A pair of hat-tricks and the points and goals shared as City and Cray Valley produced an entertaining draw at the Badgers Sports Ground. City took the lead, then found themselves behind, before edging back in front again, but were finally pegged back and then a contested decision away from defeat.

City got off to a good start and playing up the slope in the first half dominated the opening stages. Gary Clarke headed wide from one of a couple of early corners while Rob Lawrence and Dave Pilcher almost picked their way through the Cray Valley defence but were only rewarded with another corner and from the ensuing play, Cray keeper Andy Walker had to punch one effort clear and then made a more comfortable save from a second.

City pressure was soon to tell though and on eleven minutes they took a deserved lead. Some quick thinking from a free-kick saw Pilcher feed Matt Martin and his shot was arrowed in and beaten back out by Walker, but Pilcher was lurking and thumped the rebound back past the stranded keeper for 1-0.

City continued to press and Pat Nzuzi’s effort from wide left was saved by Walker, while a lovely through ball from Lawrence found Pilcher again and his shot was aiming just inside the post before Walker managed to launch himself across and push the ball out for a corner. That and one more passed without joy for City, but Cray were now beginning to get back into the game and suddenly you wondered if City would regret not having extended their lead while they had been on top.

Ben Francis whipped in a shot for the hosts that flew across goal via a deflection and from the resultant corner a free header went straight at City keeper Jack Delo. The warning sign was there but shortly after, a wide free kick was floated across and Kevin Lisbie was afforded far too much time and space at the far post and his downward header deceived Delo to make the score 1-1.

Cray were now starting to enjoy the bulk of the pressure and just seven minutes later, City fell behind. A corner from the left was right on the spot and Lisbie found space and freedom again and ran through unchallenged and headed past Delo for 1-2.

City responded in style however and just two minutes later were level. Pilcher had the ball wide left, looked up couldn’t see anything on, so just cracked a terrific shot from twenty-five yards and it flew into the back of the net despite Walker’s full stretched dive. A stunning strike for 2-2 and no description of mine would ever do it justice!

The game was now swinging one way and then the other and despite City coming back to parity, it was the hosts that should have gone into the break ahead. In the last few minutes of the half yet another free header from a corner was cleared off the City line by Gary Sayer to stop a certain goal and right on the whistle, Lisbie had far too much space again at the far post but directed his unchallenged header an inch the wrong side of the upright. He should have scored, but thankfully for City he didn’t and at the break it was all square at two each.

The first two chances of the second half fell to Cray as Cem Tumkaya’s shot was saved low down by Delo and then Francis should have done better from an excellent position but he could only shoot wide. On sixty-one minutes, City were awarded a penalty when Sam Lawford was sprinting through but was brought down by Tumkaya in the box as the defender desperately tried to catch him. He got a yellow card for his pains before Pilcher stepped up and fired the spot kick down the middle, Walker getting a raised arm to it but couldn’t prevent it from going in to give City back the lead at 3-2 and for Pilcher to complete his hat-trick and hopes were now high from the City faithful, that from there, they could go on and secure a victory.

Chances were exchanged though as Clarke’s long shot was straight at Walker, but Cray were still battling as Josh James struck a distance volley well over the City bar. On seventy-thee minutes Cray levelled. A long shot from Francis was well beaten out by Delo, but he could do nothing more as Lisbie pounced on the loose ball and fired it into the roof of the net for 3-3 and his hat-trick, despite City to a man desperately appealing for a missing offside flag.

Despite both teams searching for the winner, in the time that remained only one chance came and it was a controversial decision given that saved City from a possible defeat. The ball was swung over and Lisbie rose to knock the ball back across from the far post for Jordan Sandiford to bundle it home from close range. This time however the flag did go up and Lisbie was adjudged to have fouled the defender and the goal was ruled out much to the consternation of many of the home contingent especially Lisbie, who received a yellow card for his woes and protestations.

All in all a draw was just about a fair result. Either side could have won it, the flag on that side failed to come when City thought it should have for Cray’s third, but did when Cray thought it shouldn’t have for their disallowed ‘fourth’ – so honours just about even and special congratulations to Dave Pilcher and Kevin Lisbie on their respective hat-tricks.

Final score; Dave Pilcher 3 Kevin Lisbie 3

City; Jack Delo, Gary Sayer, Pat Nzuzi, Gary Clarke, Laurence Harvey, Josh McCallum, Rob Lawrence (Darren Marsden), Joe Nelder (Tom Walmsley), Sam Lawford, Dave Pilcher, Matt Martin
Unused sub; Cory Walters-Wright