Skipper Tom Mills sees no reason why play-off occupants Whitstable Town cannot contend for the Southern Counties East Premier Division title after 2-2 draw with frontrunners Faversham Town

Skipper Tom Mills sees no reason why Whitstable cannot contend for the Southern Counties East Premier Division title this season.

The play-off occupants came from 2-0 down at half-time to draw their eagerly-awaited derby 2-2 with Faversham last weekend, as the gap between the sides remained at four points.

A second-half strike by Josh Williams and a stoppage-time own goal from Emmanuel Oloyede’s cross ensured Whitstable bounced back from successive losses in front of a massive crowd at The Belmont, having won six out of their seven fixtures in all competitions before those defeats.

It looks set to be a close title race with fifth-placed Deal having games in hand on the sides above them.

While former Maidstone and Margate defender Mills knows there will be plenty of twists and turns to come in the second half of the campaign, he believes Marcel Nimani’s fourth-placed troops should not solely be aiming for a top-five finish in the league, which would earn them a shot at promotion through the play-offs.

He said: “We have quality players who can push on and contend for the title, to be honest - not just the play-offs.

“It’s still a bit early to be talking about winning the title because it’s only December and a long way to go. But we’re definitely getting there.”

Report: Whitstable 2-2 Faversham

A Kent Senior Trophy Quarter-Final at home to Division 1 Faversham Strike Force also awaits the Oystermen in the new year.

Mills recalled: “Compared to last season, that’s good - we went out of the cup competitions quite early last season. But we’re still in the Kent Senior Trophy Quarter-Finals and challenging for the play-offs - or maybe even the title - in the league this season.

“Marcel always said we would be competing for