First-team coach Taylor Couldry has been praised by Whitstable boss Jamie Coyle.

While the Oystermen were left with a fixture-free weekend, Couldry was tasked with scouting early Combined Counties League Premier Division North strugglers Edgware & Kingsbury, ahead of this Saturday’s FA Cup preliminary round tie.

It’s a familiar role for Couldry, who clocked up plenty of miles last season, detailing upcoming opponents’ strengths and weaknesses, on Whitstable’s run to FA Vase glory.

He has been joined in the club’s backroom staff by former Dover, Margate and Tonbridge defender Laurence Ball.

“Taylor’s been outstanding,” Coyle said. “Laurence Ball has joined our scouting team this week, as well, so he went and watched Faversham Strike Force on Tuesday night, who we’ve got coming up.

“We have got a team of really good, dedicated professionals that are doing our homework.

“We have to make sure we respect every single side we play this year. That includes getting them watched and doing our analysis reports.

“There will be no stone left unturned. The players always deliver better performances once we give information on the opposition, naturally, so we’ll make sure we do that between now and the end of this season.

“We’re really grateful Taylor, as well as Laurence now, are going out and supporting that.”

Edgware & Kingsbury are yet to pick up a point from their first three league games this term but won 2-0 against British Airways in their FA Cup extra preliminary round match.

Coyle said: “They’re a decent side and have got some really decent individual players that we’ll have to be aware of.

“We’ll do our preparation on Thursday night for the game and, again, try to give a really good account of ourselves and build on the performance from Tuesday.

“If we do that, we give ourselves a really good opportunity to be in the next round.”

Whitstable were pegged back in a 1-1 draw at Bearsted, a late effort from the hosts cancelling out defender Finn O’Mara’s goal in midweek.

“You’ve got to give the opposition some credit,” reflected Coyle. “We went and watched them against Corinthian on Saturday (the Bears winning 4-1) because we didn’t have a game.

“We knew, obviously, that they’re a good side, well-organised and they try to play in the right way, as well. We had to train on Monday night in preparation for the game. I felt our boys carried out the game-plan brilliantly.

“The game should have been dead and buried after about 70 minutes when Theo (Osinfolarin) had a glorious chance from about three yards out, and he played it straight at the keeper when we were 1-0 up.

“Unfortunately, we got sucker-punched at the other end with a really soft goal.

“To concede in that manner, it was frustrating. But neither team created enough chances in the game and neither goalie has made many saves.

“It was a cagey game between, I thought, two decent sides.”

One-time Gillingham man O’Mara, 26, will be aiming to help fill the void left by his manager’s retirement at the back.

Coyle said: “Him and Will Thomas, as well as Jake McIntyre, were outstanding.

“Defensively, they were really solid. They won all their aerial battles and deserved to be on the side that got a clean sheet.

“Obviously, I’m pleased Finn scored, as well. Those three have started the season really well at the back and long may that continue.

“But as we’ve said, we need to start turning these good performances into clean sheets as a collective.

“We know, with the attacking threats that we have got in the side, we’re always going to score goals. It was frustrating but you do have to analyse the game as a whole.

"There were some really good performances.”

While it’s been a much-improved start this season to last campaign for the Oystermen, Coyle expects there’s plenty more to come from his side.

He said: “Mikey Dalton, it was his first game since his operation. He got through 90 minutes, which was a massive plus.

“Dean Grant didn’t have a pre-season at all and we got another 60 minutes out of him on Tuesday night.

“We’ve still got players, trying to find their feet where they have missed - all of, or at least the majority - of pre-season.

“So, they’re never going to be at the highest level they can be after three games. There’s really promising signs.

“Jayden Boulton on Tuesday night, it was probably his best game in a Whitstable shirt, which is really promising. People are starting to go up the gears.

"If we continue on that trajectory, we’ll be in a great place.”