Manager Marcel Nimani has praised the work of sports scientist Ben Maci after in-form Whitstable’s first-minute goal helped them beat Bearsted in the Kent Senior Trophy.

Emmanuel Oloyede gave the Oystermen a dream start at The Belmont on Saturday. They were pegged back, however, with fellow striker Steadman Callender having a goal disallowed, before the visitors converted on the rebound after a penalty.

But Harvey Smith’s header and a late Josh Oliver brace ensured it finished 4-1.

Maci had identified how Whitstable had been slow starters at the beginning of the season, something they could not be accused of against Bearsted.

“It was the perfect start on Saturday,” said Nimani, whose side have only lost once in 12 games. “We caught Bearsted cold and a couple of the patterns we worked on managed to work superbly on Saturday.

“That’s why we have Ben, the sports scientist, on board. He picks up trends, using statistics.

“He’s very good at it. We had identified in the first 10 minutes of games that we don’t string as many passes together as we normally do and don’t have as many final-third entries as we normally do.

“We had worked on a few patterns on how we were going to start the game and it paid off.”

But the Oystermen also had to be patient as the Bears hit back before three goals in the last 15 minutes helped them safely through to the Quarter-Final.

Nimani, whose team also won 2-0 against Hollands & Blair in the Southern Counties East Premier Division last Tuesday, not netting until the 70th minute, said: “They’ve been two very patient and composed performances.

“We feel that the experience we have brought in during the last three or four weeks is starting to pay off.

“Those players have started to settle into our style of play. We had told the players that they have to manage the emotional side of the game better than they have done previously, particularly in the first part of the season, and our experience is definitely paying off.”

This season’s Kent Senior Trophy competition appears a good chance for the club to pick up silverware, with rivals Faversham and Deal already out, but Nimani isn’t getting carried away.

“With the teams that are left in the competition, there’s still some fantastic sides there,” he noted.

“You have got two or three sides from the division below that can compete with anybody in terms of player recruitment.

“Then, there’s another two or three teams in our current division that can match any team - and the division above - financially.

“Both ends of SCEFL are well-supported, financially, and they all have great players, so I certainly don’t see it as a weaker competition just because a couple of teams have gone out.

“But for us, it’s a good opportunity to add another game to our fixtures and good kudos for us to make the Quarter-Final of the Kent Senior Trophy.”

Midfielder Oliver’s latest double brought him on to 12 goals for the campaign. But Nimani revealed how having too many attacking players on the pitch had meant the side had struggled to find the right balance in the earlier stages of the season.

He explained: “We have got quite a few goalscorers in our team which, in the early part of the season, was our downfall. We had too many goalscorers on the pitch and that was affecting our defensive shape.

“Now, we’re balancing that better. But we have got some good, active goalscorers in the side.”

Whitstable visit Lordswood in the league this Saturday. While they have a decent record against them so far this term, winning once and drawing 3-3 at home in the league in August, they’re still a team Nimani has a lot of respect for, although they are on the hunt for a new boss after Matt Barman surprisingly stood down as manager this week.

“If you want to see how pressing is done, I would recommend to anyone to go and watch Lordswood play,” he said. “If there’s one thing that side masters, it’s their pressing.

“They’re very good at pressing teams. You can certainly see why they’re so successful at home.

“Their pitch is quite small, they press extremely well and, with it being winter and them playing on a grass pitch, the surface is never going to be the greatest.

“So we’re already preparing for a difficult afternoon but we will do our best.”

Among the Oystermen’s recent additions has been Jahmal Howlett-Mundle, who joined on a dual-registration basis from Sevenoaks, and Nimani has agreed with Oaks for the defender to remain with Whitstable for the next few weeks.

He explained: “Jahmal has done really well in his first two weeks with us.

“Obviously, I know Jahmal from our time together at Sheppey. He’s a fantastic defender and we have agreed with Sevenoaks for him to stay a bit longer with us.”