City moved safely into the next round of the FA Vase courtesy of this fairly straightforward victory.
Having established a two goal half-time lead, they then withstood some pressure from the visitors and just when it looked as if Uckfield might maybe grab a goal and get back into the game, City killed the tie off with a stunning headed third.
A cheeky attempt at goal straight from the kick-off from Dave Pilcher had the Uckfield keeper Matt Dann back-pedalling but always looking as if he had it covered, watching carefully as the ball sailed a yard over the bar. City squandered a good chance to take the lead in the fifth minute when a lovely ball across the box from Rob Lawrence was scooped well over by Corey Walters-Wright who had a bit more time and space than he presumably thought. A clever chip forward from Darren Marsden took ages to come down but when it did, Pilcher’s first time strike was brilliantly blocked by Dean Stewart-Hunter sliding in with a perfectly timed tackle.
Uckfield then saw some very loud penalty appeals waved away as Matthew Rodrigues-Barbosa went down under a challenge from Walters-Wright as he was charging into the City box, the referee only seeing a corner much to the animated wrath of the visitor’s dug-out. They had a decent chance soon after too when Shaun Loft also broke into the box, but despite desperate pleas from the bench for him to get a shot off, he delayed and delayed giving Walters-Wright time to get across with a ball winning challenge.
On twenty-one minutes City took the lead with a goal that had as much to do with the assist as with the scoring. Joe Nelder won the ball with a strong tackle in midfield and glided forward, holding off a couple of challenges he slid a perfectly weighted ball forward to Matt Martin that split the Uckfield defence wide apart giving Martin the opportunity to break into the box. Having got there the chance looked to have gone as he was soon surrounded by markers, but he brilliantly turned a full circle to find some space, firing home, hard and low for 1-0.
It was City doing most of the pressing as the Uckfield players were constantly deluged with a barrage of instructions from their manager, who rarely seemed happy his players were in the right place or running in the right direction! Despite his constant attempted interventions it was still City creating the best chances as Pilcher was afforded far too much time before sending over a great cross that had to be headed out over his own bar by Richie Welch as Sam Conlon was poised right behind him to head home. From the ensuing corner the ball came back out of the box and Marsden, took aim but fired over from twenty yards. Moments later, Lawrence found himself free at the far post but could only hit the bar when very well placed before he saw another effort go just over from thirty-five yards. Then a nice piece of play from Marsden set Lawrence up again, this time to scoot a long low shot just about a foot wide.
The half was then to end in some controversy though. Firstly, with just a minute of time remaining plus some stoppages, City scored their second. A lovely move involving several players saw the ball lifted into the Uckfield box where it clearly struck a stray upraised arm. There wasn’t any doubt about the penalty award and Pilcher stepped forward to confidently thump the ball home, sending Dann the wrong way, for 2-0. In the few minutes remaining there was time for two more Uckfield unsuccessful penalty appeals – both for hand-ball. The first was highly debateable but in the “I’ve seen them given” column while the second was clearly nowhere near. However it only served to spice things up a bit and as the half ended there was an altercation by the City dugout that resulted in a red card for one of their coaches and a yellow card for one of the Uckfield players.
Thankfully, the referee soon called time on the half and had to walk off with the Uckfield manager and players in his ear bemoaning their lot, but in truth, desperate penalty appeals aside, they had created very little (if anything) and City keeper Jack Delo had barely made a save (if any) in the whole half!
City were a little slow out of the blocks after the restart, although the impressive debutant Marsden turned twice in the box before stabbing a cross come shot just wide of the far post and then fired another effort wide from distance. Uckfield however now began to mount some pressure and the City defence looked a little unsure at times. Nelder was forced into a great defensive header over his own bar to clear the City lines, while Delo had to be alert to deal with a couple of dangerous balls in as Uckfield sought a way back into the game. Several corners came and went for the visitors, without really troubling the City goal, while Matt Black saw an effort blocked before Loft then thrashed the rebound over the bar. An attacking free-kick for Uckfield saw a tame effort from Welch easily saved, Stewart-Hunter saw his shot charged down while Victor Borode had time and space in the City box, but shot well wide.
In between times, Pilcher powered a shot just wide for City, but still Uckfield continued to nibble away at the City goal. A free-kick launched into the box saw a not too impressive header saved by Delo, whilst the keeper then threw himself to his right to keep out a low shot. The visitors were having far too much of the ball for the City faithful’s liking and too much of the game was being played in and around the City box. A far post high ball was headed well over by Sam Cooper while Anthony Storey shot wide of the angle from just outside the box.
A much better effort from the visitors in the second half, but the quality of the finishing from them was poor. Compare that with the calibre of City’s first goal and then add to that their stunning third – about to come – and you then have one of the major differences on the day. Eighty-one minutes on the watch, City are surviving some pressure and Marsden plays a sublime forty-yarder from one side to the other and it is better-than-perfect for Conlon to run onto and with a flick of the neck, he nodded an equally better-than-perfect header back across a stranded Dann and into acres of empty net for 3-0. One of the best headed goals you’ll see all season and as with the first that City scored, massive credit to the assist.
Now City were firmly in control and in the time that remained, they managed the game out and Uckfield heads dropped as they realised there was now, no way back. Dann made one final late save from Marsden down at his near post to deny him a deserved debut goal but apart from that the match fizzled out for a thoroughly deserved City victory and it is they who move into the next round.
Final Score; Canterbury City 3 AFC Uckfield 0
City; Jack Delo, Michael Turner, Gary Sayer, Joe Nelder, Joe Kennett, Corey Walters-Wright, Rob Lawrence (Perry Cray), Darren Marsden, Matt Martin (Charlie Groombridge), Dave Pilcher, Sam Conlon (Charlie Hallett).