Draw does little to improve prospects Canterbury City

Canterbury’s bid to make progress in the Southern Counties East League Premier Division stalled with Saturday’s’ 1-1 home draw against Bearsted.

The visitors went ahead inside four minutes before City, fresh from their FA Vase quarterfinal victory the previous week, levelled in the final quarter through Adam Woollcott.

Both sides could have snatched victory in a frantic finish but City boss Ben Smith felt it was definitely two points dropped.

Victory would have taken City above their opponents but they remain 12th.

Smith said: “To be honest it was a bit ‘After the Lord Mayor’s Show’, we had a big crowd for the Vase game and then we turn up on Saturday in front of 80-odd.

“It led to a dull, flat first half but in the second half we battered them and we were left thinking ‘How on earth did we not win that?’.

“We’ve had too many games where we’ve thrown away wins and they’ve been crucial.

“I can count on two hands the number of games that have gone begging and that’s why we’re where we are.”

Reece Collins had already shot wide for Bearsted before a mix-up at the back from City gifted the visitors the lead.

An innocuous ball forward should have been cleared by City, but nobody took charge and it ran through before rebounding off the post and leaving David Baranowski with the relatively easy task of poking home from close range.

City responded well, with Jordan Casey firing narrowly wide and Adam Woollcott producing a terrific strike which crashed down off the crossbar and came back down before bouncing up nicely for keeper Scott Andrews to grab.

Bearsted threatened through Collins, whose shot rolled just wide of the far post, and with City looking a little flat the visitors reached the break still in front.

A change at half-time saw Danny Lawrence replace Luke Wheatley as City went to three at the back.

They immediately looked better and started to create openings, with Lawrence seeing his shot charged down while Woollcott sent a free-kick across the face of goal with no one able to get a touch.

An attempted back- heel towards goal by Dean Grant was blocked and Casey sent a 30-yard pile driver wide before going close with a glancing header.

The deserved equaliser arrived on 73 minutes after Josh Froggatt beat several challenges down the left before his low cross picked out Grant.

His turn and shot was blocked, but as the ball ricocheted off a defender Woollcott cracked home a powerful drive from the edge of the box.

As both sides sought a winner Grant, twice, and Kyron Lightfoot both threatened with shots while James Turner forced a save from Andrews who then dropped on the ball after Turner and Grant had both had shots from the corner that followed.

For Bears, Collins was denied at point-blank range by Jack Delo who also saved from substitute Lucian Scarlat and, right at the death, from Cameron Croucher whose shot bounced up wickedly. Canterbury City: Delo, Michael Turner, Cooper, Starkey, Wheatley (Danny Lawrence), Lee, Froggatt (Lightfoot),woollcott,casey (James Turner), Grant, Tenyue. Substitutes: Rob Lawrence, Saunders.