Manager Jamie Coyle remains reluctant to put his boots back on - despite Whitstable’s depleted defensive options.

The Oystermen have now suffered back-to-back defeats after a five-game unbeaten run.

They lost 2-1 at Glebe - where Coyle played last term - in the Southern Counties East Premier Division on Saturday after last Wednesday’s 1-0 Challenge Cup defeat at lower-division Staplehurst Monarchs.

Defender Jake McIntyre was red-carded against Staplehurst and, providing Whitstable’s appeal against his dismissal is unsuccessful, he will now have a ban to serve. Centre-back Will Thomas missed the contest at Glebe through injury and Finn O’Mara has recently left for Isthmian Premier Hastings.

But asked about playing himself, 41-year-old Coyle insisted: “It’s the last resort.

“I’ve been in this situation for probably the last 10 years where I want to concentrate on being a manager. But I always end up putting the boots on and playing 25 games in a season!

“We have still got Kai Jeffrey, as well, who has a bright future in the game, but we need to manage his minutes so that he’s fulfilling his potential.

“I certainly don’t want to put myself in and stunt someone’s development in the game.

“Our whole remit at Whitstable was bringing the average age of the squad down and blooding youngsters into the first team.

“But that also needs to work with picking up points and that’s something we need to do better at.”

Coyle was able to call upon his ex-Glebe boss Craig Nelson, now at Isthmian Premier Lewes, to help out as he headed back to Foxbury Avenue.

“I’m really good friends with Craig Nelson,” he explained. “He was the manager at Glebe.

“He did us a massive favour in allowing Peter Ojemen to play on Saturday.

"He’s not played for a few weeks, he has been suspended, and you could see that with his performance. He wasn’t exactly match-fit but we were without Will Thomas, who has been one of most consistent players.

“No matter what the level, when you have players coming into the side, it takes them time to settle.”

The damage was done in the first 16 minutes from a Whitstable perspective at Glebe as they swiftly fell 2-0 behind.

Coyle reflected: “We were poor in the first half. We could have been even further behind after the first five or 10 minutes. We struggled with the slope.

“From playing there last season, it’s one of those slopes where you need to get in at 0-0 if you’re defending the slope.

"I don’t think they got out of their half when they were defending the slope but, ultimately, they defended it better than we did.

“It’s frustrating because we created enough chances to get something out of the game, their keeper pulled off some unbelievable saves. We just gave ourselves a mountain to climb.

“It’s kind of been the story of our season.

"If you look at our goals-against column, it’s not great and some of the goals we have conceded have been really poor.”

While attacking midfielder Josh Oliver’s goal shortly before half-time gave them hope of a comeback, Coyle’s team could not make their second-half dominance pay.

Coyle said: “Josh Oliver took his goal really well and that gave us a bit of an opportunity. You’re thinking ‘Right, the impetus is now with us’ which, to be fair, it was.

“But conceding two goals, especially away from home, it gives you a mountain to climb.

“Saturday sums up how we have defended as a team for the whole season.”

Next up is a trip to Premier Division pacesetters VCD in the second round of the Kent Senior Trophy on Saturday, having lost 1-0 at home against them in the league in early September.

“It’s going to be a really tough game again,” said Coyle. “We had a good, tactical game against them earlier in the season.

"We were good in the first half but we didn’t take our chances.”