After City’s midweek defeat against the Canterbury City Council Planning Eleven and all the tribulations that their intransigence and unsupportive attitude has now caused the football club and all it’s teams and supporters.

It was good to be back to the football today travelling to Glebe who play in Chislehurst at a nice, tight, and tidy ground with all the facilities you need – their own ground – wow! – that’s an idea!!!

It was a nice, tight and tidy performance from the team as well, coming away with a three goal victory and the three points, but with the immense downside of seeing influential skipper Laurence Harvey taken off in the second-half with what later turned out to be a very serious facial injury.

The game started slowly with City playing down the slope. The surface was greasy in places and a lot of the early play was confined to a crowded midfield. The first sight either team had of goal was a fifth minute volley from Glebe’s Nathan Palmer that looked too high the moment it came off his boot and did in fact continue to rise well over the City bar.

Palmer also had the next half-chance a couple of minutes later, when well positioned and with the ball at his feet right in the middle of the City box he took far too long to decide what to do and the City defence quickly dispossessed him.

City saw a corner and a handily placed free-kick pass without creating anything from them and then saw Glebe keeper Tom Taylor sprint from his box to kick clear to thwart City’s James Turner as he broke through.

Most of the attacking play was now coming from City and a Jordan Casey long throw into the box saw Ollie Lee twice try to get a shot off as he battled for the ball with at least one of these stopped by the outstretched arm of a prostrate home defender! The resultant corner was sent over and reached Lee again – now at the far post but his guided header back towards goal was cleared off the line to prevent City taking the lead.

Glebe responded well to this pressure and saw a Sam Edwards shot charged down by Ryan Cross and then a Dwane Agyemang header from a free-kick pushed past the post by City keeper Jack Delo, with the ensuing corner then nearly sneaking directly in at the far post, while a high, wide-left free-kick hoisted in by Jack Clarke fell from the sky and bounced to safety off the top of the City bar.

City were next to hit the woodwork when Casey’s header from a corner hit the outside of the angle before being deflected out for a corner only to be curiously given as a goal kick by the referee – one of several puzzling decisions on the day!

Two half-chances for Glebe then saw Clarke’s shot take a heavy deflection and bounce through tamely for Delo to gather and then Palmer’s effort was well blocked by Danny Lawrence albeit thirty plus yards from goal.

City’s next attack saw Renford Tenyue burst through on the break and with a defender snapping at his heels, he was just forced a little wide but still managed to get a terrific shot off which Taylor stood firm to block away with a super save but conceding a corner in the process. Lawrence played the ball short to Cross who looked up and from wide left, picked his spot and arrowed a terrific shot into the far top corner of the Glebe goal, placing the ball just under the angle and into the net for 1-0 – a great strike.

City finished the remainder of the half on top. A free-kick was sent right into the Glebe zone but failed to get a touch and scooted safely through to Taylor, while the move of the match so far – down the City left that split the hosts asunder was started by Cross and a few quick passes later he found himself on the end of it and in the Glebe box only to roll the ball across goal and wide with Josh Froggatt consequently flagged offside as he desperately tried to reach the ball and stab it home.

As half-time approached, a ball into the City box by Danny Phillips deflected up and goal bound requiring Delo just to push it over his bar to safety while at the other end, Casey sprang Turner through on goal, but his shot was blocked out for a fruitless corner.

City just edging the first half and looking more potent going forward and consequently a goal up at the break at 1-0.

City were indebted to Delo for a great double save to keep his team in front straight after the break – firstly nicking the ball off of Luke Coleman’s toes as he looked certain to score and then reacting quickly to beat away the rebound from point blank range as it was fired straight back at him by Luke Miller.

Harvey headed out under pressure to keep Glebe at bay as they threatened again, while at the other end, Lawrence did well to win the ball and send Tenyue through, but running at speed he just mishit his shot wide. Edwards then also shot wide for Glebe before another high free-kick into the City box was hurriedly kicked clear by Delo who suffered a heavy knock in the process.

