City 2 - 3 Bowers & Pitsea

Cambridge City and Bowers & Pitsea played each other for the third time this season. City were on the winning side in the FA Trophy match in September while Bowers & Pitsea were the victors in the league meeting a month later.

The Lilywhites were coming into the match on a 4-game win-less run, even though their last match was a creditable draw away to table-toppers Felixstowe & Walton United.

Bowers & Pitsea were looking to stretch their unbeaten run to 8 matches, the visitors had just come off the back of a 2-0 win against fellow play-off candidates Wroxham.

Despite the fact that Bowers & Pitsea were hunting for a play-off place, City largely dominated the opening stages. Just 4 minutes in and Aaron Williams-Bushell sent in a cross that Alex Golder had to turn away for the corner. Joseph Whitney doing just enough between the posts to catch the cross.

After a period of play which saw both the visitors fail to get out of their own half and City fail to make many clear cut chances, there came a little bit of controversy. City were awarded a corner kick in the 14^th minute and Jack Thompson followed up his Olympic goal from last week by curling the ball directly into the back of the net. However, referee Laura Van Lier spotted an infringement in the penalty area, possibly a push, and disallowed the goal.

5 minutes later and the first goal came. A long ball found Kai Redgrave, which forced Alfie Mason to slide in to concede the corner. The whipped cross was cleared at first, but the ball fell to Michael Bareck at the edge of the box and the ex-Lilywhite lobbed his former teammate James Philp to give the visitors the lead against the run of play.

City looked to respond instantly and were nearly rewarded when Thompson got in a cross which eventually came out to Codey Cosgrave, with Whitney denying the City midfielder.

City continued to look for an equaliser, with Usman Adeniji sending in a cross which saw Williams-Bushell fire a shot that took a deflection for a corner. The cross was sent in and George Smith appeared to go down for a penalty shout, which Laura van Lier waved away, then Jayden Randell recycled the play with a cross which Smith headed just wide.

With 34 minutes gone, Mason played in Smith outside the penalty area, the ball was then sent to Alex Warman to take a first time strike which only just cleared the crossbar.

After 40 minutes, Freddie Hockey started to move his team forward in the middle of the park, playing in Smith. The City no.9 received the ball back from Williams-Bushell and aimed for goal but Whitney kept him out to preserve the visitors' lead.

City were controlling possession again with the first half coming to an end, but a break from Bareck in the centre midfield allowed Ross Wall to take a shot, followed by Luca Albon, with both players' efforts being denying by City's backline.

But, on the stroke of half-time, Bowers & Pitsea doubled their lead. Alex Golder played a slick pass down the line for Bareck to latch onto. His cross went all the way to the back post which allowed Ross Wall to smash home his team's second of the game, and the team's 63^rd goal this season from 28 and a half matches.

Just before half-time, a Mason cross from a throw saw Hockey get in front of his marker but poke just wide in an attempt to reduce the deficit.

With City 2-0 down at the start of the 2^nd half, the Lillywhites had the first chance when Warman and Hockey worked together to find Smith, then Hockey received the ball back from Smith but then slotted the ball just wide of the goal.

After 59 minutes, and sustained pressure from City, Thompson won the ball from the sleeping Bowers backline and Albon appeared to foul Thompson inside the area but the referee said no penalty.

2 minutes later and City were reduced to 10-men. Jonathan Evans had bombed forwards and passed back but his teammate had been fouled by Randell with the defender receiving his marching orders for a second yellow after getting his first yellow by fouling Wall before half-time. This was City's first red card since Kojo Apenteng's dismissal at the start of the season in the Extra Preliminary round FA Cup tie victory away to Kirkley & Pakefield.

4 minutes later and the game was out of reach. Evans found himself in the penalty area and Bareck gained the ball and slotted home to score his 2^nd of the match and give his side an unassailable 3-0 lead.

City looked down but not out as they continued to search for a way back. Substitute Quevin Castro played in Thompson on the edge of the area, Williams-Bushell's cross was deflected wide by Joseph Burton for a City corner. Whitney was on hand to rescue his team by saving on the line from the resulting corner.

Within the next few minutes City continued to threaten but without creating too many clear cut chances. Callum Taylor gave Mason an opportunity to cross but the ball evaded everyone and flew past the far post. Cosgrave then won a corner which was sent in to the box. A back-heel from Castro was followed up by a goal-mouth scramble that the visitors managed to hack away.

Then a City free-kick saw Cosgrave appear to be tripped in the penalty area but, once again, no foul was given.

With 11 minutes to go, City finally found the net legally. A free-kick was crossed in, which allowed the Bowers & Pitsea defenders to clear away. The ball then came out to Mason, who's deflected shot crept in to reduce the score to 3-1.

The next few minutes saw City attack and attack. Castro got in behind Redgrave to send Williams-Bushell in for a shot, but Whitney was equal to the effort from range. Then a corner shortly afterwards was headed inches wide by Taylor.

10 minutes after scoring their first goal, City got their second. Thompson received the ball back from Shaun Mavididi, and the cross was bundled into the back of the net by the returning Samrai Gebrai.

City then pushed for the equaliser that never came and Bowers & Pitsea walked away with all 3 points, all while extending their unbeaten run to 8 matches.

For City, a 13-match unbeaten run has now turned into a 5 match win-less streak; City not having won any matches in 2026. The Lilywhites return to league action away to Gorleston next weekend.