Sam Denly fears Stuart King is facing a three-match ban after being sent-off in Herne Bay’s 1-0 home defeat by rivals Whitstable in the annual Bruce Smith Shield season curtain-raiser on Tuesday night.

The Bay striker kicked the ball against injured Jake McKenzie as he lay on the ground, sparking a melee. As a result, referee Nolan Wilde dismissed King for violent conduct, much to the frustration and disappointment of the Bay boss.

Denly said: “I wasn’t overly happy and it wasn’t a great start losing Kingy after 20 minutes. He hit the ball from 20 yards and it struck their player on the head.

“I don’t know whether he meant to do it but (red card) was harsh. Now Kingy could be banned, making it a lose-lose situation for us.”

Meanwhile, Bay striker Jordan Casey is continuing his pre-season spell with Ryman League, Premier Division Maidstone, coming off the bench to score in the 4-0 win at Faversham on Tuesday.

He is due to feature in another friendly at Sevenoaks Town on Thursday.

Bay travel to Woodstock Sports on Saturday (3pm) and visit Erith & Belvedere next Wednesday (7.45pm).