After last week’s FA Vase heartache, Canterbury City’s return to league action today also ended all square at one apiece as they had to come from behind yet again to secure something from the game.

Even with eight players missing either through injury, suspension or non-availability, they still played well enough to take all the points and so therefore, frustratingly, it was probably a missed opportunity that they had to settle for the one!

City started the game with their players urging each other into a fast start and sure enough, two chances came and went in the first few minutes. After some neat interplay involving Leo Dodds, Harry Maher and Monty Saunders, Luke Illsley curled a distance effort away from the Bec goal, before Liam Cormack’s clearance fell perfectly for Dodds to control and cut inside before laying off to Rob Lawrence who shot straight at home keeper Jack Powell.

The warning bells were soon sounded for City however, when on six minutes a ball played through the heart of their defence saw Alwin Turyatemba run onto it and, just beating City skipper Danny Keyte to the ball, he toe poked it past keeper Luke Watkins but also, a couple of yards past the post.

City continued to press forward though and a switch of play over to Saunders saw the ball then played inside for Illsley who controlled well but fired narrowly wide with Powell scrambling across to try and cover it, before City penalty appeals were ignored by the referee as another effort was sent just over the Bec bar.

It was probably already against the run of play therefore that on twelve minutes, City fell behind when Alex Keating was played through down the centre, before advancing on goal and firing across Watkins into the far corner of the net giving the hosts the lead at 0-1.

Bec almost doubled their lead just five minutes later when the ball was played out wide to Turyatemba and his cross fell just behind Keating, but he allowed the ball to go across his body and flicked it towards goal only for Watkins to dive at full length to push it wide with an excellent save.

City continued with their patient build-up play, but they seemed unable to fully unlock the Bec defence from inside the area and were being restricted to long range efforts out of it. Saunders managed to cut inside on one promising occasion, but could only shoot straight at Powell, who despite not being secure in his handling, managed to fall on the ball to recover it despite getting a kick from a defender!

City came close on twenty-seven minutes when a Dodds corner sent over to the far post saw Keyte’s header deflected wide, before Bec responded when a long diagonal ball was eventually worked through to Keating, but his effort was curled high and wide of the City goal

Mark Sloane then saw his strike from twenty-five yards comfortably saved by Watkins before Dodds replied in kind as his shot brought out a straightforward save from Powell. Saunders was enjoying some luck out on the right and he jinked his way past three defenders before seeing his cross just evade Lawrence, but also Dodds coming in as the defence cleared.

City continued to battle and some determined work out on the left from Harry O’Donnell saw his pull back from the byline won firmly but fairly by the commanding Illsley, but his shot struck a defender before falling kindly for Powell to tidy up

In the last minute of the half, City had something of a let off as a cross found Keating and, stealing a march on the City defence, he headed past Watkins from close range, seemingly doubling their lead. But after a brief pause and with no offside flag raised, the referee puzzlingly disallowed the goal – Keating later confirming it had been struck off for handball after he’d headed the ball onto his arm before it had gone into the net.

So, City a goal down at half-time but without having too much to worry about and looking more than capable on the day of clawing back the deficit.

City restarted positively with Saunders, under pressure, just lifting a shot over the home bar before Sloane saw his misdirected and hurried effort fly well over the City bar. It was the impressive Saunders though that instigated City’s leveller just eight minutes after the break, when his lovely turn out on the right wrong footed a couple of defenders and gave him space to find Lawrence inside. With a lovely touch and the deftest of little flicks he guided the ball over the defence and it landed nicely for Harry Bradford to run past and stab the ball past Powell for 1-1.

Bec almost responded immediately when a dangerous swinging cross from Turyatemba on the right was brilliantly defended away from danger by Cormack to keep City’s new found parity intact. City grew from that and dominated most of the rest of the game as a series of chances and half-chances came and went. Saunders cut inside from the right but with options available, fired over the bar, while a City free-kick launched in from the same player just eluded a couple of willing team mates charging in at the far post.

City’s best chance soon followed when a corner from the right was steered goal-bound by Keyte on the low half-volley only to see it hacked off the line by the foot of the post with a bemused Powell stranded and looking on! So often it seems that the ball is just not quite running for City at the moment and that was the case again soon after when Maher’s shot was initially fumbled by Powell, but he was quickly able to regather before anyone in a City shirt could follow in!

Still the visitors pressed forward as Lawrence had a fierce shot blocked and after some very good play down the left, Mo Ali’s cross was somehow and eventually scrambled away out of the area by the Bec defence.

The hosts had little to show going forward, much emphasised when on a rare sortie up field, they got the ball over to Turyatemba who cut inside, but his curled shot went well wide of the far post. City were dominating the attacking play, but just couldn’t find any vital cutting edge to win the game.

Dodds saw a snap volley fly wide and high, while after some persistence by Ali, Luka Radojevic’s great cross was right in the zone, but hurriedly and desperately rattled out by a defender for a corner hopefully out of harm’s way! Lawrence took it and again, after a mini scramble, Bec’s defence managed eventually to snaffle the ball away as it bounced about in the area.

It was all City now and in the final few minutes, Bec had Powell to thank for preserving them a point. A strong volley from Illsley saw the keeper back-pedalling  furiously before stretching to paw the ball out for yet another corner from which Keyte had a shot charged down. The same player then screwed another effort from twenty yards wide on the run before Powell made two further interventions, firstly to deny Illsley’s shot and then he rose through a crowd to safely gather Ali’s decent looking cross.

The referee called time soon after and City were left rueing that for all their pressure and all their hard work and endeavour it all, annoyingly, only added up to one point!

Final score: Canterbury City 1 Tooting Bec 1

City: Luke Watkins, Luka Radojevic, Liam Cormack, Danny Keyte, Monty Saunders, Harry O’Donnell (Mo Ali), Rob Lawrence, Luke Illsley, Harry Bradford, Leo Dodds, Harry Maher (Ben Binder)

Unused Subs: Charlie Long, Petar Radojevic, Tim Marapara.