Whitstable Town boss Jamie Coyle hails Will Thomas as one of the most technically-gifted centre-backs he has played with as defender nets in 3-1 weekend win at Kennington

Club stalwart Will Thomas has been hailed by Whitstable manager Jamie Coyle as one of the most technically-gifted centre-backs he has played with.

Thomas was on the scoresheet as the Southern Counties East League Premier Division leaders were 3-1 winners at Kennington last weekend.

For Thomas, who joined the club in 2020, it was just his second goal of this campaign.

“He has stepped in from when I retired and played near-enough every single game this season,” said Coyle. “He has made more than 40 starts.

“As I saw when I played with him last year, he has always been a fantastic footballer. He’s probably one of the best I have seen at centre-half in terms of his technical ability.

“He’s one that has really bought into looking after himself away from football in terms of his diet and his fitness levels. He has come back a different beast this year.

“For me, he has been one of our stand-out players in our squad.

"He has really taken on board the communication aspects we have needed this year in terms of the organisation. He’s been fantastic all season.

“He took his goal well on Saturday - but I have been challenging him for months now where he can really add more to his game in terms of scoring from set-pieces. He’s a real focal point for us.

“Unfortunately, that was only his second goal this season. But I’m sure, if he continues to do the work he is doing, on the grass as well as away from football, he will continue to improve.

“It seems like he has been around forever! He was in my academy at 16 at Maidstone United. He’s someone I still feel has got huge potential.

“I said to him that I felt the best time in my career wasn’t until I was about 30 so he has got plenty more time to continue to develop and improve.

“He’s been