Whitstable are off to National League opposition in the FA Cup - and their ambitious boss hopes he can take the Oystermen to that level in the years to come.

The title-chasing Southern Counties East League Premier Division side will aim to pull off their biggest giant-killing act so far when they visit Wealdstone in the fourth qualifying round on Saturday.

While the odds will be stacked against them, they have already beaten three Step 3 clubs in Hungerford, Chichester and Dulwich to reach this stage.

But Sam Cox’s Wealdstone side sit 10th in the table and present Whitstable with a huge step up in class.

“That’s where we want to be,” said manager Jamie Coyle, who has watched both of Wealdstone’s last two league matches. “We want to be working in that environment in the long run.

“Hopefully, it’s at Whitstable Town with the infrastructure they’ve got at the club.

“I fully believe we can take them through the levels and that’s why our priority is to win the league this year.

“A lot of Wealdstone’s players have played in the Football League or have come out of Premier League Academies so, tactically, they will be very good.

“But we have got real belief in the group we have, as well as belief in our technical and tactical understanding as a management team.

“It’s one of those games where you want to give a good account of yourselves. We’ll put a game-plan together for the match.

“We want to break them down and make them change what they do. I’ve got massive respect for Coxy.

“It will be a real test but these are the games as a manager, or as a coach or a player, you look forward to.

“It’s the FA Cup so it’s a one-off and we don’t want to make the numbers up.

"It will be a great day out.”

It’s been a superb 2025 for Whitstable’s fans, who won the FA Vase at Wembley and are now enjoying success in another national cup competition.

Coyle, whose team were 2-1 weekend winners at Hythe, said: “Everyone associated with the club is really excited for the day.

“These are the days that you remember at the end of the season, like with some of the away days we had in the Vase.

“Our travelling fans have been unbelievable all season. They turned an away game into a home game on Sunday.

“Hopefully, they can replicate that atmosphere at Wealdstone.”

Second-half goals by forward Ashdon Day and midfielder Mikey Dalton saw Whitstable win 2-1 at Hythe, with the game played on Sunday as part of the groundhop weekend.

“We were really good value for the win,” reflected Coyle. "I think even their manager, Ira Jackson, said it was Hythe’s best performance of the season.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Ira and Josh (Algar, assistant manager). They’re in a similar position to what we were in last season.

“They were very complimentary of our performance and so we’ll do the same for theirs.

“Tactically, we had to change shape at half-time because we struggled to break them down but, overall, we were good value for the win.”

Dalton’s goal was his first this term.

Coyle said: “He’s so important for us.

"I gave him a bit of a role out of possession to try and press high when they tried to play out. He made a great decision to push up on their holding midfielder.

“He’s not really in our team to create and score goals, he makes us tick in the final third.

"He doesn’t get many goals - he didn’t last year - but he got the winning one on Sunday.”

The Oystermen are due to visit Holmesdale in the Kent Senior Trophy on Wednesday.

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