U23’S MATCH REPORT
By Charlie Bradford
Cray Wanderers U23s 3
(Bateki 5, Holden 11, Marsh 32)
Maidstone United U23s 3
(Legisi 56, Botuli 80 (pen), Olagembi 90+14 (scorer unconfirmed))
Cray Wanderers U23s won 4-2 on penalties
GoCardless Kent Intermediate Cup Second Round
Friday 24th October 2025, 7:45 PM @ Flamingo Park Sports Ground
Top of the Southern Counties East Football League Development League West by six points after just seven games, Cray Wanderers came into tonight’s cup tie full of confidence against a Maidstone United side who have also enjoyed a good start to their league campaign to see themselves second in the Southern Counties East Football League Development League East.
It all promised for a good game under the Flamingo Park lights and so it proved with Cray taking a fifth minute lead when Uziel Bateki capitalised on a loose Maidstone touch at the back to slot into the bottom right one on one.
Maidstone then had a glorious chance to equalise a minute later when a cross from the left by Rylee Ware was somehow headed past the left post by Darlington Aguagwa.
It was a miss that proved even more costly when Cray made it 2-0 in the 12th minute when Corey Holden beautifully found the top right corner from the edge of the box.
Cray then made it 3-0 in the 32nd minute when a good run down the right by Billy Wall saw him deliver a ball in which Maidstone failed to deal with and Ellis Marsh capitalised to crash a shot off the underside of the bar and in.
To round out the first half, both sides had a chance a piece – Cray’s Sacha Rouviere having a deflected free kick saved around the left post before Maidstone’s Mark Boruk had an effort to the bottom left saved in two hands by Cray goalkeeper Kevin Kardel.
HT: 3-0.
Talk about a game of two halves – Maidstone completely switched things around in the second half and got their first goal back in the 56th minute when a dipping volley from the edge of the box by Arlito Legisi flew into the top right corner.
Maidstone then had another great chance to score when Delvane Kattah was played through only for Kevin Kardel to come up with a brilliant finger tip save over his crossbar.
The resultant corner however saw Cray give a penalty away for handball. Rodney Butuli stepped up and slotted the penalty away into the bottom right corner to set up a grandstand last ten minutes.
And what a ten minutes it was with Cray’s Sacha Rouviere and Maidstone’s Ryan Lovejoy sent off in an altercation to kick things off…
Then a second yellow card was mistakenly shown to Cray’s Pherral Guehi when it was actually his first of the game with the referee correcting himself.
A red card was then shown to a member of the Maidstone bench, and then, with the last kick of the game in the 104th minute, a shot by (unconfirmed) Timi Olagbemi crashed off the bar and in to send the game to penalties…!
FT: 3-3.
Penalties:
Cray Wanderers U23s (4)
❌ ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Maidstone United U23s (2)
❌ ❌ ✅ ✅
Both sides saw their first kicks saved before Maidstone’s second hit the bar, which all meant Corey Holden had the chance to win the game and he duly stuck his penalty away.
Cray then through to the next round in a crazy manner!
MOTM: Uzeil Bateki (Cray Wanderers U23s) in a tidy performance.
