FOOTBALL Season over for injured Quinn Canterbury City

Canterbury City were unable to build on Adam Woollcott’s excellent early free- kick as they were held 1-1 at home by Tunbridge Wells on Saturday.

City had the best of the firsthalf after Woollcott’s fourth minute strike, but failed to add to their tally and Wells came out after the break with a lot more energy.

City finished the Southern Counties East League contest with 10 men when defender Liam Quinn was forced off with a head injury after they had already used their three substitutes.

Quinn has since been diagnosed with a bleed on the brain meaning his season is over.

City boss Ben Smith explained: “Liam had a lump the size of a golf ball come up on his head but typical of him he wanted to stay on.

“In the end we persuaded him that it was in his interests to go off because a player’s safety is always the main concern.”

Woollcott’s goal came from the game’s first chance as he beat Wells keeper Cameron Hall with a curling 22-yard free-kick. The keeper got both hands to the ball but couldn’t prevent it from tucking just inside the post and into the net for 1-0.

Ola Williams was inches away from connecting with a Wells corner as the visitors sought an immediate response, while the visitors were guilty on three successive occasions of not making anything from promising dead-ball opportunities.

A couple of long throws from City’s Ryan Cooper couldn’t prise a packed Wells box apart, but from one, Wells counterattacked but the ever efficient and reliable Quinn excelled in clearing the danger.

Wells had a great chance to level on 31 minutes when Jack Delo produced a great reaction save to beat away Jamie Humphris’ effort.

City’s Dean Grant volleyed over following a knock on from Bola Dawodu who was then lucky not to get a telling touch near the post as Wells scrambled it away for a City corner.

This was swung in by Woollcott but despite two City headers, the ball bounced up nicely right in front of Hall to gratefully gather.

Dawodu couldn’t quite turn a Woollcott free-kick goalbound, and shortly after the latter limped off to be replaced by Rob Lawrence.

City ended the half, including seven minutes of added time, strongly with a series of freekicks and long throws into the box defended or scrambled clear by Wells who began the second half with a lot more pace and energy.

Jake Beecroft saw an effort blocked by City but it wasn’t long before Wells’ pressure told and they equalised.

A free-kick on 61 minutes was positioned about 25 yards out and in the inside-right channel and was taken short to Beecroft who cracked in a low first-time shot that flew past Delo’s despairing dive

From then on it was end to end with both teams striving for a winner.

Lawrence saw his snap-shot blocked after a classy City build-up, while a left-sided Wells attack ended with a Mingles firsttime low strike well deflected away by Dawodu.

A spectacular flying volley from Thompson saw the ball whizz at high speed just past the City goal. Dawodu, leaning back, volleyed a Cooper ball in over the Wells bar.

With both sides pushing hard for a winner, a short worked throw for City saw Lawrence curl the ball in and Quinn, in attempting to flick it on, take a blow to the head and go down injured.

The referee stopped the game immediately and after several minutes of treatment, Quinn left the field leaving City to play with 10 as they had already used all their subs.

Their best chance to grab a winner came when Grant rolled the ball through to substitute Kyron Lightfoot on the overlap, but his attempted cross from a tight angle found the sidenetting.

Delo, Turner, Cooper, Lee, Quinn, Hadler, Saunders (Lightfoot), Woollcott (Rob Lawrence), Grant, Turner (Froggatt), Dawodu; Unused Subs: Sayer, Nurden n City bowed out in the quarterfinals of the Challenge Cup last Wednesday, losing 1-0 to Chatham. Paul Vines headed the winner during extra time.

City:

S’hurst Res... 12 2 2 8 25 50 8 Paddock W ... 13 0 0 13 7 98 -1 Results: Premier Division: Bexley 2 Crockenhill 3, Farnborough OBG 1 Otford Utd 0, Faversham Strike Force 4 Kings Hill 0, Hawkinge 5 Metrogas 3, Peckham Town 5 New Romney 1, Staplehurst 2 Bromleians 0, Tudor Sports 1 Fleetdown Utd 0. Division 1 Central & East: Cuxton 91 3 Burgess Hodgson 5, K Sports Res 2 Hollands & Blair Res 1, Lordswood Res 1 Ramsgate Res 4. Division 2 Central & East: Ashford 7 Margate Sports Res 0, Snodland Res 3 Rusthall Res 3, West Farleigh 6 Tonbridge Invicta 0. Division 3 Central & East: Larkfield 1 Rochester City Res 1, Paddock Wood 0 Deal Town Rangers 2, Tenterden 5 Canterbury City Univ 1. Bill Manklow Inter-regional Challenge Cup: Club Langley 2 Borden Village 1, Stansfeld 1 South East Ath 0.

Fixtures: Premier Division:

Crockenhill v Otford Utd, Fleetdown Utd v Metrogas, Peckham Town v Kings Hill, Staplehurst v Borden Village. Division 1 Central & East: Hollands & Blair Res v Wateringbury, Lydd Res v Guru Nanak, Ramsgate Res v Burgess Hodgson, Rochester City v K Sports Res. Division 2 Central & East: Bearsted Res v Margate Sports Res, Rusthall Res v Ashford. Division 3 Central & East: Paddock Wood v Canterbury City Univ, Rochester City Res v Univ of Kent, Tenterden v Deal Town Rangers. Bill Manklow Inter-regional Challenge Cup: Chipstead v Club Langley, Farnborough OBG v Margate Sports, Hawkinge v Stansfeld, New Romney v Tudor Sports. Eastern Section Les Leckie Cup: Faversham Res v Sturry.