04/10/2026
And It Was Third Time Not Lucky As Well.....
A difficult game to sum up but it was far from third time lucky for City as they returned to the Playstool for the third time inside a month to take on Borden. With the hosts having already enjoyed two big wins in the previous two encounters, portents were soon not looking very good as they quickly established a three-nil lead in this one.
City rallied though and in the second quarter they got a goal back and had a chance or two to maybe score another but they were still two behind at the break. Even with that deficit however, they never looked fully out of the game especially with Borden missing opportunities to pull further ahead, but when the home side did finally score what was a contentious fourth, with just around ten minutes left it was really game up for City at that point and they were then left to lick their Playstool wounds once again!
Borden took the lead after just four minutes, but by then there had already been a clear chance at both ends. In just minute one, a missile like long throw from Reiss Crimmen was glanced goal-bound by Fred Carroll only for City keeper Austin Tearle to react brilliantly, tipping the ball over the bar to safety.
City responded when George Acland pounced on a loose pass out of the Borden defence before sending Josh Deane down the right wing whose cross found Mark Newman in the box, but his effort flew just wide of the opposite angle.
When that early opening goal did come it was fairly simply created but neatly finished. A ball through City’s defence into space saw Kai Parkinson run through and chip the retreating Tearle from outside the box sending the ball falling cleanly into the empty net behind him for 0-1.
City tried to respond as Newman struck a hefty effort just over the bar, but at the other end, Parkinson scooped a good chance also over from well inside the City box. Borden then increased their lead on eleven minutes when the ball was again played quickly through the City defensive line into space and found Peter Payne running through on the overlap and he reeled it in before firing past the exposed Tearle for 0-2.
The game was already quite open with space aplenty as the next strike on goal came from City as Newman tried to slice one in from a very wide and narrow right-handed position – it looked to have a high tariff of difficulty, but he still came close as it spiralled across the face of the Borden goal and just wide of the far post.
City were then indebted to Tearle for an excellent point-blank block to deny Ross Pagett who had battled his way through before Joe Morgan saw his effort moments later, comfortably fly past the City upright from wide left.
On twenty-one minutes, Borden went three up when they broke through in the inside-right channel only for Morgan’s effort firstly to be well blocked by Tearle but with the rebound then quickly slotted home by Parkinson – following in and on the alert for 0-3.
At that stage it was starting to look rather ominous for City and with Teddy Weight firing a dipping shot just over the home bar, Borden should then have scored a fourth when Parkinson found himself clean through but with only Tearle to beat, only he will know how he managed to miss the target and send his effort wide!
City made a couple of changes and on thirty-nine minutes, grabbed a goal back. Borden seemed to have control of the ball but Prince Adu-Boamah pressed and harried centre-half Tom Bullock who was in possession before eventually forcing the defender and his keeper - who had tried to assist, into losing the ball between them with Adu-Boamah’s dogged persistence allowing him to be on the spot to easily tuck home the loose ball for 1-3.
Just three minutes later, City had a good chance to make it two when Weight made a good run and cross that resulted in a corner - which was then played into him at the near post but he headed narrowly past the angle.
Bailey Catherick struck a rising ball from distance over the City bar as Borden tried to regain the initiative, but it was City suddenly looking the liveliest and they should have pulled another goal back when debutant Seb Williams was clean through on the right but his shot lacked any real authority and it allowed Borden keeper Regan King the time to go down smartly to his left and push the ball away to safety – a good save but he probably shouldn’t have been able to make it!
With the game now into first-half stoppage time, City broke quickly from a defended Borden corner with Adu-Boamah leading the charge before he was brought crashing down thirty yards from goal by Bullock – last man yelled City – just a yellow card and a free-kick was the referee's adamant response! Weight struck it well but again it dipped too late and arced just over the bar.
The half then ended with the home side back on the attack though as Pagett saw an initial effort well saved by Tearle, before seeing his follow up blocked with Payne firing the second rebound wide when well placed.
So City two down at the break then, but they had ended the half far stronger than they began it and if they could just get the next goal, they were very much still in the contest!
The second-half quickly continued in a similar vein with firstly, an exchange of unsuccessful corners before Pagett then saw a thumping shot well blocked by a City defender. The visitors were then desperately unlucky not to get that vital next goal when firstly, Weight weaved and danced his way past three opponents before hammering his shot against the frame of the goal and then the rebound eventually coming through to Williams who cleverly turned in the box before sending a low shot arrowing towards the inside of the upright - only to see King at full stretch dive down and push the ball out and around the post to safety.
It was then Borden’s turn to try and prosper but they also saw two good opportunities go begging. Firstly, after yet another Crimmen long throw, the ball bounced through to Jack Sayer, but from only around eight yards out - he somehow could only lift the ball up and over the City bar. The next came via the boot of Alfie Welling who, after a high cross had been well flicked on by Josh Arnold, could only shoot high over the bar when very well placed.
The City goal was coming under immense pressure as Tearle took a couple of high catches and pawed away a corner under pressure before then making a decent stop to deny Arnold’s almost well planted header, diving down smartly to his right to make the save.
Two more corners and a free-kick kept up the home momentum and Tearle twice denied Pagett before bravely grabbing the ball away from a bundle of legs and flying feet while still on the ground. City fought back well though but couldn’t make any use of a series of dead ball moves before from open play, Adu-Boamah’s great work out on the left ended with him firing in a low shot that was well snaffled by King.
On seventy-nine minutes, Borden again made use of the Crimmen missile but it didn’t come without some contention. The ball was hurled into the near post and amidst a throng of players, Tearle rose to catch it, was buffeted and after a mini scramble and tussle, the ball ended up being bundled home from very close range with Welling ultimately given the credit. A goal or a foul, either way there were so many bodies in the way it was really difficult to see and it probably involved a huge slice of guesswork for whichever decision was given!
To City’s credit, they kept battling away but by then the task had become insurmountable and although King made a good low save to deny Newman after some strong hold-up play by Acland, all City’s remaining efforts were really having to focus on not allowing Borden to score again as the game went into several minutes of stoppage time.
Parkinson was twice denied a hat-trick - firstly by Jacob Couzens clearing his close in shot away from goal from just a yard or so off his own goal-line and then by the Tearle fingertips and the crossbar as his thumper from twenty yards looked destined for the net. Finally in the last play of the game, Welling saw his effort well blocked by City substitute Stanley Matthews, before being denied again by a great blocking save by Tearle, before Arnold following in - crashed his shot against the City bar just seconds before the final whistle blew.
So that’s played three, lost three in a month at the Playstool and conceding fourteen, so as charming a venue as it is, I don’t think City will be too desperate to get back there anytime soon!
Final score: Borden Village 4 Canterbury City 1
