City 2 Herne Bay 3
City fell to a superb injury time strike from Bay’s Byron Walker to lose by the odd goal in five in an exciting game at Winches Field today. Having twice come from behind to level, they looked to have done enough to earn at least a share of the points, but Bay finished the stronger to snatch all three.
It was a comparatively sedate and pedestrian first half that was scoreless at the break, but the game took off with all five goals in a thoroughly enthralling and entertaining second that could have gone either way.
Wayon Anderson came in at number ten for City but other than that, it was a pretty settled side that took to the pitch as the home team against their landlords and league leaders, Herne Bay. A tentative start to the game saw both sides appearing to size each other up with neither really establishing any initiative. A couple of early City attacks were not particularly convincingly cleared, but Bay did put City under pressure from the corner flag. Renford Tenyue was looking especially nippy, as was Walker for Herne Bay, looking dangerous every time he got involved.
Danny Lawrence shot wide of City’s goal when he may have had time to get in a more accurate effort, whilst Smissen chased down some indifferent Bay defending but could only shoot straight at keeper Dan Eason from a tight angle. City scrambled away a Bay corner while from another, the lively Ben Brown cut inside and drove in a shot which City keeper David Woodward did well to get down to, but couldn’t hold on to and it was fortunately scrambled away.
Tenyue had a low shot saved on twenty minutes after doing well to make himself an angle and Chris Elliott fired the ball just wide from twenty-five yards. City went close from a corner as a Michael Scott header was fisted away by Eason and looked very likely when Tenyue broke after a lovely curled through ball by Smissen, but the City winger ran out of room and the chance petered out to a goal kick. Tenyue was there once more on thirty-three minutes, as he cut inside from the right leaving two defenders marooned but his low shot was blocked and cleared.
City were having the best of the game during this period. Anderson turned on the edge of the box but shot well over and Elliott did well to battle down the left, but his cross ended up on the top of the Bay net. As the first half due to a close, it was Herne Bay who went the closest to opening the scoring. A fantastic throw out from Eason to the half-way line set Walker on his way but he was brilliantly tracked back by Grant Bagley who timed his tackle to perfection and then right on half-time, Nathan Eastwood shot just a couple of yards wide of the City goal.
Half-time in a fairly ordinary game thus far and it’s City 0 Bay 0.
The game sparked into life straight after the break though, as within two minutes of the restart Herne Bay were ahead. A left-sided attack gained some advantage as a fortunate bounce wrong footed right-back Scott, but there was nothing fortunate about the rest of the attack as the run and by-line cross was neatly turned past Woodward by Ashley Baverstock to give Bay the lead.
A goal for either side had been just what was needed as the game now opened up and it took on more of a cup tie feel. Anderson headed a Scott cross just wide for City while Brown had a shot deflected out for a corner following a rapid Herne Bay counter attack. On fifty-two minutes, City drew level. Having just had an optimistic penalty appeal turned away, City kept the ball and it fell to Jake Marsh in the box. A lovely piece of skill saw him twist one way and then the other to slip past two defenders and then after a quick look up, he curled the ball effortlessly over the defence, past Eason, and into the top corner for a brilliant equaliser and 1-1.
City now appeared to have the momentum and they almost took the lead when just two minutes later, Elliott sent a pass over the top and Smissen, having spun away from his marker to collect it, bore down on goal. With Tom Bryant snapping at his heels, the City forward looked odds on to score but his fierce shot was very well saved and parried to safety by Eason.
City were looking the stronger side now as an ambitious Smissen volley from an Anderson cross went well over and he also had another shot blocked with Jake Gess firing the subsequent loose ball over the bar.
Herne Bay showed their class though as Brown set Walker though for another effort on the City goal and then slightly against the run of play, at that point, the ever-impressive Walker but them back in front. The goal sprung from a City attack as Smissen had a shot charged down and Bay attacked at pace once more from the loose ball. Despite being matched stride for stride by Bagley, Walker flew into the City box and as Woodward came out to narrow the angle, he expertly slid the ball into the City net for 1-2.
The lead only lasted three minutes however as Smissen levelled once more for City. A corner won by Tenyue was initially cleared by the Bay defence but it was chipped back into the box by Macauley Murray. It was nodded on by Bagley and it fell invitingly for Smissen who blasted it past Eason for 2-2.
With twenty-five minutes plus stoppages still to go, it was game on and there for either side to win, or lose! It was end to end stuff as both teams looked determined to win.
A Herne Bay shot went well wide, while Eason saved comfortably from Anderson. Scott cleverly dummied a ball past a defender to give himself room but appeared to be caught in two minds as a cross come shot went over the bar. Smissen knocked a little header round the defence and surged forward to give himself an opening but Eason was equal to it, punching the shot well away.
Another fantastic throw in to the City half from Eason, sent Baverstock on his way but this time Woodward stood firm palming the shot out for a corner. With just ten to go, Bay were now ending the match the better and looking more likely to grab a winner. Sam Baker, who had been superb in the heart of the City defence with Bagley, foiled another Walker attack and Marsh got his body in the way to deflect a ferocious shot out for a corner from which Woodward dived bravely at the feet of Walker to snatch the ball off the danger man’s feet.
Bay were doing most of the pressing now as Woodward saved from Brown but he could not hold onto the ball and needed to be up quick enough to save the follow up effort. Bay substitute, Dave Soutan almost tiptoed his way through the City defence, earning a corner for his efforts from which City were fortunate to see a Bay header skim off the top of the cross bar.
With ninety-three minutes on the watch, the excellent Walker collected the ball just outside the City box and sent off a stunning shot that dipped over the defence and flew into the net despite Woodward’s athletic but ultimately despairing dive.
A fabulous and worthy goal to win any game, even though it left City deflated.
Final score: Canterbury City 2 Herne Bay 3.
City; David Woodward, Michael Scott, Chris Elliott, Sam Baker, Grant Bagley, Renford Tenyue (Sam Frost), Macauley Murray (Sam Staunton), Jake Gess, Michael Smissen, Wayon Anderson (Bobby Powell), Jake Marsh.
Unused Subs; Glenn Johnson, Shannon Harris.