By David Haigh

Head coach Matt Corker admitted “we left points out there” and those missed opportunities came back to bite Canterbury after a try in the final minutes saw them let a first-half lead of 18 points slip to lose 21-18 at home to Old Albanian in National League 2 East.

The defeat, Canterbury’s fourth consecutive league reverse, was a sobering experience for a side that lost their way in a mixture of flawed decisions, basic errors and Albanian domination of the breakdown. The fall from grace frustrated a big crowd who watched the hosts control the first 40 minutes but never do quite enough with all their territory and possession.

The home side started brightly enough and only an unlucky bounce robbed Presley Farrance of a score as he chased Garry Jones’ chip kick. The scrum-half made amends for that in the ninth minute after Eoin O’Donoghue launched the initial break, the forwards piled in and Frank Reynolds converted.

Despite the loss of Jones with a hamstring injury, Canterbury were constantly dangerous in the wide channels where debutant Harry Sloan caused all kinds of problems. He was part of the move that sent Harvey Furneaux over for the second try and although Reynolds’ conversion attempt hit a post, he was to prove the only provider of more points before half-time with two penalty goals.

The visitors had hardly been a threat, but all that changed in the opening minute of the second half when a lineout move and a missed tackle saw flanker Archie Radovanovic cross and Patrick Bishop convert. From there Canterbury failed to exploit their strengths, were turned over in possession all too easily and slumped into mediocrity.

A punishing break by away scrum-half Bailey Thomas set up his side’s second try, scored by back-rower Ben Alexander and converted by Bishop, and a Canterbury struggling to get front-foot ball had to hang on.

As the clock ticked down they held up one attack over their own line but in the last play Thomas finished off a barrage of pick and gos as he stretched over. Bishop kicked his third conversion to remind Canterbury of how far they had fallen.

This weekend Canterbury, in fourth, travel to eighth-placed Bury St Edmunds.

Canterbury: Moss, Jones, Sloan, Waddington, Furneaux, Reynolds, Farrance, Frostick, O’Donoghue, Cooper, De Vries, Stephens, Thomas, Rogers, Oliver. Replacements: Macmillan, Kenny, McGovern, Williams, Morgan.