15/09/2026
Canterbury City 2 Kings Hill Reserves 4
A Hill Too Steep after First-Half Deficit...
A fourth consecutive defeat for City (allowing the Borden result) and not for the first time this season, a far better second-half performance failed to undo the problems created in the first. They went into the break one-three behind – a two-goal gap that probably should have been more with the only really positive high spot being a worldy of a goal from midfielder Ade Kunlee.
KHR’s fourth goal then came against the run of play, but City scored a second and had several chances to have possibly battled out a draw but found visiting keeper Louis Burton in fine form.
Before we get into the game though, a word of thanks to the referee and the players and management of KHR for joining the City players and supporters in a minute's silence in memory of the very sad passing of one of our players' parents. The entire club sends its love and strength at this difficult time to the family.
City got off to a slow start, or to be more accurate, KHR got off to a much better one and the writing was soon on the wall as they enjoyed the vast majority of the early attacking play and should have already been ahead before the first goal went in. Two early corners were well cleared by City while Max Stanton-Gleaves falling effort was also comfortably taken by City keeper Austin Tearle. Sam Lovegrove then found himself clean through on City’s goal, but with defenders in pursuit and Tearle narrowing the angle, he rolled his effort past the post when very well placed. Their next chance was an even bigger miss when Kian Williams - with the goal at his mercy, inexplicably struck the outside of the post from around twelve yards out!
With thirteen minutes on the watch the near inevitable happened when KHR cut in from the right forcing Tearle to beat away a shot but Stanton-Gleaves was immediately on hand to guide the loose ball home from close range for 0-1.
City’s David Olaiya saw a shot easily blocked as the hosts tried to get some forward momentum, but that was only really going in one direction and that was against them. Tearle had to charge out to clear a dangerous ball through that had bypassed the City defence and was then forced to pull off a smart stop to deny Stanton-Gleaves as yet again the defence was breached, while a fierce follow up shot - fortunately for City, was hammered straight back into him by his own player!
On twenty-three minutes, City fell further behind when Lovegrove had far too much time and space to wander unhindered forwards towards the City goal before laying off an easy ball to Stanton-Gleaves who slotted the ball home past the advancing Tearle for 0-2 and frankly a pretty poor goal to concede all round!
KHR were constantly getting the ball either through or over the City defence which allowed forwards to run into the space and find themselves right in on goal and the next was Williams, clean through yet again he should have put his side three up but Tearle denied him with a great save stretching out a boot at close range to block away the striker’s effort.
Despite the tremendous pressure City had been under, they actually almost quickly dragged themselves back into the contest as Olaiya’s excellent turn and shot from the corner of the KHR box was brilliantly tipped aside by the diving Burton at the expense of a corner. When that appeared to have been cleared, a wonderful strike from Kunlee then halved the deficit. The ball came towards him and he majestically flicked the ball up past his marker before seemingly turning him inside out and thumping a brilliant volley that flew goalward and arced over the despairing Burton and dipped in just under the bar for 1-2, an absolutely fabulous goal and definitely a contender for September’s goal of the month!
Any hope that City were going to go on and hopefully draw level was quickly expelled though when just four minutes later they went 1-3 behind due mainly to a huge slice of KHR luck. A corner had been initially cleared by City but the visitors managed to recycle the ball and out of a throng of players close in by the far post, a shot took a big deflection before looping up and giving Tearle no chance before it landed back down in City’s net to open the KHR lead back up to two.
The visitors continued to press and appeared to have players piling forward on the chase at will and Tearle had to be on the alert twice more, charging out to clear balls that had penetrated City’s defensive line and were dropping just in front of on-running attackers.
The half-time whistle came with another difficult afternoon starting to brew for City - two goals down, at least two open goals missed by KHR and young City keeper Tearle, in only his second game, doing his utmost to keep his team somewhere in the contest!
The second-half was a different proposition and the City puzzle must be why they can’t start the game with the same determination and purpose as they seem to play after the break! Having said that KHR’s Luke Bennett had the first strike on goal of the half, spiralling an effort past the angle after Tearle had done well to paw away a dangerous corner, before at the other end, George Acland saw his long range effort drift wide.
City then went close when Jamie White battled down the left and tried to whip in a sneaky shot past the defender at the keeper’s near post, but Burton got down really well at full stretch to push the ball low around the foot of the post. The ensuing corner was headed out for another from which Aaron James went close when his strong downward header was saved by Burton who had to go quickly down to his immediate left before managing to beat the ball away to safety from just inches off the floor – another smart stop.
Despite City looking to be in the ascendancy, KHR then missed a sitter when Leo Rountree and Stanton-Gleaves strolled through and between them tried to practically walk the ball into the net. With Tearle quickly scurrying between the two while they made their minds up who was going to score, he eventually stuck a strong hand out to claw away a less than convincing effort from the latter – a situation that he had no right to make a save in and one from which, KHR had no right really not to score!
Tearle, following up his unofficial man-of-the match performance from last week (despite City conceding six) was having another match to remember as he next rose to paw away - under immense pressure, Drew Kennedy’s high ball in.
City then went close again to reducing the deficit when some cleaver play and persistence from Yevhenii Marchenko found Olaiya and his cross was almost bundled home by Mark Newman but he was thwarted at point blank range by Burton’s smothering blocking save.
Burton was key again just minutes later when James must have thought he’d scored with a cracking header from a Jacob Couzens cross but Burton had other ideas with an instant and superb tip over the bar!
Just when City were probably having their best spell of the game, disaster struck at the other end as KHR made it 1-4. A short clearance from the box saw City defender Harley White under immediate pressure from Roantree and as the pair clashed and both went over, the loose ball ran to Lovegrove who had the fairly simple task of slotting home for KHR’s fourth.
That goal was a bit of a sickener and came against the run of play and left City with a mountain to climb with just fourteen minutes to go. They gave it a go, but they had left themselves with just too much to do. A Joshua James-Smith scooped effort had Burton back-pedalling but still comfortable with the save, an effort from Marchenko flew wide of the near post, while Newman’s low shot from the left scooted straight through to Burton.
On eighty-two minutes, City scored their second to raise a little bit of hope when Drake Muhumuza’s ball over to Marchenko saw him seem to run round himself before firing a very tidy effort home from wide on the right and into the opposite corner of the net for 2-4.
Stanton-Gleaves then fired well over for KHR before White did the same for City. On eighty-eight minutes City could still have forced a very nervous added time for the visitors when White’s well-worked cross found Acland right in front of goal but he sent his free header wide – you could see and feel the self-disappointment from the sidelines as the player held his head in his hands in total disbelief!
City didn’t give up though as White’s quick turn and shot saw another smart save from Burton - going down low to turn the ball past the post, while from the resulting corner, the stretching James headed narrowly over the bar. At the other end, Wilkins was then denied again by the impressive Tearle, as he broke into the box and tried to take the ball around the keeper the youngster again excelled with a splendid one-on-one blocking save to deny him.
As time was running out, Newman saw a looping header grabbed by Burton before Stanton-Gleaves should have scored another for KHR but thankfully, he lifted the ball up and over the City bar from a great position.
The home Man-of-the-Match award went to City’s keeper Austin Tearle for a string of very good and sometimes even better saves against a very potent visiting attack, but despite his best efforts, it was another defeat for City, who had their chances but they simply must find a way to play well for ninety minutes instead of just forty-five!
Final score: Canterbury City 2 Kings Hill Reserves 4
