An important win for City lifted them back up to second in the table as the race for the top five intensified. City were two goals to the good at the break but Rochester struck one back after half-time and then in a frantic and sometimes frenetic ending, City held their composure to secure the points.
A tough and determined opening from both sides saw City enjoying more of the actual attacking play and a snap-shot from Connor Coyne was safely fielded by visiting keeper Chris Swift, while an ambitious long-range effort from Rob Lawrence spiralled well wide.
City saw a long-throw from Luke Illsley and a free-kick into the Rochester box pass by without getting a clear strike on goal and then a promising move was abruptly ended when Liam Hark, about to pull the trigger, was upended on the edge of the box. After a rather comical and delaying performance by a Rochester player using baby-steps to try and ‘prove’ the wall was too far back, Lawrence just stepped up and scored – firing the ball into the net via a slight deflection off the said wall for 1-0 to City.
Rochester then had a chance to level but Lucas Payne’s header on the stretch from a corner went comfortably wide before they fell further behind when City struck their second. A move through the middle saw Harry Sikirwayi pull off a classy dummying turn in midfield to give himself some space, before feeding the ball through the Rochester ranks for Lawrence to run on to. He took it well into his stride and worked his way forward before, with some aplomb, firing it past Swift for 2-0.
City were now well on top and went close to going three up when Sean Aromolaran, after just having had a shot charged down, fizzed another across the face of the goal only to see Swift get his fingertips on it and send it inches wide of the far post. Rochester were at best scrambling around a bit and there was growing irritation and disquiet among their ranks as they started to lambast and blame each other for the way the game was going and when the half-time whistle blew soon after it was probably much needed in their camp!
City started the second-half well and after some good work down the right by Aromolaran, Lawrence went close to bagging his third but his low shot was just pushed aside the far post by the diving Swift.
Finally Rochester started to work themselves into the game and Max Morgan dug out a cross from the right that City keeper Dan Smith was forced to just push over his bar to safety. Another chance then befell the visitors from the ensuing corner when the ball was sent over to the far post and nodded back by Payne only for Liam Wilkins to thump his volley wide before Luis Dos Santos saw another volley fly over the City bar.
Coyne then attempted an audacious lob from well out wide on the left which had Swift scurrying back but luckily for the keeper at least, the ball drifted wide. Smith then stood tall and strong to deny Ben Wyness, while a crucial blocking tackle from Sikirwayi thwarted Tom Loynes. Payne then saw his header from a corner safely taken by Smith as Rochester pressure was starting to build.
Hark headed a Harry Maher corner wide for City before the head of steam Rochester had been building finally bore fruit when a ball played into the City box was hammered home by Harrison Hume – despite Smith getting a strong hand on it, to make the score 2-1.
The momentum suddenly seemed to be with them but as City dug in and tried to slow the game down, frustration among the visitors boiled over. They had already largely (but not entirely) stopped getting at each other but had now turned their attentions to the officials who were getting slated for just about every decision that was made. Eventually the referee had had enough and scorer Hume was shown a second yellow card and dismissed, shortly followed by a another red card shown to one of the coaching staff on their bench.
The end period of the game became rather hectic and animated as Rochester tried to muster up an equaliser but City’s doggedness and game management continued to frustrate them and the irritations soon returned. Despite this Wyness saw an effort well held by Smith that was fired straight at him at head height, while at the other end the cross-bar is probably still shaking after Illsley’s absolute pile-driver battered it from afar!
Despite their hurry and scurry, Rochester were unable to really create a clear-cut chance as City battened down the hatches and just completely snuffed their opponents out of the game. Loynes rolled a tame effort wide with around ten minutes left, but apart from that it was in fact City that looked the more likely to score. Maher had a shot blocked then, after chasing down a strong forward ball almost to the byline, his low cross was an inch from being touched home by Zack Jobe – the striker probably still wandering how he didn’t get any sort of touch for a certain goal!
City spent several moments camped in and around the Rochester right corner-flag further frustrating the visitors while in the last minute Jake McCarthy’s well worked cross was just snaffled by Swift as Jobe closed in.
As other clubs catch up with their games in hand over City, this was a vital victory especially as Rochester for instance had nine games in hand at the beginning of February and were eleven points behind but recent results have reduced their games in hand to five, but the lead has increased to fifteen. .
City aren’t in action again until 5th April when they face a tricky trip to Lewisham Borough, but all they can do now, in the final throws of the season, is to win their own remaining games and see where in the table that might eventually leave them…
Final score: Canterbury City 2 Rochester United 1.