Manager Sam Denly says Herne Bay had only themselves to blame for their surprise defeat in Monday’s Ryman League, Division 1 South derby against Whitstable.

Bay dominated the game at Winch’s Field for long spells, creating a host of chances but it was the bottom club who claimed the bragging rights courtesy of goals from Dean Grant and Harry Stannard.

It was only Whitstable’s fourth league win and ended a run of six successive away defeats.

Denly said: “It was always going to be a difficult day. It’s a local derby so that’s always a leveller and they’re scrapping for every point they can get but we created more than enough chances to have got something out of the game.

“Yes, the keeper’s had a great game but we’ve also not been clinical enough ourselves, missing from five yards out and you can’t be doing that.

“We’ve got to be lot more clinical in front of goal. If you’re not then you’re not going to get anything out of the game – it’s as simple as that.”

Denly said he did not feel there was any complacency on the part of his players and felt that Grant’s third-minute strike was crucial for the strugglers because it gave them something they could hang onto.

He added: “It was a soft goal from my point of view, a throw in we didn’t deal with and it’s not good enough.

“I said to the boys at half-time we can’t be defending like that – we’re better than that. We pride ourselves on our defence and it’s been outstanding but that was a soft goal and it killed us a bit for a little while.

“The second goal was a good strike but again I think we could have done better but the game was lost by what we did in front of goal.”

Bay travel to leaders Folkestone Invicta on Saturday and Denly believes his players have the ability to get back to winning ways after successive defeats.

He added: “It’s a competitive league. If we are at our best against Folkestone, then there’s no reason we can’t get a win but to go and get something down there we are going to have to be at our best because they are a good side and we need everyone firing.”