Honours even at Hartsdown Park as the game ends all square at one apiece.
City though, will be thinking that this was one that got away as they dominated the first half, but could only manage to be a goal up at the break and then in a much more even second period, Strike Force, despite going down to ten men, put on a far more spirited performance scoring a deserved equaliser with a ninety-second minute penalty to deny City their first win in this group stage of the competition.
It is difficult to have seen the opening period of this game as anything other than one-sided in City’s favour as they made virtually all the meaningful attacking play up to the break. Debutant keeper Aaron Lee-Wharton was barely involved for much of the half as Strike Force rarely got to within site of the City goal, but for all of their superiority and good play, City weren’t able to make the most of it and secure any sort of match winning or pressure killing lead.
All the early chances went to them as Monty Saunders volleyed a high bouncing ball on the run just off target before Leo Dodds shot straight at Strike Force keeper Tom Carey and then the busy Saunders cut in from the right but fired over the bar.
The game was flowing to both ends, but the visitors just couldn’t get deep enough into the City half to threaten their opponent’s goal and often seemed content to just roll the ball around among their back four as a method of keeping the hosts at bay.
City were far more productive in the final third though and after seeing a couple of attacking free-kicks fail to bear fruit they finally took the lead on twenty-three minutes. A nice touch by Rob Lawrence to Harry Maher in centre-field, then saw the latter play a lovely weighted ball though the middle for Harry Bradford to run onto. With limited time and space as he was being closed down, Bradford managed to keep his composure and stab the ball past Carey and into the net for 1-0.
City were looking determined and purposeful and continued to press the Strike Force goal. Saunders steadied himself, after a nice lay-off from Bradford but could only rattle a fierce shot just wide from the edge of the box, while moments later, Lawrence almost latched onto an errant back-pass, but ran out of pitch as he attempted to take the ball around the keeper. Luke Illsley then pulled off a cracking cross-field pass to set Dodds on his way down the left, but his well-executed low cross was blazed high over the bar by Saunders from around twenty yards out.
It was all City and Lawrence almost scored the goal of the season when a cracking ball out from the back by Danny Keyte sat up nicely for him but his superb whipped in volley from the corner of the box, dipped just a little too late and narrowly cleared the bar. City’s final chance of the half came just before the break when Saunders, cut inside from the right, but slammed a fierce shot into the side netting.
There was still time however for Strike Force to create their first actual effort on goal as Lewis Wood found himself free though the middle, but from twenty-five yards out, he hurried his effort unnecessarily and failed to make any sort of proper contact with the ball scuffing it and watching it dribble well wide of the City goal. That last play pretty much summed up how Strike Force’s game had gone thus far up front, as the break arrived with City dominant but just the one goal up!
Whatever was said in the visitor’s dressing room at half-time certainly had the desired effect, because it was a much more energetic and enthusiastic Strike Force that emerged for the second period. In fact within minutes, they were desperately unlucky not to have equalised when Dan Lotts’ ferocious shot from just inside the box, thumped squarely against the foot of the post with the diving Lee-Wharton seemingly beaten.
City then saw a couple of their corners cleared before the next opportunity fell to the resurgent visitors as Jack Smith intercepted the ball in midfield before striding forward and, with options to pass both sides, fortunately for City, he wastefully ballooned the ball high over the bar.
Lee-Wharton was then out smartly to snaffle the ball from ex-City player Tom Barton as he was played through, one of several substitutions Strike Force were making as they sought to get themselves back into the game, before at the other end, Bradford volleyed well wide after an unseen nudge in the back hampered him as he was about to shoot.
The match was far more even now but a period of changes from both sides mixed with a number of fouls just broke the game up a little and slowed it down.
Archie Lally then headed wide on the stretch for Strike Force before his team were reduced to ten men when Lee Sayer clattered down Mo Ali as he was about to shoot and was adjudged to have been the last man by the referee and red-carded. Unfortunately, City couldn’t benefit from the free-kick that followed, nor the resultant corner that came next as the ball cannoned of the wall and went straight out, in fact they very nearly conceded, when Strike Force broke away at speed when the corner was cleared. It was Barton who was leading the charge but with a two v one situation developing in the visitor’s favour, his final ball to Marshall Wratten, clean through, lacked any accuracy and allowed Lee-Wharton to come out and quickly tidy up.
Just as good a chance then went begging at the other end when Saunders put Ali through, but he slightly overran the ball allowing Carey to gather it from harm’s way.
With just five minutes of normal time remaining, Strike Force were belying their deficit in numbers as they cranked up the pressure in search of a leveller. A free-kick was swung in but well punched clear by Lee-Wharton under pressure before a shot was blocked and then Beau Landau got underneath a cross and headed over the City bar.
It was becoming a nervy end from a City point of view and you feared the worse when Strike Force were awarded a free-kick right on the edge of the City box, but Barton’s low effort was not great and was easily defended. The game now moved into stoppage time and City’s dominant first-half display or their dogged defiance of Strike Forces resurgence after the break all counted for nothing when Cian McCormack was fouled in the City box and Kane Taylor stepped up to blast the spot-kick home, sending Lee-Wharton the wrong way to earn Strike Force a draw with a deserved equaliser.
Despite another five minutes of added time, neither side could find a winner although Lally did head over the bar for Strike Force in the last seconds as the game ended all square with a point apiece going towards the Group D standings of this Division One Cup. So that’s a defeat and a draw in the competition for City so far, but they must now turn their attentions to a league game at Staplehurst Monarchs next week – who incidentally are also in City’s group of this competition.
Final score: Canterbury City 1 Faversham Strike Force 1.
City: Aaron Lee-Wharton, Luka Radojevic, Ben Binder, Danny Keyte, Joe Nelder, Harry Maher, (Dan Haastrup) Rob Lawrence (Mo Ali), Luke Illsley, Harry Bradford, (Harry O’Donnell) Leo Dodds (Nico Cotton), Monty Saunders (Petar Radojevic)
Images courtesy of Ian Ralphs