Cray Wanderers vs AFC Wimbledon – London Senior Cup 2nd Round – Tuesday 7th October – Match Report
Cray Wanderers 4
Marsh 37, Robinson 44, Taylor 86,
Bobomurodov 90+1
AFC Wimbledon Academy 5
Nkeng 3, 31, Carvalho-Norris 45+1,
Ashamu 52, Campbell 58
Photos: Steve Cullum
Cray Wanderers were knocked out of the London Senior Cup but only after a nine goal thriller at Flamingo Park against a talented AFC Wimbledon Academy side.
With a team with eleven U23s/U18s in the match day squad the Wands twice showed great powers of recovery coming from two goals down to briefly level before half time and then almost turned around a three goal deficit at the end with a thrilling fightback but just ran out of time.
With so many talented young players on show this was always going to be a fast paced, competitive tie and so it proved as both teams began on the front foot and became an old school cup tie with plenty of goals and uncertainty at the final outcome.
Cray began well and Mannie Mensah set up Sam Robinson for a shot inside the area that was blocked but it was the Dons who would make the early breakthrough.
In the 3rd minute AFC Wimbledon took the lead when Junior Nkeng showed great skill and poise to move inside from the left and from outside the box placed a fine shot wide of George Clark into the net.
Cray looked to get back into it and Oliver Chiriseri saw a shot charged down but still Wimbledon looked threatening and Nkeng again took aim from distance but went just over the crossbar.
The match went through a little bit of a scrappy phase halfway through the half and there were three bookings for Prosper Keto and Nods Bobomurodov for Cray and Leo Young for Wimbledon but it was never an overly physical match.
In the 31st minute Wimbledon went two nil up when from a free kick perhaps slightly to the left of the area Nkeng curled the ball round the wall but went through Clark’s legs and into the net.
Cray looked to get back into it and from a free kick Corey Holden ball into the area was punched away by Eterne Djedje.
In the 37th minute Cay pulled a goal back when after a brief spell of pressure the ball fell to Ellis Marsh who has been in goalscoring form for the U23s in his first season for the Wands drilled a confident finish down the right of the area into the bottom left corner.
Wimbledon almost restored the two goal advantage straight away but down the left Joe Kirby flashed a ball across goal and no-one could get a touch to turn the ball in.
There was still time for two goals before half time. Cray got back on level terms in the 44th minute when Prosper Keto down the right making his first appearance since the Lewes game in September following injury fired in a cross shot that was hard to defend against and Sam Robinson who scored three goals in the FA Youth Cup for the Wands this season got the final touch to make it 2-2.
However, AFC Wimbledon a minute into stoppage time went back in front when a ball switched from the left towards the right fell to Tom Carvalho-Norris who fired home a skimming shot from twenty yards giving Clark no chance.
HT: 2-3
The second half began certainly for the first quarter of an hour with Wimbledon in full control and playing some slick, cohesive passing and began to take the game by the scruff of the neck.
After Bobomurodov saw a shot blocked for Cray, the ball went to the other end and Robin Ashamu set up Kirby inside the area for a shot that was well blocked by the legs of Clark.
In the 52nd minute though Wimbledon added a fourth with a well worked goal as Finlay Smith found Dwayne Campbell down the right and his cross was turned into the net by Ashamu from close range.
Six minutes later it looked like game over with a fifth goal for the visitors when after a shout for a penalty was waived away the ball came out to Campbell who fired home a sweet strike from the edge of the D into the top right corner of the net.
A plus for the Wands was appearances off the bench for more U23s players, Archie Morley, Sacha Rouviere, Benedict Raper and Pherral Guei and would have enjoyed the experience of a first team match.
The game just looked to be drifting towards an inevitable conclusion with the Dons threatening a sixth with Preston Kedwell’s shot saved by Clark.
The Wands though suddenly found a second wind going into the last ten minutes and almost pulled a goal back when skipper Quade Taylor playing as a makeshift striker was found by Raper but just pulled is shot wide of the right post.
Then, Bobomurodov down the right put over a cross to the far post for Raper but his near post effort got a touch off Djedje for a corner. From the corner Guei set up Raper for a shot charged down.
Cray though did pull a goal back on 86 minute created by Bobomurodov who set up Taylor for a low shot from just outside the area to set up a frantic finish.
The Wands weren’t finished there as a minute into added time it was suddenly 5-4 when Bobomurodov with a class piece of finishing from twenty yards saw his shot hit the top left corner and there was still time left.
A minute later it was almost 5-5 when hesitation at the back between defenders and Djedje led to the ball falling to Raper who looked destined to score but took a deflection off a Dons defender and agonisingly for Cray went past the left post for a corner.
Despite a sterling effort Cray just ran out of time and couldn’t find a goal to take the tie to penalties but there were many positives to take from the game and that the young players can thrive alongside experienced players and made it in the end a tie to remember for the ages.
This though would be the final cup tie of the season for the Wands and now can concentrate on maintaining a positive league season with the side in 4th place starting with a trip to Dulwich Hamlet on Saturday, 11th October.
Cray Wanderers: George Clark, Prosper Keto (Archie Morley, 52), Quade Taylor, Marc-Anthony Okoye, Andrew Dzontoh, Oliver Chiriseri, Mannie Mensah, Corey Holden (Sacha Rouviere, 66), Ellis Marsh (Pherrel Guei, 74), Nods Bobomurodov, Sam Robinson (Benedict Raper, 52): Sub: Uziel Bateki
Booked: Keto 27, Bobomurodov 31
AFC Wimbledon: Eterne Djedje, Matija Jovanovic, Tom Carvalho-Norris, Oro Soukou, Finlay Smith, Dwayne Campbell, Joe Kirby, Robin Ashamu, Preston Kedwell, Leo Young, Junior Nkeng: Subs: Joshua Brian, Aston Gayle, Kiayon Moore, Finlay Woods
Booked: Young 34
Referee: Bruno Marques
Assistants: Bedri Karayaka, Alex King
Att: 444
