A much needed and precious home win for Canterbury City against an on the day, out of luck Bridon Ropes.

City were two goals up at the break, with opportunities to have doubled that advantage and were playing well and seemed to be in control.

Ropes were much better second-half though and pulled a goal back, but City held firm and responded with two further emphatic strikes of their own for a clear and deserved victory as the visitors fortunes ran out, but their spirit and determination didn’t!

Before all that, a moment to reflect. Today was Armistice Day and tomorrow Remembrance Sunday, so a special and fitting tribute was required.

Invited by the club to provide such was Petty Officer Keith Taylor of the Margate Sea & Marine Cadets at TS Jamaica and Instructor Tony Philpott of the Queen’s Regimental Association Corps of Drums. At the appointed time, and just for a few minutes, the ground fell silent and still – pierced only by the staggeringly atmospheric and poignant bugled sound of the Last Post as it echoed emotionally around Hartsdown Park in, what was, a stunning but also sombre, brief and moving period of remembrance and we will remember them!

Our grateful thanks to both Keith and Tony for providing such an emotive, but inspiring, gravitas to the occasion.

The game opened with an energetic City quickly going about their business and a couple of early chances fell to Dan Haastrup, the first – a crisp shot saved by visiting keeper Cemal Osman and the second, not quite so crisp – skied well wide. City were looking very determined and after Rob Lawrence had seen an effort from distance blocked, Haastrup tried his luck again with a fierce shot flying just over the bar.

All the attacking play was coming from City and all the chances were  coming their way too. Harry Bradford just had the ball nicked off his toes as he looked to turn home a Haastrup cross before City almost took the lead when a Bradford header from a Lawrence free-kick, beat the keeper but could only find the foot of the post before being cleared. A slick corner routine then almost prised Bridon apart but Osman was quick to block out Jake McCarthy’s effort after he and Luka Radojevic had cleverly combined.

On seventeen minutes, City deservedly took the lead when the lively Haastrup broke forward into the box before being met with a clumsy at best, sliding challenge from Osman, but the referee waved play on and as the ball rolled loose, Bradford was quick to pounce steering the ball home via the post and a defender on the line for 1-0.

City were looking fluent and well on top, as a nice break down the left ended with Osman saving from the very busy Haastrup, who then in turned set up McCarthy who also saw an effort blocked by the keeper.

On twenty-seven minutes, City’s dominance thus far took a jolt when a rare sortie forward for the visitors led to an attacking free-kick swung in, only for Matt Dennis to crash a header against the face of the bar – a lucky escape for the hosts before another well placed free-kick was then hoisted in again, but this time City keeper Aaron Lee-Wharton safely claimed the ball from any danger.

It was only a brief jolt however, as on thirty-four minutes, City doubled their lead. A free-kick in the inside-left channel and twenty-five yards out, was beautifully struck by Haastrup but brilliantly clawed out of the top corner by Osman. The ball however, fell straight down to debutant Louie Procopi who prodded it home from close range, despite a desperate attempt to clear it off the line for 2-0.

City could have increased their lead just before the break when an aerial ball fell right for Lawrence to strike from close in, but he miscued his first-time effort and the ball rolled just wide.

Bridon had little to show going forward and a late free-kick only provided Lee-Wharton with an opportunity to demonstrate his safe handling again, as he finished the half relatively untroubled throughout and with City playing very well and two goals up.

The visitors reappeared from the changing room for the second-half with a much better mindset and soon got a goal back. Before that happened though, Bridon’s skipper Dennis – having taken a heavy fall, was unfortunately escorted off with a very bad shoulder injury which required a trip to A&E – we wish him well!

His team were quick to positively respond to the setback however, when on fifty-four minutes, John Thain hit a stunner of a free-kick from twenty-five yards into the top corner of the net and reduced the deficit to 2-1 – game on!

City almost responded in kind when minutes later, a free-kick of their own, centrally placed and right on the edge of the box was smashed with some venom squarely against the bar by Lawrence to leave the whole frame of the goal shaking as the ball was hacked clear. Despite that effort by Lawrence it was Bridon that were just starting to grow in confidence and were unlucky not to equalise when Thain’s rocket from distance dipped a fraction too late, just clipping the top of the bar on its way over. The period of play that followed just had Bridon in the ascendency for a while with City looking a little ragged, but for all that, the visitors couldn’t force any other clear chances as City just absorbed a bit of pressure while playing on the back-foot and seeing off any threat.

With hindsight, City rode that period out well and when Harry Maher galloped down the left wing, cut inside and forced a good diving save from Osman as he curled a shot aimed just inside the far post, they suddenly enthused positivity. Another corner routine ended with Nico Cotton’s effort stopped by a decent falling save from Osman, before on seventy-nine minutes, City increased their lead.

A lovely, glided ball down the left wing from Cotton was pinpoint for Bradford to run onto and he surged forward at pace, before cutting inside and firing the ball past Osman with some aplomb for 3-1.

That attack, not only got City back to two in front, but as Bradford had flown forward he was chased by Sean Nicholls, but to curse the visitor’s luck again, the defender pulled out of the chase with what looked like a hamstring injury, was forced off and with them having used all their substitutions, Bridon had to finish the game with ten men.

City were quick to take advantage and just five minutes later, they scored again. Bridon not sure whether to stick or twist, were caught forward and Bradford broke through the ranks and City were suddenly on the attack at speed and in a two-v-one situation. With the only defender closing him down, he cleverly slipped the ball inside for Lawrence, the only other player up in the attack, who steadied himself before crashing the ball home for 4-1, a great strike and a great goal!

There was very little of normal time left to play, but with all the changes, three goals and two or three long injury breaks, ten additional minutes were signalled and in what time that then remained – to give credit to the visitors, they manfully plugged away despite being a man and three goals down.

Bradford clattered a shot just over the bar for City, while at the other end John Burtonshaw fired wide and Lester Lawrence had his effort beaten out by Lee-Wharton, as the final pay of the match saw Rob Lawrence, who must have run Harry Bradford close as the City collective’s man-of-the-match, try to catch Osman off his line as he quickly took a cheeky free-kick from the halfway line as everybody else was still discussing it!

Osman managed to get back to gather the ball however and the whistle went soon after with a first home league victory for City this season at last adding to the four away from Hartsdown and while Bridon might be cursing their luck at some moments in the game, overall City were much the better side, dominated the first-half, dug in for a while in the second, but eventually took the game away from the visitors and were much more than good value for their win.

Final score: Canterbury City 4 Bridon Ropes 1

City: Aaron Lee-Wharton, Luka Radojevic, Liam Cormack (Nico Cotton), Danny Keyte, Louie Procopi, Joe Nelder, Harry Maher, Rob Lawrence, Jake McCarthy (Ben Binder), Harry Bradford, Dan Haastrup (Dan Watson).