Boss Jamie Coyle has hailed Whitstable’s young prospects who have stepped up in their injury crisis as a credit to the club - but admits he needs to add to his squad.

The Oystermen seem to have kickstarted their Southern Counties East Premier Division season with last weekend’s 4-2 victory at Hollands & Blair being followed by a 2-1 home win against Bearsted on Tuesday.

Those wins have come with No.1 Dan Colmer (hand) and captain Mike West (groin) sidelined.

They also lost midfielder Fin Cotton (ankle) to injury at Hollands & Blair while defender Karn Miller-Neave (knee) and midfielder Reece Gillies (ankle) became their latest injury casualties in midweek.

Coyle, who is working hard with No.2 Matt Longhurst to strengthen their ranks, said: “We’re really down to the bare bones.

“We have got a lot of options in the final third but in defence and midfield, we’re struggling a little bit, as well as not knowing how long Dan is going to be out for.

“When we went into the club, it was very much about improving on the last couple of years that the club has had. But also, there was a real focus on utilising the Academy.

“The last two games we have had a 17-year-old, Josh Robson, in goal. We have been using two 19-year-olds in midfield and a 17-year-old off the bench, as well.

“But long-term, it’s difficult to be successful if you don’t have enough experience around them.

“It’s about getting the balance right. The games are coming thick and fast.

“The youngsters have been absolutely outstanding. But we cannot rely on them every week to be the difference between us winning a game and losing a game.

“They have been a credit to themselves and a credit to the club.

“Myself and Matt come from development backgrounds. We recognise that there’s a difference between giving them minutes and overworking them.

“We just need to make sure that we’re protecting the young boys.”

Whitstable’s form has improved, despite a lack of experienced bodies.

Goals from experienced striker Jerson Dos Santos and defender Finn O’Mara sandwiched Robbie Roberts’ effort as they saw off Bearsted.

Coyle said: “Bearsted are a team that I really admire.

“They play the right way, they’re very well-organised. I played against them twice last year with Glebe and they were probably one of the most structured sides I came up against.

“They have got a really good manager and coaching staff. We knew it was going to be really difficult on Tuesday.

“It wasn’t a brilliant game and there weren’t many chances for both sides. But we got a little bit of luck and took two chances, and defended probably as well as we have done all season.

“There were lots of positives to come out of the performance and, to finish it with so many youngsters on the pitch, that’s only going to help their development.”

The victory came after hat-trick hero Josh Oliver and Dover loanee Archie Hatcher did the damage at Hollands & Blair.

“The scoreline wasn’t really reflective of our dominance,” said Coyle. “We could have scored six or seven goals.

“We had a goal disallowed that was onside and some one-on-one chances where we were wasteful but, in the last three games especially, we have been getting there.”

The Oystermen host early high-fliers VCD on Saturday.

Coyle noted: “They had a bit of a rebuild season last year.

"Naturally, it takes time but they have kept the same management for this season.

“We have gone through a similar process this year. They’re going to be well-organised. I know one or two of their boys.

“Ben Fitchett, my captain at Ramsgate, is a good friend and he plays for them. They have had a brilliant start to the season.”

Whitstable travel to Kennington on Tuesday, Coyle having seen Dan Scorer’s side earn a 2-2 draw at Faversham last month.

“I’ve been really impressed with them,” noted Coyle. “I’ve seen them once already this season against Faversham.

“They have got one or two players that can cause problems for any team on their day. The good thing is we’ve seen them and seen how they play. There’s no easy games.

“There’s been a massive uplift in quality.

"Looking at teams like Rusthall, they have really built. There’s some good coaches in this league, you can see that.

“The teams are improving, especially the ones that have been together for a long period of time.

“Even Holmesdale. I know their staff because I worked with them at Welling’s Academy. They took a lot of the Academy players with them and they have been absolutely flying.

“There’s going to be some really tough games, but we’ll just focus on ourselves.”