City’s recent league form failed to improve today as they were beaten at home by the only goal of the game against Erith Town.

A late first-half strike gave the visitors the lead, but City were then unable to find any spark up front after the break to get themselves back into the match.

City started well enough and probably should have been a goal or two up before Erith had even got themselves into the game. Liam Quinn at full stretch just failed to divert the ball home from close range after Laurence Harvey had sent a towering header back across goal from a Dave Pilcher free-kick, Adam Woollcott then saw his arrowed low shot pushed past the post by a diving Adam Molloy in the Erith goal while Harvey saw another header cleared off the line and Remell Davis headed a Pilcher cross just wide. At this point City were dominating and putting together some nice flowing moves and it seemed a goal or two would soon arrive.

After this early City burst though, Erith just started to stir themselves and create some opportunities. City keeper Tom Benham punched a high ball clear and then tidied up when Erith forced the ball back into the box and then made a straightforward save to deny Louis Valencia, before a header was glanced wide of his goal. A run of three or four crosses into the City box were dealt with without causing any alarm although Rook did volley one of them up in the air – which Benham took on his goal-line.

City responded as Brett Ince chipped a lovely ball forward that Pilcher almost gathered in but had the ball just nicked off his toes by Molloy, who then saved again from Pilcher and comfortably took a looping header from Harvey.

The game had now started to even up and chances were exchanged as Adrian Stone’s shot was well saved by Benham diving down to his right before Davis cut inside for City but fired wide of the far angle. With just five minutes of the half remaining, Erith took the lead. A ball sent high into the City box was pushed out to the side by Benham but Stefan Kempton was quick to gather it in and send a cross back over to the far post where Stone was free to guide his header home from close range for 0-1.

Erith continued to drive forward up to the break and a free-kick and a corner both came and went for the visitors before the half-time whistle blew with them still a goal up. City had probably produced the better chances but Erith, crucially, had scored the only goal.

City restarted the half with another effort on goal as Ince’s downward header almost caught Molloy napping but back-pedalling he managed to push the ball over the bar to safety.

Erith should then have increased their lead when on forty-seven minutes, a clever through ball from Jason Goodchild sprang Steadman Callender through on goal and one-on-one with Benham, but the keeper stood his ground, narrowed the angle and Callender’s shot struck the inside of the City post before being cleared.

Dan Palfrey’s free-kick then evaded the City wall but was saved by Benham, before what possibly could have been the turning point of the game occurred at the other end. Some clever interplay between Pilcher and Davis saw the latter get to the by-line, cut inside and pull the ball back for Kane Phillip who somehow skied his shot over the bar from a couple of yards out and in front of virtually an open goal.

That coupled with another close call shortly after when Quinn managed to steer the ball goalbound but it struck a defender on the line and fortuitously popped up for Molloy to gather were City’s best and only chances as the visitors dominated the rest of the game, pushing City back and they found themselves constantly on the back foot and defending.

Erith were nibbling away at the City goal as one attack followed another. Benham just managed to punch a high ball away off the top of Stone’s head, another attack was broken up by some last ditch defending deep in their own box by City, while a ball right across the front of the goal somehow failed to find an Erith shirt to touch it home.

City were riding their luck at this stage and another high ball in needed Benham to deal with it, then Michael Turner sprinted across to cut out a break into the box before shortly after, defending away another.

Stone saw a shot charged down as Erith continued to press forward with clearly the tactic of attack being the best form of defending a slender one goal lead. Another Erith attack was then hastily cleared but this did give City the chance to break forward and to win a corner which Harvey headed just wide.

As the game wore on, City who had already made all three permitted changes, still couldn’t find the quality they needed up front and they continued to have to defend. Dan Nash struck a free-kick wide of the goal while Rook almost benefited from City giving the ball away in midfield, before, having been put through, he fired wide.

With time diminishing fast, Erith understandably went into game management mode and Josh Froggatt’s last second poked attempt on goal was easily saved by Molloy and it was the last kick of a disappointing afternoon for City as they slipped to their third consecutive league defeat.

Final score: Canterbury City 0 Erith Town 1.

City: Tom Benham, Michael Turner, James Nurden, Laurence Harvey, Liam Quinn, Dan Keyte (Josh Froggatt), Brett Ince, Remell Davis, Adam Woollcott, Dave Pilcher (Rob Lawrence), Kane Phillip (James Turner)
Unused Subs: Tom Barton, Josh McCallum