With both sides struggling for form, City with their one win in thirteen coming just last week at Kent United, and Snodland nine games since their last victory, this encounter could potentially have gone either way but with both sides seeing it as one they could win.
As it turned out it was a fairly low-key match devoid of much quality and was settled by a rather scrappy and soft goal – from a City point of view at least – that came in a fairly even, if tepid first-half. The second period did burst into life after an incident involving a red card for each side, but that just led to a similar pattern of football but just being played in a bit more of a hurry!!
The game took a while to settle down and there was very little to note early on with the first effort on goal not coming until the tenth minute when Lewis Sharp twisted and turned his way around the corner of the City box but saw his effort well blocked by Kieran Bartlett.
Home keeper Fin Lumpkin was probably the busiest but rarely exerted and some safe handling took out a Snodland corner and a long range effort fired in by Harry Hornsby. A decent move down the left from City then saw Samuel Odiase make some progress but his well worked cross found an empty box with Aaron Barker eventually following in but volleying wide.
City were niggling the referee a bit too much for his liking and conceded a needless early yellow card for a quick couple of minor and pretty pointless offences by the same player and then, after some further similar infringements invoked some really cheap telling-off’s that only served to put themselves under closer scrutiny!
Their best chance of the first-half however came around the twenty minute mark and Cuba Gill should probably have done better when played through well by Barker and beating the offside trap, but when faced with just visiting keeper Charlie Sayer, he could only side-foot the ball away and past the far post.
City were to rue that missed opportunity because just two minutes later they conceded a poor goal to put them behind. A Snodland free-kick was originally cleared but recycled via a high hoisted ball into the City box where a moment’s hesitation between keeper and defender allowed a Snodland foot to poke out and knock the ball between them and it trundled towards the far post before rolling meekly over the line for 0-1.
Almost immediately from City’s kick-off, Snodland should have doubled their lead when Sharp battled his way through to a great position, but only he will be able to explain how he managed to completely mis-kick the ball harmlessly, well wide.
A further chance then went begging for City when Barker’s ball out to the right found Tristan Belsey pushing forward and although his first-time cross fell nicely for Gill, he was unable to sort his feet out quick enough and could only divert the ball wide from around five yards out.
The rest of the half was really a catalogue of what might-have-beens as City defender Ronnie Gawler did well to tidy up Sharp’s sudden burst forward, Dylan Steele on the stretch headed wide at the far post before Barker’s well worked cross was snaffled by Sayer and then, after a lovely turn and play by Israel Oyetunji, Mafany Makoge swung out a boot but couldn’t quite connect to any telling effect right in front of Snodland’s goal.
Not the greatest of first-half’s by anybody’s measure, but definitely all still to play for in the second.
The game restarted in amble mode and pretty much as before the break with just a long range speculative effort from Ricky Hornsby going well wide of the City goal before the double red card incident that reduced both teams to ten men.
First to go was City’s Makoge for a two-footed tackle and he was quickly followed by Snodland’s Ricky Hornsby for a rather forceful two-handed shove that floored a City player during the inevitable melee that followed the original foul! After a lengthy stoppage while that was all sorted out, Harry Hornsby curiously decided to pummel the resultant free-kick from near the halfway line, wastefully, well over the City bar..
Understandably, there was suddenly an edge to the game that hitherto had been played at little more than a sedate and pedestrian pace. Dangerman Sharp cut in from the right and forced Lumpkin into a flying two handed push-away save, before he then tried to catch the City keeper unaware, trying to sneak in a left-sided free-kick inside the near post, but Lumpkin was quickly over to gather.
City then almost levelled twice around the seventy-nine minute mark when firstly, Barker was fouled on the edge of the box but before the referee could blow the whistle a shot came in that Sayer was forced to dive down to his left with a smart save and push the ball aside for a corner – presumably advantage allowed! He then made an even better stop flying to his right to save from his own defender as Charlie Paternoster’s mis-directed header flew straight towards his own goal.
City’s next chance saw Tyler Lee and Gill between them battle forward into the Snodland box, but the ball just ran away at the crucial moment allowing Sayer to tidy up, before the visitor’s missed a great effort to seal the game as Freddie Searle did a couple of keepie-ups before pivoting in the same motion and firing against the City bar – a lucky escape for the hosts!!
Lewis Jackson then volleyed over for Snodland from wide out right, before for City, Odiase headed wide at the far post and Belsey’s long shot flew well wide.
That was really the last effort of the match and after eleven added minutes, Snodland had just about done enough to win the points with City missing a chance to build on any sort of momentum from last week’s victory, but worse still, failing to close the gap on one of the sides sitting around the league position they ultimately need to be!!
Final score: Canterbury City 0 Snodland Town Reserves 1.