Another defeat for City but they ran third placed Falconwood all the way, twice coming from behind to level before a second penalty for the visitors massively helped them towards winning the three points.

An early scare for the hosts came in just the fifth minute when a Falconwood corner was headed clear but fell to Fin Sillince whose fired in effort bounced off the underside of the bar and was cleared – definitely a bit of fortune for the hosts.

City then had a chance to test visiting keeper Sonny Owen themselves with a launched in free-kick but Owen was quickly in position to make a solid catch. City’s next chance came when Farid Salifou broke down the middle but with defender Bill Jarman chasing and pressurizing him hard, his eventual shot was again well taken down by the keeper. Harry Uttley’s break down the right for City saw his low cross bundled wide by Salifou as he darted into the box in support, but Owen was proving magnetic to the ball cutting out a decent Danny Martin cross and then plucking another hoisted City free-kick from high with some ease.

It had been a good start by City, but Falconwood were looking dangerous. Having already hit the bar they went close again on seventeen when City keeper George Pipkin was forced into a smart low stop from close range after a quickly taken throw-on.  City persevered though with Harry Linford and Martin linking up well and after some good hold-up play by the latter, he cut inside and fired across goal and just wide of the far post before a Linford header provided a comfortable save for Owen.

Falconwood went close on twenty-eight minutes when after a City attacking free-kick had hit the defensive wall, they sprang forward at pace and Luke West bypassed Pipkin’s challenge well out of his area before trying to steer the ball towards goal but Aaron Barker had chased back and put in a brilliant block just at the expense of a corner from which Frankie Church glanced a header over the City bar.

At the other end, Martin chased down a great clearance from Pipkin but saw his shot blocked with the loose ball running free for Uttley galloping in to fire a first-time low effort wide. City were then indebted to Dylan Steele as he threw himself in front of a firm Jarman effort getting enough of a block in to deflect the ball over the bar but Falconwood finished the half on the attack – Jarman headed wide from  a corner, Ronnie Gawler did well to block a West effort away from goal and then equally well to thwart Will Cook forcing him into a rather weak shot that bobbled wide and we reached the break with a tight match lying goalless.

The deadlock was quickly broken after the restart though when Falconwood opened the scoring a minute or so in. A corner swung in from the right bounced about a bit and saw Pipkin make an acrobatic clawing save to keep the ball out but unfortunately it fell to Sillince who stabbed it home from close range for 0-1.

Suddenly the visitors seemed to find another gear and Steele took the full force of a Dom Vincent piledriver with a brave short range block, while a part-cleared corner was rifled back in from the edge of the City box whizzing a yard wide.

City needed to respond and Linford moved forward before firing over the bar from twenty yards and then Barker’s well struck free-kick also flew comfortably over. Falconwood continued to press though and Pipkin did well to deny Church and then needed a second attempt to clear as Jack Spurling’s long range effort was initially well saved by the keeper but he had to react quickly to claw the rebound out of harm’s way.

City were suddenly looking a little vulnerable but Linford got in between Jarman and Owen as the pair dithered somewhat but saw the keeper push away his attempted flick past him, but that was brief respite as Cook and James Baird both headed wide for the visitors, while Sillince fired over from the right.

Owen then just denied Barker – needing two attempts to claim the ball, before City made a triple change. Seconds later they were level as Martin cleverly hoisted a dinky shot over the keeper from just inside the box for 1-1 as City deservedly got back on terms. They had a half-chance to take the lead just a minute or two later as well when Sam Odiase found himself well placed but his rather hurried effort scooted well off target.

Falconwood were then handed the perfect opportunity to go back ahead when a corner came into the City box and a penalty was awarded. The referee seemed fairly certain, but it was difficult to see from my viewpoint what had happened among a throng of moving players. Sillince stepped up to send Pipkin the wrong way for 1-2.

Falconwood were then reduced to ten men following a red card to Alfie Hunter for a late challenge whilst City were soon level again when on seventy-seven minutes, a ball in from the right was half-headed clear and fell to Gawler lurking on the edge of the box and he swept home a lovely little low, first-time half-volley into the opposite side of the net for 2-2.

Two minutes later, the visitors thought they had sneaked in front again when a cross from the right was acrobatically volleyed home but celebrations were cut short when everyone realised that the linesman was flagging for offside!

With just five minutes left, it was heartbreak for City as Falconwood were awarded their second penalty for a foul on the edge of the box and Sillince scored again squeezing the ball just under Pipkin’s dive this time for 2-3.

Understandably, the visitors ran the clock down from there with the previously energetic goalkeeper suddenly befalling a ‘timely’ fit of cramp before much of the final few minutes were played down in one corner as City desperately, but to no avail, tried to get the ball back and send it forward for one last effort. It wasn’t to be however and it left City with their twentieth league loss of the season.

The defeat leaves them still in heaps of trouble at the wrong end of the table and having played far more games than anyone else in the bottom half, they are staring relegation firmly in the face. They’ve played much better since the turn of the year though – last week’s first-half against Meridian apart – and today they showed some fight and resilience and given the two club’s respective places in the league, an away win was probably the odds-on bet but it was far, far closer than that and certainly when the final whistle blew Falconwood appeared mighty relived to be leaving Thanington with all the points!

Final score: Canterbury City 2 Falconwood 3.