An absolutely marvellous and much needed win for City today beating upper-mid table Cuxton 1-0 at a breezy and sunny Thanington.
There is no disguising the fact that this has been a horrendous season on the pitch for the Club and their relegation fate had already been mathematically decided a couple of days prior. So taking that into account and the result between the two clubs in the reverse fixture back in October, plus City’s big defeat in their last game, there were many who thought the result here was probably a foregone conclusion and nobody would have been surprised if they had been right!
But as the saying goes: ‘football is a funny old game’ and so it proved today.
A fairly busy but incident lacking first-half from both sides gave way to a much better second that rocked back and forth with Cuxton piling on the pressure in the final minutes searching for the goal and the win to keep their play-off hopes alive, but City stood firm, springing forward at the death with an excellent goal to – for once of late, well and truly upset the footballing apple carts!!
There really was little to note in the first forty-five with a lot of football being played but little productivity. There was plenty of long ball and high ball play and some robust challenges that the referee encouraged by not stepping in more often and it’s fair to say one or two City players had the knocks and bruises at the break to prove it. Cuxton thought they had taken the lead on six minutes but were denied by the offside flag while City’s Dan Ikem had half a sniff of opening the scoring on eighteen, but was thwarted by an excellent piece of defending from Cuxton’s Teddy Walker.
Mafany Makoge saw a shot blocked for the hosts whilst the visitors had three corners that all went by without troubling the City goal – their best chance in fact coming from a Michael Paton free-kick hoisted into the box that Keiran Sharp ran onto – but sent his header up and over the City bar. Other than that there was little else to note – other than to check the results of the half-time raffle!!
The second-half had to be better and it was. Jacob Couzens tried his luck straight from the kick-off – it was on target but Cuxton keeper Rhys Coates – despite peering into the low sun, always had it covered and confidently collected it.
The visitors meanwhile certainly seemed to re-emerge with a different game plan and were soon pressing forward with far more intent and purpose. A huge clearance from the back from them saw the ball reach Josh Carter over on the right but his ball back towards the City goal flew well wide and high past the far post while a promising cross from their left was headed up and over the City bar by Bam Faboyede. Aaron Simpson’s well placed free-kick managed to bypass the City wall but was comfortably gathered by home keeper George Pipkin, before his counterpart Coates did well to get down and smother an Aaron James downward header from a Harry Uttley corner – just nine minutes gone since the break and already more goalmouth action that in the whole of the first-half!
The next efforts fell Cuxton’s way, firstly when a whipped in low shot needed a combination of Pipkin and Uttley to beat it away – with the loose ball then quickly hoisted over the bar and that was quickly followed by Walker battling his way down the left flank only to cut inside before, under pressure from keeper and City defenders, only finding the side netting.
City responded with a free-kick of their own with Uttley seeing a big gap to the keeper’s left, but his strike just curled narrowly away near the foot of the post, while one of several City changes – Brooklyn Blandford, saw an effort well blocked. At the other end, James Alderman saw his high ball almost catch Pipkin out, but he back-pedalled before pushing the ball away to safety over his own bar as Cuxton started to push forward and put City under increasing pressure.
Alderman cut inside but fired well over the bar, while Paton saw his shot deflect off his own player for a City goal-kick. Pipkin then made a crucial stop with his boot to deny Carter when through and then after two unsuccessful Cuxton corners, Pipkin came to the rescue again needing an outstretched leg to shift the ball away from Alderman as he threatened to run in on goal.
With the game now moving into added time, City had a great chance to snatch it when Jack Lawrence’s free-kick found Oscar Weight in the box – but he just got underneath his header to send it over the Cuxton bar. Despite the visitors having another chance with an even later free-kick, City resisted well before, in the ninety-fifth minute, Harvey Caldwell made a terrific run down the right before getting to the byline and zipping in a low cross for Blandford to come sliding in and stab the ball past Coates for one-nil to City and blooming deep joy and celebration throughout the whole, suddenly liberated, City camp!!
There wasn’t really time for Cuxton to respond with the referee ending the game two minutes later as Coates thumped an aimless long ball forward in desperate hope from the back only to see it – like so many more on the day – quickly rebutted – leaving City, just for a really pleasant change – with a win and a smile and a spring in their step!!
Final score: Canterbury City 1 Cuxton 0