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LAST TIME WE HOSTED: CRAY VALLEY (PM) - part 1 We take a look back at last seasons game here at Homelands, played December 19th 2015, as reported by Kevin Olver, which saw the visitors score the only goal of the game. The first few minutes of the game hinted that we may be in for an exciting incident packed match as Ryan Philpott held the ball up well and rolled it on for Chevan Xavier running down the right. His great cross was fizzed into the Cray box, but the ball slid just past Jordan Casey, arriving with speed, where any sort of touch would almost certainly have opened the scoring. Immediately after, Cray themselves broke rapidly and City keeper Shannon Harris was forced to sprint well outside of his box to clear the ball to safety, so with action at both ends already and two crunching but poor tackles from Cray, it boded well for an interesting afternoon. Unfortunately the dynamics of the game were completely changed with the early sending off. A Cray move down the right saw the ball played inside. It held up on the artificial surface, bobbled about and that, combined with the nippiness of Cray danger man Byron Walker, was enough to catch out City centre-half Ben Gorham who clipped the striker bringing him tumbling to the floor. With the defender being the last man, it was, unfortunately for Gorham and for City, an automatic red card and City were left to play the majority of the game a man light. Cray had instant opportunities to make their advantage count. Firstly the resultant free-kick was wastefully fired straight at the City wall but deflected out for a corner which was then swung in with venom thumping against the outside of the upright and going out for a goal-kick. City made the decision to go with three at the back instead of replacing the departed Gorham with another defender or dropping someone back to maintain a back four - with Sam Staunton and Danny Lawrence appearing to drop back a little to support their depleted defence. For the next few minutes though it was City that looked the more positive as Philpott cut inside from the corner of the box and dipped a shot just over the bar, Jamie Bosio surged forward from full-back but fired his forty-yarder well over while Dave Pilcher was inches away from converting a Casey cross. City were presented with an uphill struggle soon after though when the visitors took the lead. A move down the right was being covered by Bosio, but he slipped at the crucial moment allowing a cross to be floated over and Luke Harvey rose to glance a header home from a couple of yards out for 0-1. City were quick with a response when Lawrence and Pilcher combined well to set Xavier on his way, but the winger fluffed his lines, skewing the cross straight out. The game then went through a twenty minute flat and uninspiring period and became a bit of a midfield slog, with very little created at either end. City were working hard as they had to do, but Cray, short on too much quality, were already showing signs of being confused as to whether to press home their numerical advantage and attack or stick on their goal advantage and defend. In fact, as the half was seemingly meandering to a quiet and pedestrian end, it was City who looked the first to break the apparent stalemate, when Lawrence glided though midfield and skipped past two challenges but hit his low snap-shot just wide. Having said all that though, the last few minutes of the half belonged to Cray. Walker cut inside and from a promising position hit his shot high and wide while a Cray corner was swung over and cannoned off the face of the City bar. A dangerous free-kick was brilliantly defended away with his head by Sam Baker, while another corner was again fired in direct at the City goal, this time just hitting the side netting. There was a lot for City to do at the break, being as they were, a goal and a man down. The opening period of the second-half saw City under pressure. Baker, Bosio and Staunton all had to put in telling defensive tackles or clearances, while Harris scooped up a dangerous low cross. City almost put themselves into trouble when a one-two between Harris and Lawrence saw the keeper slip and Walker pounce on the loose ball but roll his shot wide of an open goal. Rory Hill then wasted another golden opportunity for Cray when with time and space he skied his shot well over the City bar. 8
LAST TIME WE HOSTED: CRAY VALLEY (PM) - part 2 City weathered that early storm and were starting to see more of the ball and getting forward. Pilcher played a cracking long diagonal pass across the park for Xavier who made for the box and slipped the ball inside where Pilcher himself had raced forward to receive it before shooting across goal but just wide. The same player then saw his corner hit the cross bar direct with Rob French in the Cray goal beaten before the ball was scrambled out for another corner which was hurriedly headed out at the far post. City were looking by far the more impressive as they sought an equaliser, but Cray did have a moment when Walker attacked down the right but was denied by a fine one handed save from Harris. City were working tirelessly as Cray were already doing their best to wind down the clock with all those niggly and irritating time wasting moves that everyone in the ground seems to see except the officials! Xavier went on a superb break from the halfway line, flying past and through several tackles into the box only to see his fine shot well pushed out two-handed by a diving French - a quality move that deserved a goal on the end of it. City continued to press and Pilcher went close when he fired over when well placed - albeit in a very crowded Cray box, he then saw a corner tipped away from danger by a full-stretch French before, the keeper climbed well to take another dangerous City corner well above his head. City were getting forward in droves and the visitors had no answer except to get everybody back, batten down the hatches and waste time. Philpott charged down a clearance and burst into the box only to be thwarted by French sliding out to make an excellent block. Matt Martin came on to replace Xavier, but with City needing to push forward, there was always a possibility they would be susceptible to the break and Walker, looking to be Cray's one and only chance of extending their lead ran though the defence and along the edge of the box setting up Hill, who, with just Harris to beat was off target again, wastefully firing wide. With three minutes to go, Lawrence went agonisingly close for City when his free-kick was pinged in low and flew past everyone and wide when it was just begging for a touch goal wards. Cray grafted out the rest of the match and stoppage time, frustrating City by retaining possession deep in the City half, desperately hanging on to their lead. All things considered, Cray can count themselves very fortunate to leave with all three points. They should have had all the aces playing eleven v ten for virtually the whole game but ended up hanging on and wasting time - having scored from one of only two efforts on target. City, even with their ten men created more, worked harder and deserved much better. Final score: City 0 Cary Valley 1. City; Shannon Harris, Jamie Bosio, Chris Webber, Sam Staunton, Ben Gorham, Sam Baker, Ryan Philpott, Danny Lawrence, Dave Pilcher, Jordan Casey, Chevan Xavier (Matt Martin). Un-used Subs; Adam Woollcott, Oliver Lee, Sam Hallett, Rob Lawrence, 9
Page 1 and 2: C A N T E R B U R Y C I T Y F C 201
Page 3 and 4: A MESSAGE FROM: THE CHAIRMAN Good a
Page 5 and 6: WHAT THE PAPERS SAID THIS WEEK IN
Page 7: Canterbury City First Team Partners
Page 11 and 12: SCEFL Premier Division’s Teams Fi
Page 13 and 14: 13
Page 15 and 16: CITY SQUAD 2016/17 Dan Wisker - age
Page 17 and 18: No need for a good memory for this
Page 19 and 20: WE’VE MET BEFORE: CRAY VALLEY (pa
Page 21 and 22: Team Mates by LAURENCE HARVEY We as
Page 23 and 24: Match Day Sponsor & Man of the Matc
Page 25 and 26: City Merchandise and Club Wear Part
Page 27 and 28: OUR SEASON: DATE OPPOSITION COMP F

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