A tough encounter at Cobdown Monday night was closely fought and looking to be heading for a draw as two of the very early pacesetters in the SCEFL First Division met on Monday.
The match ebbed and flowed both ways and back again, as one team had a good spell and then the other and it all looked very tough to call especially as the clock began to tick down.
Either side could have won it at the death, but City had a good share of pressure at the end and it was they who prevailed, eventually earning the victory in the ninety-fourth minute after having only just escaped possible defeat as Sports were denied by both a linesman’s flag and a just off target effort moments earlier.
The first-half wasn’t the easiest of watches – I hesitate to use the word scrappy, but with both sides at full throttle the game was littered with niggly fouls and stoppages with the referee seemingly keen to blow the whistle regularly. The game was being played at such a pace that possession and control from either side was at a premium and you could almost say there was too much haste with the game crying out for someone to put their foot on the ball and slow things down.
City had the better of the opening exchanges and had a golden chance on nine minutes when Rob Lawrence fed the ball through to Harry O’Donnell, back in the City fold again, but from a great position, he hurried his effort over the bar when seemed set to score. With all the stoppages and lack of real control the game was getting bogged down in midfield with neither keeper really having too much meaningful involvement – a sixteenth minute attacking free-kick for Sports summed things up so far as the initial kick was hammered into the City wall before the rebound was lashed hopelessly wide.
A similar dead-ball for City saw Lawrence’s effort take a big chunk off the Sports wall and dribble through to home keeper Adam Lovell before at the other end, after weaving his way into the City box, Joe Ganiwa wastefully fired over from a wide angle before Max Morgan had a clear site on goal, but his shot lacked any power and rolled comfortably through to City keeper Tom Benham.
Sports thought they’d been awarded a penalty on thirty-one minutes, but after consultation with the linesman, the referee amended his decision to a free-kick an inch or two outside the box but they were unable to create anything from it and the next chance then fell to the visitors, when after the move of the game so far, an attack down the left by City saw Lawrence hit his low shot wide.
The game was lacking any big moments hitherto, with Morgan, (five goals in two games this season already) looking a lonely and frustrated figure up front for Sports as City worked hard to keep him out of the game.
The current stalemate was over-turned in the forty-third minute however, when a mistake at the back cost City a goal. A hopeful punt forward from Sports looked to be of no real danger but an attempted chested pass back to Benham never really looked likely to reach him and Alex Willis became the beneficiary as he latched on to the loose ball leaving the keeper completely stranded as he crashed it home to give Sports the lead.
In the run up to the break, Ganiwa got himself into a good position but curled his effort wide of the far post, while from a City free-kick, Luke Illsley sent a header downwards but Lovell made a comfortable save.
A mixed first-half with neither team at their best was summed up by just the single goal born out of a mistake, dividing the teams.
The second-half proved to be much better fare however, as the endeavour from both sides increased, the quality improved and a gripping and enthralling encounter ensued.
First to show were Sports, when a quick left sided attack saw a ball in from Willis palmed out for a corner at full stretch by Benham, before City stung the hosts by responding with an equaliser. Lawrence lifted an inviting ball forward over the home defence and into space and O’Donnell was quickest to respond, muscling his way through and clear before moving into the box and firing past Lovell for 1-1.
That seemed to cue ‘game on’. O’Donnell tried to sneak a free-kick past Lovell at the near post, but the keeper was alert to it and got down to save, before Darren Cooper powered forward for City and pushed the ball through for Tim Marapara whose first time effort was flying towards goal only to see Lovell produce a splendid spreading save to send the ball looping up and over the bar.
Sports hit back quickly, as David Chandler broke down the left, but under pressure from the chasing City defence, he could only balloon the ball over the goal when better placed.
A Lawrence free-kick was then defended out but the ball back in fell to Illsley hovering around the far post but, despite straining every sinew, he couldn’t quite nod the ball back into the danger zone as City continued to press forward with great strength and purpose. At the other end though Sports were always a threat and Benham was forced to batter away a fierce home shot before another was fired into the side netting.
City then made a couple of changes bringing on Sam Lawford and George Miles who replaced Cooper and Marapara as the game continued to be closely and toughly fought. A couple of half-chances then came City’s way, as Illsley saw his effort from an angle blocked out for a corner, which, when sent back in, bobbled about airily before Ben Binder nodded it goalwards only for Lovell to emerge from a crowd of heads to grab it to safety.
The introduction of Miles also added a mighty long throw to City’s armoury and a few times it created problems and uncertainty for Sports in their own box as they struggled to clear the ball, with Lawford almost benefitting from one, prodding the ball wide while under intense pressure from Lovell.
With time running out fast, City were on top but all of a sudden the better chances fell at the other end. Morgan struck one wide when reasonably placed before in the last minute of normal time, two Sports players broke City’s defensive ranks forcing the ball home only to see the anguish of an offside flag!
Well into stoppage time now and another Sports effort looked dangerously close, but with Benham flying across to cover it, the ball curled agonisingly (for Sports) inches wide of the City post. A mega quick restart from them though suddenly saw City surging forward in numbers and determined desire with Lawford leading the cavalry charge before, with half of the Sports team snapping at his heels, he held his composure and lashed the ball past Lovell for 2-1 and a stomping victory! Floodlight robbery some claimed! No chance, when the pressure was on in the dying seconds to find a winner, City found it and Sports didn’t!
The celebrations that followed showed just what it meant to the City players, management and supporters and just how much the togetherness, resolve and spirit is already being built into this team and, with two wins from two in completely different sets of circumstances, there is much evidence there of the tactics needed, the personnel and the flexibility of purpose to change the game, find a solution and dig out a result if necessary that was so badly lacking for the whole of the first half of last season!
A great result, a dogged performance, six points out of six and all roads now lead to Whyteleafe at Hartsdown on Saturday.
Final score: Canterbury City 2 K Sports1
City: Tom Benham, Luka Radojevic, Nico Cotton, Danny Keyte, Ben Binder, Harry O’Donnell (Dan Binder), Rob Lawrence (George Adams), Luke Illsley, Harry Maher, Darren Cooper (George Miles), Tim Marapara (Sam Lawford).
Unused Sub: Alfie Eyles
Next up for City is their first home fixture of the season when they entertain AFC Whyteleafe at Hartsdown Park on Saturday ko 3pm.
Picture supplied by Ian Ralphs.