City's Wayne Fittall who struck twice against the students on Saturday

Canterbury City celebrated completing an unbeaten Vandanel Kent County League Division 1 (East) season at Bridge on Saturday with a surprisingly comfortable 5-1 victory over the University who only nine days earlier had pushed them to the limit in the Les Leckie Cup.

Relaxing in the knowledge that they had already won promotion as champions, they were able to play probably their most attractive and effective sustained football of the whole season against a University side that also like to play on the ground but had few opportunities to show it.

City were four goals up by half-time and completely in control. Their football was based on possession and pace and drew rounds of applause from a crowd of almost 150. This being the last game the first team will play at Bridge, there was soon a leaving party atmosphere.

Royston Gough, top scorer in all divisions of the County League, was again in dazzling form, heading close in the first minute and alertly searching for goals throughout. After only four minutes Scott Lawford sent the ball into the penalty area and Dave Read began City’s goalscoring spree with a powerful header. Three minutes later Read’s ball into the area was headed in by Gough.

Lawford set up any number of City attacks. His centre was headed in at a tight angle by Read and just before half-time Calum McGeehan lifted the ball high into the penalty area where Wayne Fittall headed over the reach of the keeper.

The second half had only just begun when Fittall added another goal, this time typically outrunning and outwitting the defence before sliding the ball home. The University persevered and occasionally played some enterprising football, but the goal that Newman gave them with a fine shot over Danny Wrench’s reach was not even consolation for a performance that was a shadow of the one in the cup final.

City now look forward to playing in next season’s Kent County League Premier Division, with home games being held at Hersden because Bridge does to comply with the higher division’s requirements.