City’s otherwise hopeful start to the new season took a bit of a stutter today as they were defeated 1-5 at FC Anchorians.

In mitigation they may point to the injustice of going 1-2 behind almost on half-time which came completely against the run of play at the time and they’ll also put forward the penalty that wasn’t given in the second-half when they were still just the one goal behind.

On the other hand though, the case for the prosecution would say that City were guilty of handing some of those five eventual goals on a plate to the hosts who weren’t in any mood to be lenient and they took full advantage of the charity!

City kicked off and were immediately on the attack as Mark Newman shot wide under pressure in the first minute and then after some excellent build-up play from Josh Deane, Ade Kunlee almost picked out the top corner with his effort but home keeper James Williamson dived across acrobatically to pluck the ball out of the air.

It was a busy start to the game as Taylor Tuck-Brown fired wide of the City goal from the edge of the box before in the thirteenth minute, Anchorians took the lead. Frankie Simmons had a virtually unhindered run forward down the left before cutting inside and slotting past City keeper Finn Dodds for 0-1.

City almost responded within a minute but Aaron James narrowly headed over Jamie White’s free-kick, before Tuck-Brown almost doubled the lead but knocked his effort just wide as Dodds came out to close him down. The home side went close again shortly after when Simmons crashed the ball against the City bar before Deane replied for the visitors with a strong shot that took a big deflection before rolling through to the keeper.

City then equalised on twenty minutes when Luke Scott’s cross was well headed clear but James came cantering in, eye on the ball and lashed a twenty-yarder low shot home with some aplomb for 1-1.

City were playing really well and went close again when White’s clever ball into the box was almost latched onto by Newman but the alert keeper stole it with about a half-second to spare. A James ball hoisted in high was then well taken by Williamson with Newman in very close attendance again before the keeper then thwarted Brooklyn Blandford with a comfortable save, after which Newman, slid a long shot across the goal and wide while being challenged.

Anchorians relieved the pressure with an incursion by Dan Rayment that saw him scoop a shot up from off the floor with Dodds reacting well to push it up and over the bar at close range but City were enjoying a dominant phase as White’s shot was well blocked and Chris Kamara saw his effort saved. The visitors continued to keep up the pressure as White popped a shot just wide after Williamson could only parry another out before Blandford then fired off-target from the edge of the box.

With a minute of the half remaining and completely against the run of play at that point, Anchorians re-took the lead. It came from a City mistake when Simmons pounced on to a loose pass out of the area before firing his side back in front despite Dodds doing well to get a big hand on the ball but seeing  it loop up and into the net for 1-2.

The half ended soon after but not before another long ball in from James was taken safely by Williamson as White came chasing in to challenge and so a fairly even first-half came to an end and saw City a little unlucky to be a goal behind at the break, but with plenty still to play for after the restart.

City started strongly again as Scott did well to make space but saw his effort pushed over the bar by the stretching Williamson before James volleyed the resultant corner goal-bound but fortunately for Anchorians the ball took a wicked deflection and looped up and also over the bar. At the other end Tuck-Brown should have made it three for the hosts but he hooked the ball wide from an excellent position, before he then almost set up Femi Kuku but the attacker fired too high from the edge of the box.

It was a fascinating tussle with the whole length of the pitch being used as both sides pressed high up and the ball moving from end to end but it was the edge of the centre circle that featured next as Dodds travelled all the way out of his goal to neatly head away and break down a potential attack. A cross from the right was then turned wide by Tuck-Brown as Dodds closed him down from a more conventional position, while City responded with Deane heading over a Blandford corner. Chances were then further exchanged as Louis Kennedy’s strike sailed over the City bar, while Blandford replied with a distance effort also comfortably over.

A well-constructed left-sided attack for City then almost bore fruit as a shot deflected off a defender forcing his own keeper to go down and make a smart save before in the mini-scramble that followed another City effort was blocked away.

The turning point of the game may well have come on the hour when Kamara attempted to take the ball at pace into the box but was floored as two defenders challenged him. Penalty yelled City – “best tackle of the game” came the response from the home bench – with a huge dollop of irony methinks, but the referee waved away the claims and the game played on!

It was still only 1-2 and clearly the game could have gone either way as chances at both ends continued to be created. Newman’s shot was well pouched by Wiliiamson, while a snap shot from White was palmed down and gathered at haste by the keeper. City made a triple change and one of those – Teddy Weight, quickly had a good opportunity but lifted his shot wide, before Dodds rescued City making a smart sprawling save to deny Kuku at the expense of a corner.

From there City’s afternoon began to unravel. The corner was swung in but Dodds could only get half a punch on it and that went up instead of away and when the ball dropped it was poked home from close range for 1-3.

City tried to respond with a corner and a free-kick from which they attempted to force the ball goalwards but they were repelled by the packed ranks of Anchorian defenders. The game became more open as City chased a route back into it and Anchorians were quick to pick them off when they could as Kenedy fired well over from the edge of the box and Kuku thumped it well wide. On eighty-six minutes, City got themselves in trouble again when for the second time a poor pass out from a defensive position cost them a goal. This time the loose ball was picked up by Kennedy and threaded through into the City box and was slotted past the exposed Dodds for 1-4.

With time ticking away, to City’s credit they battled on. Kamara was just off target from the edge of the box and Zach Baker shot wide from twenty yards, but well into stoppage time Anchorians scored a fifth as the ball was fed through the inside-left channel to Kennedy and with really far too much space to play in, he feinted Dodds the wrong way and slotted past him on the other side from a position that he couldn’t really miss from to make the final score 1-5.

Plenty of things for City to mull over, but up until the third home goal, the game was fully in the balance but today the footballing scales unfortunately tipped away from their favour!

Aside from the score, one interesting statistic the game improved upon today was that it is now the first seven City goals of the season that have all been scored by seven different players!!

Final score: FC Anchorians 5 Canterbury City 1