A disappointing afternoon at Thanington saw City succumb to a second consecutive defeat by too many that should be causing a bit of head scratching within the camp!

They were four down in forty minutes without the hint of a reply or response and then rallied towards the end of the first-half before competing much better in the second – that relatively minor positive and the rain staying off until the final few minutes being just about the only bright spots of the afternoon.

After so many games in hot and stifling conditions, it was a bit of a relief to have some cooler conditions for the first home game of the season – even if the pre and post-match rainfall was a bit of a nuisance for the volunteers preparing and taking down the nets, ropes and gazebo etc just to get the game on.

Foresters started much better than City and their positive play soon saw them start to control the game.

An early corner saw City keeper Adam Strickson punch the ball to safety but another from the right after just seven minutes wasn’t dealt with at all and it got a deflection off somebody and diverted in almost slow motion into a vacant net. Foresters’ Nat Rofe was taking the hand-shakes, but it might have been a touch off a City player that possibly opened the scoring!

Ade Kunlee fired over for City but most of the play was going towards the home goal and Strickson had to make a smart spreading save to deny the visitors a second – but that relief was only short lived because Foresters soon doubled their lead on just fourteen minutes. Raf Preston wandered his way through just on the right and seemed to have far too much space and time to meander around the defence before firing home for 0-2.

Foresters’ Piers Fautley then saw a shot blocked before picking up the loose ball and forcing Strickson into a close range save – this time with a well-placed out-stretched boot.

City were struggling to deal with Foresters’ pro-activeness and pressing but almost only had themselves to blame for nearly presenting the visitors with a third when a badly overhit back-pass had Strickson scrambling to get near it before being grateful to see it fly out just past the upright!

City saw a couple of attacks fizzle out as Yevhenii Marchenko’s right wing dash forward was scuppered by a timely defensive tackle while Ryan Ruoff’s close range attempt at the left-hand post was completely snuffed out as the ball left his foot. On twenty-eight minutes things got worse for City when Fautley, from a pretty innocuous and seemingly safe position over on the left wing, completely caught Strickson flat-footed by chipping the ball comfortably over his head and into the net for 0-3.

Just four minutes later, Foresters should have made it four when a lovely ball played through the defence saw Jack Stewart move clear but he hit his low, first-time effort wide – when it probably would have been easier to have scored! Preston then seemed to have the freedom of the City half wandering all the way to goal down the inside-right channel before seeing Strickson keep him out with another save with his foot, before City decided changes were needed!

Foresters reaction to that was basically another goal. Lucas Winchester had just seen his goal-bound volley brilliantly saved by Strickson with a flying tip over before from the resultant corner, Sid Smith headed home unchallenged at the near post for 0-4.

It had been a poor opening forty minutes from City, but to their credit in the remaining fifty or so plus, they defended far better and carved out a few chances of their own. A late rally before the break saw Marchenko’s shot saved by visiting keeper Tim Walters before Ruoff struck a snap volley wide, while a couple of free-kicks and corners didn’t quite find them a way back in as Oscar Weight was denied by Walters with a good smothering save before Teddy Weight’s whipped in effort from wide left saw Walters move smartly to airily make a double-handed save on the stretch to push the ball away from goal.

The surge of City attacking right at the end of the half could not cover up the cracks of the previous forty minutes though and with them four-nil down at the break, the damage was almost certainly already done!

Probably unsurprisingly they were a long time in the dressing room before re-emerging but whatever was said, a much, much better second-half ensued even if Foresters restarted the stronger. A City corner was hoisted in but bravely taken by Walters under pressure, while at the other end, Strickson did well to get behind Joe Pickett’s distance effort that swerved right in front of him and then got down quickly to turn aside a shot on the turn from the same player. Sonny Williams then fired low across the City goal and wide of the far post before Pickett also fired off target.

Strickson made another save from an Ollie Styles free-kick, before Mark Newman, from a tight angle, struck one for City just past the opposite angle.  Styles then saw a second effort charged down by Weight (T), before his shot from wide left needed pushing away by Strickson as it looked destined for the top corner.

Another City free-kick then just eluded two attackers charging in, before a steal from  Drake Muhumuza led to a terrific cross from Newman being headed just over the Foresters bar at pace by Jamie Southby. Southby then saw another effort deflected out for a corner, which saw the ball eventually crossed from there to the back post where Aaron James cleverly headed it back across the goal for Newman to head home from close range and finally give the City faithful something to cheer and get his team on the score-sheet!

As the game was nearing its end, City worked hard to try to score another with Weight (T) volleying over the bar but they also needed Strickson to deny Josh Ogunkoya in the final minute as he was back-tracking, again sticking out a foot to make another save.

The whistle blew to end the game just as the rain was starting to return and despite a bit of a resurgence in that second-half, City were on the day well beaten with the first forty minutes badly taking their toll and something that they can’t afford to let happen again next week when they face Borden Village in a President’s Cup tie.

Final score here: Canterbury City 1 Tunbridge Wells Foresters 4