Captain Tom Mills felt Whitstable missed the chance to beat Southern Counties East Premier Division frontrunners Faversham in the closing stages of their derby draw on Saturday.

Sammy Moore’s Lilywhites appeared in control at half-time as they led 2-0 thanks to goals from midfielders Billy Bennett and Matt Newman - only for the promotion-chasing hosts to roar back after the restart at The Belmont.

Winger Josh Williams halved the deficit before a stoppage-time own goal by Faversham defender Josh Vincent ensured it finished 2-2, with the Oystermen then missing a golden opportunity to snatch it right at the death in front of a massive crowd of 1,112.

“It could have gone either way really,” said 32-year-old Mills as Whitstable responded, having lost 4-2 at Punjab United last weekend.

“Marcel (Nimani, Whitstable’s boss) said we probably played better in the first half than we did in the second. With the quality individual players that they have got, they have people who can pick one out and put it into the top corner - and that’s what they did in the first half.

“But we came out in the second half and stuck to the game plan of just passing and passing, then switched it up a little bit - went a bit longer - and got our first one.

“Then, I think they started to shrink a little bit and we got the second.

Report: Whitstable 2-2 Faversham

“I wasn’t sure which way it was going to go after that but I’m just gutted. They felt like they were there for the taking at the end and we should have won it, really.

“But I’m glad the boys worked hard. That effort wasn’t there last Saturday and we were 100 times better today.”

Whitstable came into the encounter after back-to-back defeats - also being knocked out of the Challenge Cup 1-0 at Kennington this month - and certainly the home contingent could have felt hard done-by to be two goals down by the interval.

They had enjoyed the better of the play in the first half for the most part but had been undone by some clinical finishing from the Lilywhites.

But the Oystermen, beaten 2-1 when the teams met at Salters Lane in August, rallied to ensure Faversham didn’t do the double over them.

And substitute Tyler Anderson came agonisingly close to winning it for them, seeing his last-gasp shot strike the post with goalkeeper Lewis Briggs beaten.

Former Maidstone and Margate man Mills said: “There wasn’t a lot to say at half-time.

“We probably should have taken more chances in the first half and that’s about all we could say. They were clinical in the first half and we weren’t - that was about the only difference.

“But it’s good that we kept on top in the second half and took it to them and got the two goals we probably deserved.

“We just couldn’t get the third. Tyler was unlucky.

“When he was one-on-one, I would have put my mortgage on him to score - but he didn’t and it’s just one of those things.”

Whitstable remain four points behind frontrunners Faversham at Christmas and are set to finish 2023 at Lydd next Saturday.