Jamie Coyle hailed Bradley Schafer as a real asset after the midfielder scored four times in Whitstable’s rout of Holmesdale.

Schafer struck twice in either half, with Ronald Sithole and Nathan Jeche also on target in a 6-1 home win on Tuesday night.

Victory extended their unbeaten run in all competitions to 15 games, with Town just a point outside the Southern Counties East Premier Division play-offs in sixth.

Schafer joined Whitstable from Faversham in January, having started the campaign at Lordswood.

“He’s delivered an unbelievable performance on Tuesday night and deserved his goals,” said manager Coyle.

“He’s made a massive difference for us since we got him in from Faversham.

“He’s enjoying his football and playing with a smile on his face and you can see he’s got quality beyond the level.

“It’s great he’s not only chipping in with goals, he’s also got a few assists in the small number of games he’s started.

“He’s a real asset for us.

“It’s like anyone, you’ve just got to find the right environment, where you enjoy your football, and you get the best out of yourself, don’t you?

“He’s fitted in brilliantly into the changing room, he’s a real good character to have around the place and he’s delivering on the pitch at the moment.

“You’re going to need players in form like that if you’re going to achieve anything at the end of the season.

“It wasn’t just him on Tuesday, the whole team were unplayable at times and it could have been a lot more than six.

“I think it was a real experienced performance in our decision-making and everyone doing their jobs.

“We knew Holmesdale were a young, inexperienced team, and the experience we’ve got told.

“We dominated in most areas of the pitch and got our rewards.”

Harvey Smith scored an 88th-minute winner as Whitstable won 1-0 at Erith & Belvedere on Saturday.

And with the Holmesdale victory, they’re right on the tail of fifth-placed Rusthall in the final play-off position.

They look to continue their good form at Larkfield & New Hythe on Saturday (3pm).

“The crazy thing is we’re 15 unbeaten and we still haven’t got a play-off place,” said Coyle.

“It’s going to be an exciting end to the season, for sure. Confidence is high and it’s a good place to be at the moment.

“We were laughing on Tuesday night discussing the team for the weekend and how we’re going to play.

“We were saying it’s another massive game, it’s another cup final, but we’ve been saying that for the last 15 weeks.

“We’ve still got a lot of work to do.

“You can’t get carried away with the run we’ve been on because we still haven’t achieved anything.

“We need to keep people fresh and make sure everyone’s firing on all cylinders to give us a chance of gaining success.”

Whitstable have announced the first leg of their FA Vase semi-final against Hartpury University on March 29 has sold out.

Capacity at the Belmont is set around 3,000 for the tie and tickets were snapped up in no time.

“It’s unbelievable,” said Coyle.

“It’s great for the town, great for the supporters, and great for us a team and a management team to do something for them because they’ve stuck by us throughout the season.”