An easily forgettable afternoon for a depleted City as they fell to just their third defeat in seventeen league matches this season at a very rainy and windswept Bayliss Avenue.
The first-half seemed to be drifting to a goalless conclusion before the hosts scored a late scrappy goal that turned out to be the only one of the game and for now, giving them the lead going into the break.
The second-half added little by way of quality from either side, but as City increased the intensity chasing the game, Thamesmead dug in and really suffocated any chances that the visitors tried to conjure up.
An opening minute free-kick on the edge of the box was an early threat on the City goal but Ryan Penton’s strike initially deflected off the wall before being fired back in with City keeper Alfie Langford doing well to dive down low to his left and push the ball away to safety. City responded well when a flowing move started by Harry Maher was helped on by Connor Coyne to Zack Jobe but his shot was well blocked away from goal by a home defender and then a long throw from Tom Brisley saw a lay-off from Coyne to Maher who shot wide.
A good opening few minutes to the game but that was pretty much where the first-half action ended! With the gusty winds and wet surface making conditions difficult, there was little passing play from either side as possession was constantly turned-over and chances at either end were at a premium.
Storm Glautier stabbed the ball wide from a home corner before Rob Lawrence’s free-kick had Ryan McCourt moving smartly across his goal to push the on-target effort just over the bar.
Thamesmead wasted a couple of dead-ball situations while a Maher cross for City just drifted away from the far post in the wind. Alvin Turyatemba shot well wide from distance for the hosts, while McCourt then made a good spreading save to deny Lawrence after a clever little lay-off from Coyne had slid him through.
The conditions were worsening and it was becoming very difficult to judge the weight of passes etc with plenty going astray as the gusts and the driving heavy drizzle swept across the ground.
Just as the half seemed to be ambling towards a goalless one, a long distance speculative shot from Turyatemba was initially well saved by Langford down to his left but he was unable to retain the ball and it popped back out for Kanan Fitton to slot home from close range to give Thamesmead an easy lead.
A Charlie Dale shot that rolled well wide of the City goal finished an unimpressive half but at least it meant that all the participants could retreat to somewhere dry for a while!
Thamesmead with the wind now behind them seemed to cope with the conditions better than City and they pushed forward as the second-half begun. Luka Radojevic was yellow carded after getting in a tangle with an attacker as the home side threatened down the right before Joedon Gugas-Cowan saw his shot well blocked out for a corner after some excellent play by Turyatemba.
Fitton then drilled a shot just wide for Thamesmead as he almost benefited from some good wing play by Thomas Jack Walters, while Dale also saw his effort go the wrong side of the upright. Dale was then thwarted again as his low drive saw Langford dive down well to his left to tip the ball around the post.
City counter-attacked from the resultant corner, but having done all the hard work to break into the home box, Jobe couldn’t get any power in his shot and McCourt had an easy save. Fitton and Gugas-Cowin both fired wide before City’s task became even harder as Radojevic was harshly given a second yellow card thus seeing the visitors reduced to ten men.
Most of the chances were still coming the way of the hosts and they could have put the game to bed on seventy-five minutes. Leighton Murray had just seen a free-kick for City deflect off the wall, but with the keeper going in the opposite direction and stranded, the ball went the other way but flew past the post. Thamesmead countered from the resultant corner and Fitton was fed through but his firm shut rattled the outside of the City post with Langford beaten and the chance to finish the game was gone.
Just moments later Langford excelled though with a brilliant one-handed save to deny substitute Luke Alliband as his cracking shot curled deliciously towards the top corner. He stepped in again shortly after when his misplaced pass out fell straight to Raphael President but Langford redeemed the situation making a good blocking save to deny him and then as the forward was about to pounce on the loose ball, Langford smuggled it away from danger whilst still grounded after the initial save.
City were struggling to get a grip on the game and their usual assured passing, touch and control had, this afternoon, just gone awol. Manager Dan Lawrence utilised everyone on the bench including himself to try to get City into a game they had at best so far only been on the periphery of.
As the ninety minutes were fast approaching, Sean Aromolaran cut inside but saw a shot blocked before the Lawrences almost combined when Rob’s clever added time free-kick almost fell to Dan in the box but keeper McCourt just got to the ball a split-second quicker to quell the danger!
Not a great afternoon for City but with them and the other two top six sides that were playing all losing, the only real winners (apart from Thamesmead) were the teams from third to fifth who didn’t play!
Final score: Canterbury City 0 SC Thamesmead 1