatch-interview--whitstable-town-01-cray-valley-pm--first-win-of-the-season-19926-221224.html

Opposition Match Report and excellent Match Photos from Whitstable Town FC official photographer Les Biggs - See link below
https://www.whitstabletownfc.club/teams/224251/match-centre/1-20021852/report

Just look at that smile! Special thank you to Lucy & Michael for their entertaining supporter take over match coverage on our X social media feed.

The Preston Perspective - match report from Cray Valley supporter Preston Lee-Willott

Valley Valiant down The Town !!!

Whitstable Town 0 - 1 Cray Valley PM

Football at all levels is awash with cliches ...... but when they say good things are worth waiting for, all fans of the Millers who'd travelled east to the Kent seaside town famous for it's oysters would have been nodding in firm agreement at 5pm yesterday

Our first league win of the season was earnt with a good team performance that will hopefully give all the players and staff a much needed confidence boost , and whilst no doubt many will focus on Dickson's goal winning the 3 points, the dogged defensive display at the back to earn a clean sheet will hopefully prove a springboard for a continued upturn in fortunes

The Belmont, as the home faithful will always call their ground, saw a very good first 45 minutes of football with good passing football from both sides but the key moment that ultimately was to prove decisive arrived on 22 minutes when Santanna drove down the right flank , beat his man and delivered a delicious cross the our veterean goalscorer Chris Dickson gleefully slotted past Dan Colmer in the Whitstable goal.

Half-Time arrived and supporters could avail themselves of a great selection of burgers at the newly refurbished "Belmont Bites" down the town end of the ground, or tuck into a pizza from a new addition to the club's fayre down the opposite end of the ground

The second 45 for me was not such a great spectacle to watch from a footballing point of view ; it was more scrappy and disjointed and all of a sudden i seemed to notice the referee a bit more as he would stop play in a fashion he didn't seemed to have done prior.

At times we did defend a bit deeper too , and yet despite all of this we carved out better chances to score in the second half than we had in the first. First Sanatanna found himself played in beautifully in the box but agonsingly his effort on goal went just wide of the post when it seemed certain he would score, and then Gotdon fluffed his lines when he found himself unmarked in possession in the box but his swivel abd turn just didn't work out. Dickson was then denied a second from a tight angle as the crossbar agonisngly and teasingly denied him. The referee gave a corner so it's possible that Colmer had got a decisive if subtle touch to it

There was a nailbiting end as we conceded a free-kick at the death in a dangerous position ...... from the far end it was difficult to see exactly how it played out save to say that Chamberlain looking for all intents and purposes like a giant Stabilo Boss highlighter in his ( almost ) radioactively fuschia top ( allegedly sponsored by Chernobyl ) was bouncing around like a ping-pong ball to a chorus of "oooohs" and "aahhhhs" from the home support.

Our hearts were in our mouths ....... but the ball crucially stayed out of the net and shortly after the ref blew for the end and that was that. A hard but fairly won 3 points on the road for the Millers

Although we doubtless still need to be mindful of becoming more ruthless in front of goal, a solid debut for Hassan wearing the No.5 shirt, a good defensive team performance and 3 points all makes for a much happier Sunday for fans of Cray Valley PM Football Club

A word for Whitstable as a postscript ; Having won the FA Vase in 24-25, they followed that up last season with a fantastic promotion campaign only for the management team to up sticks in the close season and trundle down the A229 to Margate ...... with nearly the entire playing entourage following him much to the angst of the home faithful. So there is it must be saidthere is one hell of a rebuild and a 'work-in-progress' going on there and I for one hope it can succeed ; that lovely ground is a great place to watch football and I hope they can start to gel and stay in the Isthmian set-up

Match Photos; Romana at Inspire Socials
https://www.crayvalleypmfc.com/photos/whitstable-town-v-millers-19926-photos-inspire-socials-1178496.html