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City's revival continues

- 23/01/2010

Orpington 1 Canterbury City 2

City's third successive league victory was not easily won against lowly Orpington at Crockenhill but two outstandingly well built goals, superbly finished by Royston Gough, finally brought the points that maintained the club's revival after a few weeks of disappointments and moved them into fourth place.

Orpington set up a tight, well organised defence. Throughout the first half they were happy to crowd their own penalty area and knock back the relentless but over optimistic high balls that City sent up to Dave Read and Royston Gough. Yet they were not slow to launch counterattacks, particularly down the left side, while City had little to show for themselves on the right.

Whereas the previous week City had confidence and ideas in midfield, here there was less imagination. As a result, most first half attacks faltered in the face of the stout Orpington defenders and competitive midfielders. Gough always had the pace to outsprint any of them but getting the ball to him on the ground was a problem. Even so, there were enough opportunities to have the game done and dusted before half-time.

Orpington's substantial goalkeeper Stuart Harvey was always a formidable obstacle and recovered from an early heavy collision with Gough who bounced up while the keeper stayed down for several minutes. Three times in the first ten minutes Harvey rescued his side from shots and headers from Gough and Luke Lockhart. Meanwhile, City’s Paul Hyde also had to make a solid block to stifle a dangerous Orpington attack, and Sam Baker made a crucial saving tackle to stop another troublesome breakaway. In the meantime Lockhart again moved up from midfield to attempt an audacious overhead kick (in the style of Gough) which was saved.

After thirty three minutes City found themselves regretting that their high ball tactics were not working. Orpington, who always liked to spread their attacks wide but up until now had often over-hit their centres, sent an accurate cross into the penalty area and David Castle headed in.

City seemed about to equalise just before half-time when Dave Read's ball into the penalty area appeared to fall kindly for Gough who, under pressure, slipped on the damp ground right in front of goal.

The problem of failing to succeed with the last ball to the strikers or being caught offside (admittedly there were some odd decisions) continued. But the industrious Joe Smith volleyed close and Read flicked a header from Scott Lawford’s cross into the goalkeeper's grasp. He did the same on the hour and was unable to beat the keeper to the ball when through on his own. Meantime, Craig White came on at right back and immediately impressed.

Eventually Michael Seager built the platform for a City goal. He sent Scott Lawford away. Lawford drove over a low cross and Gough went equally low to glance in a finely judged header. He did even better when City built a stunning move from the back, with White sprinting forward on the right edge to pick up a pass from another substitute, Liam Whiting. Without hesitation White hit the ball across the penalty area for Gough to powerfully turn into the net…simple effective and badly needed.

Read continued to have wretched luck in the penalty area, especially when he headed into the net from a Lawford free-kick, only for the referee to insist that the kick should be taken again. This time it came to nothing, but Orpington would probably have been justified in saying it was only fair since earlier there was a handling offence in the City penalty area and nothing awarded.

CITY: Hyde; Hossick (White) Lingham, Baker, Seager, L. Jackson (Minshull), J. Smith (Whiting) , Lockhart, Gough, Read, Lawford.