A stunning victory for City as they put Forest Hill Park to the sword at Hartsdown Park today.
Another hat-trick for prolific striker Mo Cham – his second in two games, was just half of City’s overall tally as they overwhelmed their opponents with a crushing 6-1 win.
It also keeps City’s play-off hopes alive as they are now on the same points as the fifth place side – the last play-off spot available and are firmly in the mix as one of the four teams seemingly chasing that last spot.
They couldn’t have got off to a better start either stunning FHP by taking the lead within two minutes. A corner from the right was swung in by Monty Saunders and Mo Cham saw his goal-bound header blocked but the ball fell nicely to Will Currie who swept home from close range for 1-0 and to put down the perfect early marker!
City were almost gifted a chance to double the lead soon after when a lovely dinked ball forward by Rob Lawrence caused havoc in the FHP defence as it was hurriedly cleared over his own bar in a panic by a defender who virtually kicked it out of his own keeper’s hands to do so. City couldn’t prosper from the resultant corner though but shortly after were indebted to Louie Procopi for a fine piece of defending stepping in with a superb tackle to prevent a clear strike on City’s goal right in the middle of the box after the visitors had broken at pace down the left-hand side.
FHP had seemed to shake off that early setback as Sacha Gibson surged forward down the left, but Harry Maher tracked him all the way back and his well-timed challenge meant that Gibson could only force the ball wide.
It was still early in the game without too much hint of the landslide that would follow, but FHP – with the advantage of a strong blustery wind behind them were putting City under some pressure but not really doing enough to prise them open – a free-kick from wide right for example was lined up but well overhit and sailed over everybody and straight out for a goal-kick.
On eighteen minutes, City scored their second and a delightful goal it was too. A battle in midfield saw Saunders and Lawrence combine to win the ball, but it was the evergreen Lawrence’s beautiful through ball that tore FHP asunder and found Cham running on to meet it and stroke it past visiting keeper Chris Collins for 2-0 – City appearance number 299 for Lawrence today but I doubt he’s played very many better passes than that one!
Going two down though didn’t seem to lower the FHP heads and they continued to play on with some doggedness, albeit with a lot of hurry and bluster bordering on almost disorganised at times, but you just couldn’t fault the effort.
In fact over the course of the next few minutes they could have got themselves back into the game. A shot from the edge of the box from Bronum Reynolds was safely pouched by City keeper Tom Benham before a pacey break down the left saw Ethan Okechukwu’s low drilled ball fly right across the City goal but alas for the visitors, no-one was available for what would have been a simple tap-in.
At the other end, Saunders had a bullet of a shot charged down for City but a stubborn FHP were starting to become a bit of a test for the hosts. They can consider themselves a little unlucky as well not to have pulled a goal back on thirty-one minutes when a huge clearance from the back – aided by a very strong wind took a huge bounce and completely deceived Benham as he came to the edge of the box to intercept it. Fortunately for City though, the ball bounced high over him and continued on its merry way just wide of the post!
Despite all the FHP efforts it was City that were next to score and extend their lead. Collins had just made an excellent flying save to push an Alfie Giles thirty-yarder heading for the top corner over his bar, but from the resultant corner he could do nothing to prevent Cham coming round to the back post unseen and making the score 3-0 with the perfect downward header.
With ten minutes of the half remaining, that third goal did seem to knock the stuffing out of the visitors and City dominated up until the break. A clever little move from Giles set up Lawrence but his shot was deflected out by a blocking tackle for a corner from which Currie headed over the bar. Some persistence from Cham earned City a further corner that they couldn’t prosper from before a quickly taken free-kick from Lawrence saw Jake McCarthy charge away down the left but as he cut inside he could only find the side netting from a very tight angle.
The last move of the half came originally from an FHP corner that was errantly played short with City stealing the ball and then breaking but with Cham on the charge and heading for goal, enough FHP players got back to snuffle City off the ball and kill the attack just as the half-time whistle blew.
A healthy lead for City therefore at the break with FHP full of running but lacking the quality to really test the hosts.
Having come to that conclusion over a half-time cuppa, the reporter’s curse obviously struck because within three minutes of the restart, FHP had grabbed a goal back! A corner from the left was sent into the City box and couldn’t have fallen better for Armand Grosha who thumped the ball on the half-volley past Benham from around ten yards for 3-1.
Any hope that FHP could build from there was quickly laid to rest by City as they soon restored their three goal lead. Cham saw a swinging volley well blocked at very close quarters and then he and Lawrence almost bundled their way through the FHP defence but Collins was quickly out to smother the loose ball. Just minutes later though, Cham completed his second hat-trick in consecutive games as he controlled a high ball well before taking a pace to the right and thrashing it past a helpless Collins for 4-1. That was his third hat-trick of the season and eighteen goals in fifteen matches – some simply incredible figures!
FHP tried to respond as a whipped in shot bounced straight off of Benham’s torso before McCarthy came to the rescue for City with a very neat piece of last-man defending – but that was about it from the embattled visitors!
City substitute Brad Jeffrey was then denied by Collins as they started to make changes before Lawrence went close again looping a shot towards the top corner that the keeper had to move smartly across to claw down before recovering well to deny Leo Dodds looking for the follow-up.
City were piling on the pressure now and had FHP well and truly on the ropes. Although Collins made another fairly straightforward save from Jeffrey, he couldn’t then prevent the same player from scoring City’s fifth. A well worked move down the left ended with McCarthy’s brilliant cross picking out Jeffrey in the box and he killed the ball before lashing it past Collins for 5-1.
They then almost made it six with what would have been a brilliant if somewhat unusual goal. Collins aerial clearance from wide right was somehow immediately volleyed back by Harry Sikirwayi with a highly raised boot back towards goal but it flew just over the bar – a completely audacious and outrageous, acrobatic effort!
City continued to maraud forward and Jeffrey went close again steering the ball just wide of the far post when he broke through down the left, before Dodds got plenty of power into a free-kick but didn’t quite get the required curl and it sped past the angle. Sikirwayi then pounced on a loose ball that pinged back out of the area and thundered it towards the top corner, but Collins leapt across at full stretch, needing both hands to push the effort over his bar – another decent save.
With ninety minutes just about up, some dogged pressure from Jeffrey and another substitute Brad Walledge pressured an FHP defender to foul the latter and City were awarded a penalty. Kian Scott stepped up and struck a firm shot down the middle and with Collins diving to his left, the ball hit the back of the net and City were 6-1 ahead!
Well into stoppage time now and still City were on the hunt as firstly, Walledge burst through before slamming a fierce effort against the foot of the FHP post and then moments later, Dodds made a similar attack before firing his effort a couple of feet wide just as the referee came to the visitor’s rescue and blew the final whistle.
The Groundwork & Buildings Solutions Ltd Man-of-the-Match was duly named as hat-trick hero Mo Cham whose goals have helped City to fifty-five for the season now – the fifth highest in the league. FHP worked hard but for large parts of the match were just overrun by City’s young and not so young warriors who are playing some really sparkling stuff and improving further all the time.
With two away games coming up, there’s only one more chance to see the lads at home this season and that’s on April 27th against Croydon, so why not come on down to Hartsdown for the season finale and cheer them on – they deserve the support!
Final score: Canterbury City 6 Forest Hill Park 1
City: Tom Benham, Jake McCarthy, Will Currie (Brad Walledge), Louie Procopi, Joe Nelder, Rob Lawrence (Kian Scott), Alfie Giles, Harry Sikirwayi, Harry Maher (Ben Binder), Mo Cham (Brad Jeffrey), Monty Saunders (Leo Dodds).