For over eighty-five minutes this top of the table clash was very finely balanced.
City, sitting top by three points but having played more games than all the teams around them would have been six points clear with a win, while Forest Hill Park, second in the table, would close that gap to just goal difference if they won.
Now although it says Forest Hill Park on the tin, we all know that this is actually SE Dons and in the early stages they set off at a hurried and purposeful manner buoyed on by a noisy backing from the support in the stands. City absorbed the pressure well and were a touch calmer and more measured as the bulk of the first-half attacking plays came from the hosts. Having said that, most of the attacks they did conjure up lacked any real cutting edge and were in the main comfortably dealt with by City keeper Dan Smith and his defence.
In fact there was little by way of real goalmouth incident in the first period and at times the game seemed a bit of a set-piece graveyard, as several corners, free-kicks and long throws from both sides failed to provide any clear opportunities. Ten minutes had passed before the first direct strike on goal as a low, long-range effort from Georgi Steeds was sent wide of the City upright as Smith hurried across to cover it just in case, but saw it go wide.
Steeds also speared in a shot from the side sometime later but it was safely and carefully taken at head height by Smith and he followed that with a cross from a similar position that Ulrich Fischer headed over the City bar.
City best chance thus far came from a long throw that came off a defender but bounced just wide of the Dons post before the resultant corner was pawed away on the stretch by home keeper George Kamurasi but fell out to Khavarn Williams who zipped a low shot back in but wide.
On forty minutes, the hosts had the chance to open the scoring with a well-placed free-kick just a couple of yards outside the City box in an inside-right position, but after a lot of thought and preparation, Tobi Coker could only fire the ball straight at the wall and City were able to clear with ease.
The half ended with a home attack that saw Fischer and Steeds combine well before Pat McKay saw his fizzed in ball fly across the City goal possibly just glancing the top of the bar as it flew past.
That was about it for the first-half, predictably tight and competitive so far with so much at stake but with neither keeper yet to be seriously tested.
City had first go after the restart when a clever dummy from Williams saw him break down the right before sending in a cross that the Dons looked to have covered but Mo Cham was too quick for the defender nipping in front to get a strike off that Kamurasi did well to get down to and push away for yet another unsuccessful corner.
The Dons then had a chance themselves soon after when McKay broke down the left and set Ed Mbango into the box but he stood on the ball at the vital moment and could only comically knock the ball well wide. They followed that by going close again when City had to survive a bit of a scramble from a long-throw with the ball eventually being deflected out wide for a goal-kick. For the visitors, a corner curled in from Rob Lawrence deserved something better but it seemed to twice narrowly evade City players before drifting away meekly to safety.
Many games have a pivotal moment or two and there could certainly have been one here in the sixty-third minute when Brandon Barrance was extremely fortunate not to be sent off that would have reduced the hosts to ten men. He was already on a first-half yellow card for pulling back Jamie Obianigwe and preventing the City player from breaking in attack when he made another more cynical foul on the same player and somehow escaped with a telling-off from the referee. His bench must have thought he was lucky as well because within a minute or so they’d hooked him. Without doubt that second incident was more than worthy of a yellow card and probably would have got one if he’d not already been booked. It’s not supposed to happen like that – but when you see it in the flesh, you can’t help but wonder!!
However, Kamurasi then pawed away the resultant free-kick while at the other end – Smith held on well to one hoisted into the City box before Fischer headed over another Dons long-throw and Joe Nelder did the same from a City free-kick.
With the watch clicking well into the last five minutes and the game seemingly in deadlock – at last a dead-ball incident bore fruit. A long-throw from Alfie Saunders was flicked on in the City box and substitute Temi Alaka snaffled it home from close range to give the Dons a late, late lead. It was heartbreak and an absolute sucker punch for City who had defended brilliantly up to then and came when they were just probably having their best spell of the game. The relief on and off the pitch for the hosts was absolutely palpable and the celebrations that followed confirmed it!
To rub salt into the wounds, City’s keeper Smith was then red-carded for upending Alaka outside the box when he was clear through and may well have extended the lead as City were caught pushing forward ultimately in vain!
In what little time that remained, City threw everything and everyone forward to try to rescue a point which included sending stand-in keeper Luke Illsley up for an added time corner, but it was all to no avail and the Dons finally, just about, edged themselves the win!
Final score: Forest Hill Park / SE Dons 1 Canterbury City 0