A different deck but same old record for City today as they suffered another narrow defeat when beaten away at New Romney by the odd goal to nil.

It was a result that leaves them with just one win but five one-goal defeats in their last seven games and among a bottom three that look to be drifting away from the rest of the league. It was more than a proverbial six-pointer for New Romney however as they ended the day as the only winners in the bottom seven as the scramble to stay out of the relegation places intensifies.

It was tough going early on for City as they struggled to get any forward or attacking momentum with New Romney applying all the pressure. City keeper George Pipkin was soon called into action with a smart diving save to deny Warren Smith while Josh McCue saw his effort blocked. Billy Somerville then did well to cut inside before seeing his shot well defended out for a corner from which New Romney should have scored – but Wayne Rogers directed his free header at the back post over the bar.

Somerville then struck a shot wildly wayward from wide left before another New Romney corner saw Pipkin claw the ball out well under pressure. The hosts went close again to opening the scoring on seventeen minutes with the dangerous looking Somerville involved again, striking a low shot from around twenty yards that struck the bottom of the City post and bounced away – the follow up effort being flagged offside as Pipkin threw himself across the goal to push it aside.

Home pressure was soon to tell though when just two minutes later a cross from the right was partly headed out by a City defender but ran loose to Smith who pounced and rifled the ball past Pipkin for 0-1.

City responded well however and quickly won an attacking free-kick and a corner but couldn’t create anything of note from either but then just five minutes after going behind they should have equalised – when from open play, Cuba Gill intercepted a poor back-pass outside the box and despite having a defender in tow, he managed to get face-to-face with home keeper Shane Gore but his effort lacked any conviction and it left Gore with a much easier save than he ever should have had.

New Romney were soon back on the attack though and Somerville struck a low dipping shot from around twenty yards that pitched right at Pipkin like a dreaded yorker but the keeper did well to first smother and then quickly claim it before Vinnie Perry then shot over the City bar from wide right.

With just five minutes of the half remaining, City finally managed some sustained pressure on the home goal and the hosts were probably a little fortunate to survive it. Danny Martin’s corner from the left bypassed keeper Gore and looked to be going straight in before Rogers hurriedly managed to head the ball up from almost under his own bar and out for another corner. This again was swung in by Martin and with Gore going missing again it also looked to be flying straight in but this time New Romney were rescued by a defender hooking the ball off the line at the far post. A third corner was then sent in flatter and brought two City shots but both were well blocked by a rather packed and massed but obviously effective New Romney defence.

The half ended with a home move down the right that saw Smith latch onto a cross but firing well over the City bar before the half-time whistle soon went with New Romney deservedly just in the lead.

A tight and competitive restart pretty much followed through for the rest of the game. First effort went to City’s Jack Lawrence who saw a shot blocked before Morison sized up a well-placed New Romey free-kick before curiously battering the ball well over the City bar and then had a low, distance effort roll comfortably wide. City’s Harry Uttley then went close for the visitors when his free-kick curled away from Gore and grounded just inches wide of the near post with the keeper hurriedly scampering across to try to cover it.

The hosts hit back when a break down the middle ended with Jack Fenton shooting too high, before another effort from Perry swerved in front of Pipkin but the keeper was safely behind it. Another chance for City then passed them by when a nice move down the left from Mafany Makoge found Farid Salifou well placed, but his shot was nowhere near strong enough to trouble the keeper. Makoge was then unlucky not to head home when almost poised to do so – a Martin cross was deflected away from him by a last ditch acrobatic clearance from McCue.

Salifou then sent a hurried volley over the bar from the edge of the box before at the other end, Perry neatly shimmied himself some space but fired also well over the City bar. The visitors were then indebted to Dylan Steele for a goal-saving off the line clearance after Pipkin had originally done well to smother a New Romney attack but saw the rebound shot back towards the goal.

With time now running out, City tried to find a leveller but with New Romney constantly winding down the clock and giving them no space or even worthwhile possession to work with they couldn’t fathom out an opening – although the home side were grateful to Gore deep into stoppage time when he made a brave dive and rescue at the feet of the onrushing Makoge who had chased through after Jacob Couzens had whipped a low ball right into the danger zone.

Another difficult and luckless afternoon for City in what has been a rather difficult and luckless season!

Final score: New Romney 1 Canterbury City 0