Whitstable Town goalkeeping coach Dan Eason on boss Jamie Coyle’s playing return and comparisons between the 41-year-old and title-winning Herne Bay skipper Luke Harvey

Whitstable goalkeeping coach Dan Eason has told how manager Jamie Coyle’s playing return inspired the team.

The Oystermen will hope it proves third time lucky when they face AFC Whyteleafe in their FA Vase final at Wembley this Sunday, having narrowly missed out on Southern Counties East League Premier Division promotion and the Kent Senior Trophy crown - despite their much-improved form following a poor start to the season.

Coyle, 41, inspired Whitstable’s upturn in fortune on the pitch as he laced up his boots once more and former No.1 Eason has compared Coyle’s impact to the one talismanic striker and captain Luke Harvey made when they were part of the Kent League title-winning 2011/12 team together at Herne Bay.

“When I played for Herne Bay, we had Luke Harvey,” Eason said.

“When he used to play, you just sort of relaxed and thought ‘Luke’s playing.’. That season, we won the league and got to the semi-final of the Vase but, if Luke didn’t play, we didn’t really play that well.

“I think Coyley’s like that. When he plays, I just think the players are more relaxed.

“That’s what I thought when Coyley started playing.”

That Bay side also enjoyed Vase success that term, albeit they fell narrowly short of reaching the final.

Eason revealed those from that team still remain in close contact.

On Whitstable’s Vase run this season, he said: “They probably do understand the achievement - but they will ‘really’ understand it in years to come.

“The year at Herne Bay when we nearly got there, we’re still in a WhatsApp group from that.

“When you play football, you become friends with different people and, when they move to different clubs, you don’t lose them as such, but you don’t always talk as much as you did when you played with