With new Manager Brad Weight and his Coaches taking the reins for the first time after their recent appointments, City secured just their third win and their first clean sheet in the league so far this season by beating fifth placed Kent United away at Chislehurst.

It was an entertaining game, albeit a bit of a battle and a scrap at times, with City scoring the only goal of the game in the second-half. They also missed two or three other great chances, whilst also being indebted to keeper Fin Lumpkin for an excellent tip over from a rasping volley and a penalty save when the game was still goalless.

The first opportunity of the game fell to City when Tristan Belsey’s free-kick was part cleared by United and popped out over to Sam Odiase at the far post who hit a hurried, first-time volley back across goal and wide. City started well and really should have taken the lead inside the next ten minutes with forward Dan Ikem having two presentable chances. The first saw him pounce on a mis-placed United pass on the edge of the box and turning towards goal, but hassled by a recovering defender and with home keeper James Stallan closing in, he could only stab the ball wide of the post. His second chance looked much clearer when breaking into the box with the ball, but a delay in shooting allowed United defender Ben Seymour the half-second he needed to come sliding in and dispossess him.

The home side’s first effort on goal didn’t come until eighteen minutes when a corner from Rhys Irani was sent across and fell to Chris Mochine-Wood on the edge of the box where his  sweetly struck volley was goal bound until Lumpkin pulled off a brilliant and reactive one-handed save to push the ball over the bar. His next save from a George Jackson header was far more conventional as was his safe handling when Tom Rowe’s free-kick was curled dangerously into City’s box.

United were now just looking to be upping a gear and turning on some pressure but Lumpkin was strong again with a smart stop denying Tom Cullen after his clever touch, turn and shot threatened the City goal and was on-hand once more with a comfortable save to thwart Emmanuel Oyedeji’s shot from twenty-five yards. Irani then headed well over on the stretch for United, but City were holding firm and weathering the home side’s mini storm.

In fact, in the run up to the break, City played well with a pair of long-throws and a couple of corners, but their best chance came from open play when, in stoppage time, Belsey was clear through but was denied by a very good spreading and blocking save by Stallan who had quickly closed the City man down.

No goals at the break then but chances for both sides to have broken the deadlock.

City made a couple of changes at the break and within minutes of the restart again probably should have gone in front when Israel Oyetunji’s left-wing cross was headed wide by Mafany Makoge when very well placed at the far post as the City misses were now just beginning to worryingly add up.

Oyetunji then saw a his direct effort fly over the home side’s bar, while at the other end, Cullen headed well over the City bar from a George Harris cross, before Irani – on the run, also saw his header loop too high. Anndy Braima was next to be denied as his aerial turn and instant volley was well blocked by City’s Ronnie Gawler, before Cullen glanced a header wide.

City’s defence was holding well as the home side continued to press and they quickly repelled two United corners before disaster struck as City conceded a penalty when Cullen was fouled in the box. Curiously, the murmurs in the stand around me when Cullen stepped up himself to take it, weren’t exactly those of confidence and they were proved to founded as his strike of the ball was far from convincing but take nothing away from Lumpkin who got down well to his left to make a crucial and as it turned out, probably match-winning save.

City’s keeper was having one of his best games for the club and made another strong stop as he part slapped and part thumped Mochine-Wood’s whipped in free-kick away under crowded pressure as it flew menacingly in his direction. City then somehow survived a massive goalmouth scramble as another Mochine-Wood free-kick was launched into a packed box and it became United’s misses that were now starting to stack up!

The game was looking to go either way despite the form guide and City’s recent 0-3 home defeat to United, but given their travails so far this season, from a City sideline, it was quite enheartening to see the side still in with a chance and battling and scrapping so well so late in a game!

The ultimately decisive moment of the match fell in the seventy-sixth minute when Makoge pounced onto some loose defensive play from United and swept forwards towards goal before drawing Stallan and calmly and competently firing the ball past him into an empty net for 1-0 to City.

From there, the onus was obviously on United to push for an equaliser and for City to hold onto a lead, something they’ve been really poor at on the few occasions they’ve actually had one this season and United had their chances too as they hustled and bustled City. Lumpkin pawed yet another Mochine-Wood free-kick to safety before substitute Alfie Beazley spurned a relative sitter when the ball was rolled back to him in the box and he either mis-hit or poorly hit a clear strike wide with just Lumpkin to beat and the whole goal to aim at!

City made further changes and tried to wind the game down and could have scored a second had Makoge’s header, after some brilliant work from Farid Salifou, been more decisive.

United then thought they had equalised when, with five minutes to go, another Mochine-Wood free-kick skimmed off a couple of heads before seeing Lumpkin, down to his right, desperately clawing it away from the goal-line with the hosts equally desperately claiming the ball had gone over the line – nothing doing from the officials despite the inevitable moans and groans and worse from the home contingent!

Beazley then had a chance to make up for the earlier miss but his header looped up just narrowly over the City bar and rolled down the back of the net to safety, before for City, Ikem burst forward before setting up Tyler Lee whose shot was saved by Stallan. United though immediately sprang back on the attack with Harris leading the charge down the right and getting deep into City territory before his low cross flashed right across Lumpkin’s goal narrowly avoiding an onrushing United forward – when any sort of touch would surely have diverted the ball into the net.

With the game now well into over five minutes of stoppage time, the final chance fell to City when Aaron Barker and Salifou combined with the latter’s low shot comfortably saved by Stallan.

United hurriedly tried to get the ball forward for one last chance, but the final whistle soon sounded and City had a precious three points, their first maximum since October!

We don’t have the Optima stats to confirm it, but I doubt a City team have made as many blocks, tackles, track backs and presses in a single game all season than they did today and for this moment just now, we’re going to temporarily park-up what has been a massively disappointing season so far and enjoy a rare and very welcome victory!

Final score: Kent United 0 Canterbury City 1