Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
Focus fixed on ‘must win’ game
Canterbury men
Canterbury skipper Craig Boyne says his side’s only focus is beating Loughborough on Saturday night.
The city club came from behind to salvage a point from a 2-2 draw against play-off bound Hampstead & Westminster on Saturday but remain five points adrift of third-bottom Brooklands MU and automatic safety after the Manchester side drew with Surbiton.
Canterbury are six points clear of basement boys and Saturday’s hosts Loughborough (6pm) with four games remaining in the National Premier Division, although they must close the gap on Brooklands if they are to avoid a relegation play-off.
Boyne added: “We are still looking up rather than down. We have a must-win game against Loughborough and want to start fast and crush them.
“If we can do that, hopefully they will implode because they know if they lose this they are down. If we can beat Loughborough, Brooklands and East Grinstead in our last four games, that would be enough to keep us up.”
At Polo Farm, Matt Guise Brown broke the deadlock following a penalty corner midway through the first half.
Marc Edwards then gave Hampstead and the returning former Canterbury player-coach Kwan Browne, a 2-0 lead eight minutes later.
Sam George saw appeals for a penalty waved away as Canterbury battled back but Josh Pollard gave the city club hope when he halved the deficit two minutes before half-time after good work from Ed Welch.
After the break, Pollard saw penalty appeals dismissed in a half of few chances and it took until the final minute of the game, after a spell of Canterbury pressure, for Tom Bean to snatch a leveller from a short corner.
Boyne said: “We are getting results but it’s not enough at the moment as other results are not going our way.
“We can take a lot of positives out of getting a draw against a side that beat us 7-2 in the first half of the season. It is useful proof to the young players of how much we have improved.”
Hamish Roberts could miss the final four games after dislocating his shoulder, an injury which could also hit his England youth hopes.
The 2nds made light work of Surbiton to secure a top-two spot and maintain the pace at the top of London League Premier Division. The first half ended goalless despite Canterbury pressure and Alex Holton missing an open goal but Sam Barratt put them ahead from a penalty corner.
Smith pounced to add the second after a Barratt strike was saved by the keeper and a fine Harry Roberts deflection made it 3-0.
Barratt rolled a fourth from a short corner before completing his hat-trick after a move involving Laslett, Roberts and Guy Buckingham.
The Pilgrims won 3-0 at home to New Beccehamian in South League Kent/ Sussex Regional 2, although Shane Godwin, Matt Lea and Hugo CreanyBirch goals were in vain as the 3rds’ run of defeats continued with a 4-3 loss at Old Bordenians 2nds in Kent Division 1.
The 4ths had a 3-1 win at Burnt Ash 2nds in the same division, while the Millers were beaten 6-0 at promotionfavourites Sevenoaks 3rds to lose ground in Kent Division 2.
The 5ths won 5-0 at Gore Court 4ths in Kent Open Premier B and the Griffins triumphed 3-1 at basementboys Bromley & Beckenham 6ths in Premier C.
Nick Bennett turned in a shot from Matt Carmel to break the deadlock and Tony Panayides drilled home from a penalty corner to make it 2-0 at half-time. Carmel got a deserved third after the break although Brombecks netted a late consolation.
The Squires lost 3-0 to Folkestone 5ths in Kent Open Division 1. The Friars drew 1-1 at Holcombe 6ths in Division 3 with Hugo Creaney-birch scoring three minutes from time but the hosts then hitting a late equaliser.
‘It’s proof to the young players of how much we have improved’