On fifty-seven minutes, City doubled their lead when the ball was sent forward and Froggatt tried to chase it down only to see it defended out of the box and into space for Turner who sent in a delightful first-time lob over the stranded keeper, giving him no chance as the ball dropped behind him and bounced into an empty net for 2-0.

Glebe tried to respond with a long shot from George Savage but it lacked any real power and Delo saw it all the way and was comfortably behind it for another safe take.

Lawrence fired in a free-kick for City which Lee threw himself at but couldn’t quite get on top of the ball and headed over and in the next City attack, Lawrence went down injured in a challenge, but City played on and Froggatt sent a rocket heading for the top corner only to see Taylor fly across and tip the ball over the bar to deny him. Lawrence was down for a long time receiving treatment and despite a long conversation between referee and linesman, instigated at the flag man’s insistence, curiously, no further action was taken. The corner that followed Taylor’s fine save led to City’s next chance as a bullet shot from Casey was charged down at very close quarters and cleared.

Glebe made a couple of changes which seemed to inject some urgency and pace into their play, but despite this they must have been a frustrated watch for their supporters. A well placed free-kick was wastefully fired straight into the City wall, while another immediately after and just as far out was struck straight into Delo’s perfectly placed midriff.

As City introduced Kyron Lightfoot for Tenyue, Glebe made their third and final change but to add to the host’s frustrations, a ball forward from Scott Kinch, who had time to look up and had every team-mate bar the keeper in front of him was dreadfully over-hit and only found the bushes down by the far corner flag!

An aerial challenge than saw Harvey taking a terrible whack and despite going down clearly with a facial injury, the referee allowed play to go on and Mohammed Abdisamad’s cracking strike was flying towards goal before Delo threw himself across to tip the effort over the bar. After another long stoppage, Harvey was worryingly forced to leave the field and went straight off to hospital with what has turned out to be a horrendous injury – we wish him very well – #captaincourageous.

The resulting corner was well cleared by Casey who was back helping his defenders, but the ball was eventually swung back in and found Kinch at the far post, but he headed wide.

A Glebe free-kick was woefully wasted – again being well over-hit and out for a goal kick while in contrast City’s next attack had Casey, Cross and Froggatt combining well on the left and finding Lawrence, he shaped to shoot but was closed down so laid the ball off to Lightfoot whose whipped in low shot speared through the crowd and needed Taylor to dive down well to his right to push the ball aside.

The game was now going into an extended period of added time and there was only going to be one winner. Glebe huffed and puffed with too little too late in attack and some determined team defending from City blocked a couple of shots and closed them down as they tried desperatley to at least get a consolation goal.

Any further goal was more likely to come at the other end and after some good initial hold up play by Casey, he scuffed a shot wide while Lightfoot won the ball deep in his own half and burst forward and with City team-mates breaking at speed in unison, he found Casey who sent over a low ball to the far post and with substitute Rob Lawrence sliding in he couldn’t quite get the crucial touch to turn it goalward.

In the fourth minute of stoppage time, Phillips found space in the City box but his fierce snap shot was thumped straight at the well positioned Delo again for another excellent stop in what was a fine game for the keeper. With seconds remaining City were sprung forward again, initially by Cross who found Casey and then onto Froggatt and with the keeper out to close him down, he rode the first challenge, took the ball wide and from an acute angle slotted the ball back under the keeper’s despairing attempted recovery dive and into the net for 3-0.

The final whistle blew and a great performance and victory will be understandably overshadowed in a troubled week off the pitch for City which then just got worse on the pitch with the later update on skipper Laurence Harvey’s completely devastating injury.

Final score: Canterbury City 3 Glebe 0

City: Jack Delo, Michael Turner, Ryan Cross, Laurence Harvey (Liam Quinn), Gary Sayer, Ollie Lee, Renford Tenyue (Kyron Lightfoot), Danny Lawrence, Jordan Casey, James Turner (Rob Lawrence), Josh Froggatt
Unused Sub: Adam Woollcott