Chatham Town vs Cray Wanderers
Isthmian Premier – Saturday 18th October – Match Report
Chatham Town 3
Cooper 16, Fadahunsi 38, Sene-Richardson 88
Cray Wanderers 3
Isiaka 8, Hernandez 46, Nzala 90+1
Cray Wanderers showed their great powers of recovery once again as a 91st minute Ashley Nzala goal earned the Wands a point at Chatham Town in a game between two sides in the top 5 and shared six goals in a game that lived up to the pre-match billing.
Cray got off to a great start at the Bauvill Stadium taking the lead in the eighth minute when Josh Williams’ cross was nodded home impressively by Kareem Isiaka for his first goal for the Wands.
Chatham though fought back well and led at the break courtesy of a Simon Cooper volley and a Tope Fadahunsi header.
The Wands levelled straight after half time when Alex Hernandez turned the ball in from close range from Lateef Adaja’s cross. The game looked like just petering out for a 2-2 draw when Sam Sene-Richardson put Chatham back in front in the 88th minute. However, Cray fought back again and levelled through Nzala’s close range finish to earn a point that keeps the Wands in 4th place in the table.
On a grey but mild afternoon in front of a four figure crowd both teams came into the game in good form. Chatham, unbeaten in ten league and cup games and through to the 1st Round of the FA Cup. Cray meanwhile had gone six unbeaten in the league since losing to Brentwood on August Bank Holiday Monday and unbeaten away from home.
For the Wands there were three changes from the side which drew at Dulwich Hamlet last Saturday with Quade Taylor, Josh Williams and Kareem Isiaka coming in for Tom Bonner who was suspended, Chris Dickson and Ashley Nzala. On the bench was a new signing previously with Chatham Town, midfielder Ralfi Hand.
Chatham who won at Cray Valley on Tuesday night made a handful of changes with Alex Giles, Kofi Anokye-Boadi, Kian Garlinge, Simon Cooper and Lewis Chambers all coming in for Ollie Evans, Jordy Robins, Sid Nelson, Adam Leathers and Stanley Oldfield.
The match started fairly cagey with Chatham looking to attack down the left and Quade Taylor did well to get a tackle in for a corner to deny Anokye-Boadi a chance of a cross. Then the ball came to Alex Giles whose shot was blocked.
Cray though took the lead with the first real opening when Harry Waldock found Josh Williams down the right who sent over a terrific cross into the area where Kareem Isiaka powered in an impressive header to score against his former club and his first for the Wands.
Chatham though fought back strongly and applied pressure without creating a chance until the 16th minute when they levelled with a high quality goal when Kian Moynes hoisted a great ball from the left towards the far post where Simon Cooper met the ball with a sharp volley.
The game then got bogged down for a few minutes but was a hugely enjoyable and intriguing match to watch.
In the 25th minute Chatham threatened from a free kick out on the right and Sam Sene-Richardson’s ball into the box was met by the head of Moynes but into the arms of Harry Seaden.
The Wands keeper then was called upon three minutes later when Kasim Aidoo found Richardson who down the left fired in a shot at the near post which Seaden had to push out and the ball was cleared. Meanwhile for Cray, Prosper Keto down the right put over a good cross across the box but with no-one on the end of the cross.
In the 38th minute, Chatham Town went in front when from a free kick out on the right again Richardson who had a very good game for the hosts played a great ball into the six yard box for Tope Fadahunsi to steer a header into the net.
Before the break Cray looked to get back into it and Keto down the right laid the ball across but Henry Molyneux got down to claim the ball.
HT: 2-1
The Wands despite being behind at half time didn’t look out of the game and a minute after the break were back on level terms. Down the left, Adrian Gyamera, again impressive for the Wands found Lateef Adaja who hooked in a cross into the box and in predatory fashion Alex Hernandez was on hand to turn the ball into the net for his sixth of the season.
From here the game saw few chances as both teams were defending well but it looked like a match that was just waiting for a sting it its tail.
For Cray, a free kick from Frankie Raymond into the area for Hernandez was claimed by Molyneux under pressure from Kareem Isiaka. For Chatham Town, ex-Wand Kasim Aidoo shot wide and then from a free kick flicked on by Jordy Robins, Aidoo steered the ball towards goal but Seaden had to turn the ball aside.
The match just looked like it might fade to a draw when with two minutes to go Chatham went back in front when down the left of the area Sene-Richardson was played through and applied a terrific finish wide of Seaden and into the bottom right corner.
The Wands though showed tremendous resilience to draw parity one again an minute into added time. Substitute, Ralfi Hand who had only been on for a minute was found with a ball over the top and broke into the area and laid the ball across for another substitute, Ashley Nzala to fire into the net for his second goal of the season to make it 3-3.
There was still time for Sene-Richardson to see a shot pushed out by Seaden deep into added time but in the end Cray held on for a point over the piece that was merited and incredibly made it five draws in a row away from home where last season the Wands never drew any away games.
The point keeps Chatham second on 23 points, six behind leaders Brentwood Town but with two games in hand. Cray meanwhile on 21 points are 4th level with Folkestone Invicta and are having to show a lot of character especially after a heavy run of away games. The Wands next face another side doing well in the FA Cup, St. Albans City on Tuesday night in the first of back to back home games in what is looking like a busy and exciting autumn for the club.
Chatham Town: Henry Molyneux, Kasim Aidoo (Ben Allen, 80), Reece Butler (Capt.), Kian Moynes (Dapo Olugbodi, 63), Sam Sene-Richardson, Kian Garlinge (Stanley Oldfield, 67), Simon Cooper, Lewis Chambers (Jordy Robins, 57), Tope Fadahunsi, Kofi Anokye-Boadi (Adam Leathers, 67), Alex Giles
Booked: Cooper 20, Chambers 53, Sene-Richardson 64
Cray Wanderers: Harry Seaden, Prosper Keto, Remi Sutton, Quade Taylor, Adrian Owiredu-Gyamera, Frankie Raymond (Capt.), Harry Waldock (Nods Bobomurodov, 90), Lateef Adaja (Ashley Nzala, 77), Josh Williams, Kareem Isiaka (Chris Dickson, 70), Alex Hernandez (Ralfi Hand, 90): Sub: Freddie Taylor
Booked: Taylor 20, Hernandez 27
Referee: Simon Finnigan
Assistants: Mark Roberts, Amine Khaldi
Att: 1508
