Whitstable Town slipped deeper into trouble at the foot of Ryman League Division 1 South after a 3-0 derby defeat at home to Hythe Town on Tuesday night.

There was more woe for Oystermen boss Simon Halsey after Saturday's 8-0 humbling by Walton Casuals as the visitors, seven points and two places better off at the start of play, kept the shell-shocked hosts at arm's length.

The points were secured by Frankie Sawyer's early strike and Ben Wilson and Nick Reeves made the points safe with two goals in quick succession after the break, with the hosts failing to muster a single shot worthy of the name on Joe Mant's goal.

Sawyer put the visitors ahead inside a minute, turning in the box after being found by Dave Cook and firing low to the left of keeper Adam Highsted.

Sawyer lashed over from an angle moments later as Hythe piled on the early pressure and sent another effort straight at the keeper with the Oystermen defence at sixes-and-sevens.

Cook was the next to test Highsted from 20 yards as the visitors - playing under the sole charge of Clive Cook for the first time following the departure of Tony Beckingham the previous day - adopted a shoot on sight policy.

The hosts did eventually settle and Scott Heard saw a shot from an angle after a good corner routine blocked by Nick Reeves midway through the first-half.

Highsted flapped at a corner just after the half-hour under pressure from former Oysterman striker Craig Thompson with the deflection looping narrowly over the bar.

Thompson's throughball four minutes before half-time gave Jordan Wells the chance to fire a shot in on the slide, but Highsted turned the ball past his post and the resultant corner evaded Thompson.

Thompson was withdrawn with half an hour to go, walking off gingerly to be replaced by Sam May, while the Oystermen's introduction of Connor Heffernan at the break settled them down and saw them hold possession much better.

They still didn't create much however and there was a touch of luck about Ira Jackson's deflection of Sam Bewick's dragged shot just after the hour which looped over the bar.

The game was all-but up on 69 minutes when Whitstable's defence parted and James Morrish strode through before teeing up Ben Wilson, whose drilled half-volley had too much power for Highsted to give him his first Cannons goal.

The strike had come against the run of play but Sawyer should have made it three soon after, blazing over after a scramble in the six-yard box.

The third did however arrive on 78 minutes when a corner wasn't cleared by the Oystermen and the ball was laid into the path of Reeves who drove low across Highsted with a striker's finish.

Town's heads dropped as Hythe bossed the closing stages, though their tempers did flair when Bewick and Sawyer were booked after a tussle.

The result made it seven points from nine for the visitors and left Hythe 10 points clear of the drop-zone with Whitstable second bottom and in deep trouble.

Whitstable: Highsted, Ca Heffernan, Robinson (Boyle 73mins), Keyte, Gray, Dickinson, Heard, Bewick, Henry-Frances (Co Heffernan 46mins), Jackson, Campbell. Subs not used: Algar, Hurcombe, Brooks.

Hythe: Mant, Butcher, Burchell, Johnson, Reeves, Wilson, Cook, Morrish, Sawyer, Thompson (May 61mins), Wells. Subs not used: Yianni, Collado, Cloke.

Attendance: 163.