City were quickly back in the groove following last week’s defeat as they came from an early goal behind to beat Greenways at Hartsdown Park.

With Croydon failing to beat Lewisham Borough at the Ladywell Arena, City’s win also returns them to the top of the table with former leaders Croydon slipping to second.

First effort of the game fell to City with Connor Coyne’s attempted flick on comfortably gathered by Greenways keeper Ivor Williams, but it was the visitors that actually scored first. With just four minutes on the watch, Logan Thomson saw his shot well saved at close-quarters by debut City keeper Carter Wilson, but the ball looped up off his body and was headed back past him and into the net by Levi Gold – despite an attempted goal-line clearance which gave Greenways an early lead.

A long shot from Ashley Poppy was then easily fielded by Wilson before City responded with a couple of free-kicks which were well defended by Greenways, while Liam Hark’s swung shot was blocked away.

It was fairly even at this point as City then attacked via a couple of Tom Brisley long throws without success while for Greenways, Gold saw a shot blocked and Ross Penrose headed well over from a corner.

City were working hard to get back on level terms though and Jake McCarthy set the tempo with a thrilling run down the left wing before his cross just evaded Zack Jobe flying in at speed with the ball being defended out for a needless corner. That error was to come back to haunt the visitors as it then led to City’s equaliser. The ball was played short and then laid off to Luke Illsley who had made a deliberate run out of the middle and he in turn found Harry Sikirwayi who, after a nice piece of footwork, powered a terrific shot past the flailing Williams for 1-1 – a well-worked and often tried routine gleefully hitting the back of the net!

Just four minutes later, City then took the lead. A lovely move was worked out to Harry Maher on the right and his well crafted low cross was beautifully met by Coyne who flashed a fine shot across and past Williams from a narrowish angle for 2-1.

City were playing really well and McCarthy was excelling down the left with Maher proving a handful down the right. A free-kick just inside the Greenways half was quickly punted forward by Illsley seeing Williams off his line with the effort almost perfectly judged but just clearing the bar as the keeper hurriedly tried to scurry back to cover.

City were almost purring with the ball and Greenways, having lost their lead were also starting to lose their discipline as a couple of crunching tackles on Jobe and Coyne saw just the one yellow card given that some would argue probably could have been a red. However, City continued to boss the game and twice went close again. Firstly when Jobe got on the end of another determined attack but mis-hit his shot well wide and then the same player almost benefitted from some excellent play by Coyne but was denied by an outstretched keeper’s arm and was then unable to direct the rebound goalwards from a tight angle.

Another great passing move from City followed and it saw Simon Kabamba have a shot blocked as City were really trying to tighten the screw. A corner then came out to Jobe whose strike was blocked away before he had another chance under pressure, but just lifted the ball over the bar from the edge of the box.

The traffic was all going in one direction but Greenways did get one move going down their right that saw Thomas Scott-Smith whip in a low cross that Wilson fielded adeptly.

With the game now in added time, another Rob Lawrence corner was swung in and mayhem in the box ensued as several players from both sides desperately tried to win the ball and get a clear kick at it one way or the other. After something more akin to a rugby scrum, the ball eventually ran a tad loose and Hark pounced to fire it home from among the bodies to make it 3-1 to City going into the break.

City restarted playing some lovely football and dominated the second-half. Williams denied Sikirwayi and then made a good claim as City recycled the ball well, before from another well-worked move, Coyne thought he had scored again but his downward header was brilliantly saved by Williams one-handed, low down to his right scooping the ball away and then retrieving it before Coyne could react.

On fifty-three minutes, City extended their lead still further when a sparkling run down the right from Maher ended in a gem of a cross that Jobe almost got on the end of but it flew past him, past Williams and ricocheted off the luckless Lewis McIntyre into his own net for 4-1.

To their credit, Greenways from a now near impossible position, did try to get something back and a slick move involving Poppy three times was a bit of a warning for City but ended with him just over-reaching with the final shot and knocking it well wide with a clear site of goal. A couple of minutes later they went close again when a move through the inside-right channel ended with Mike Seki’s shot taking a deflection and rebounding up and onto the top of the City bar.

Despite that City were still bossing possession and a cracking move would have been a goal of the season candidate if it had gone in. Illsley played the ball through to Coyne whose lovely lay-off found Lawrence. A little flick from him returned the ball towards Coyne and he ran onto it before thumping a shot forward that just cleared the bar!

Lawrence then hit a shot wide and Jobe had another blocked before Lawrence and Coyne combined in another special move that saw substitute Mo Cham run wide but still manage to crunch a shot in across Williams but it also flew across the goal and narrowly cleared the far upright.

Cham looked sharp and determined after a couple of weeks out and the next chance also fell to him when a well struck volley from the edge of the box took a massive deflection and soared up before just dipping over the bar with Williams hurriedly back-pedalling. A minute later, City carved out another chance for their leading scorer with Joe Nelder and Lawrence setting him with a bullet of a shot that was well beaten away by Williams.

Unfortunately Cham’s determination was to get the better of him when he was red carded on eighty minutes. Having almost carved out another strike on goal for himself, he was convinced – as were most – that the ball had gone out for a corner, but a goal-kick was given – a decision that was hotly disputed by many.  With Cham initially rolling the ball away from the restart, in a matter of seconds – hotly disputed became over-heated when, as a yellow card was shown it prompted a response from the player that in turn had the refereeing producing a red as well and City were for the second week running reduced to ten men.

City looked to see the game out and had a couple of long spells knocking the ball around sensibly retaining possession and just starving Greenways of it.

Keeper Wilson had been largely untroubled for the whole half but he did watch John Brown’s lifted effort go safely over his bar. For City, in the final moments Sikirwayi had a shot blocked and Sean Aromolaran fired the rebound back in but Williams was safely positioned right behind it. There was then another of those ‘would have been a goal of the season candidate….’ as Nelder, back from a long lay-off, started a move down the right that saw Aromolaran and Coyne involved as well before Nelder ran onto the final pass only to curl a beauty of an effort a little too far past the opposite angle!

With the ninety up and the game pretty much done and dusted, City just took their eye off the ball mentally and physically for a moment and a break down the right flank for Greenways saw a low cross swept home with some aplomb by George Wady to make the score 4-2.

The game ended shortly after and a good performance was enhanced further by the news that the results elsewhere had returned City back to the top of the pile!

Final score: Canterbury City 4 Greenways 2.