Cray Wanderers vs Chichester City – Isthmian Premier – Saturday 8th November – Match Report
Cray Wanderers 0
Chichester City 0
Photos to follow
Two well drilled and impressive defences ensured a point apiece as Cray Wanderers and Chichester City fought out a goalless draw at a sunny Flamingo Park. After a cagey first half, the game opened up more in the second with Cray creating the better openings but in the end a draw was a fair outcome.
There weren’t too many chances in a dour first half but the second offered more hope of a goal especially for Cray with Josh Williams twice, Kareem Isiaka and near the end Remi Sutton going close and Misha Djemaili and Rob Hutchings almost grabbed a winner for City.
On a mild Autumnal afternoon before the game there was a period of silence for Remembrance Weekend with the players led onto the pitch by the Cray Wanderers U8s Piranhas and was impeccably observed.
For the Wands there were three changes to the side which drew at Cheshunt last Saturday with Quade Taylor, Josh Williams and Kareem Isiaka coming in for Tom Bonner, Ashley Nzala and Chris Dickson. There was the welcome sight on the bench of Frankie Morgan making his return for the first time since August. There was one change to the Chichester side which drew 0-0 with Dulwich Hamlet last Saturday with Joe Clarke coming in for Ryan Davidson.
The match began with a fair amount of sparring with City dominating the early possession with for Cray Kareem Isiaka latching onto Remi Sutton’s pass and breaking into the area and went down in the box but the ball went behind. Then Harry Waldock found Josh Williams down the right and his ball across was claimed by Kieran Magee.
In the 12th minute the Wands were unlucky not to score when after a patient passing move, Isiaka found Lateef Adaja down the left and his great ball across to the far post just couldn’t a touch from Alex Hernandez and fizzed across goal.
Chichester were very patient with their build up and looked to play out from the back and had their first real shooting chance in the 18th minute when Ethan Prichard fired well over from twenty five yards.
Then, four minutes later Lloyd Rowlatt found Isaac Bello down the right who played a good ball into the box for Prichard who couldn’t apply a touch from six yards with either feet or head and went behind.
On the half hour Cray began to exert a bit more pressure and Adrian Gyamera and Sutton combined to set up Isiaka for a shot that was deflected through to Magee. Then Isiaka found Frankie Raymond down the left and his ball into the box was met by the head of Hernandez but was claimed by Magee.
Five minutes before the break Chichester came close when Prichard picked out Bello with a clever ball from the right into the area but nudged the ball wide of the left post.
The last opening of the first half fell to City in added time when a ball over the top led to hesitation at the back and Prichard looked to hook the ball towards goal but hooked the ball over the bar.
HT: 0-0
The second half was much more livelier and straight away Cray looked to break the deadlock with Josh Williams cutting inside down the right and curling a shot towards goal which was well held by Magee.
Then a minute later Williams was played through from a pass from midfield down the right of the area and placed a shot just past the left post.
Cray were looking more threatening and Adaja and Hernandez combined to set up Frankie Raymond who saw a shot blocked and go behind for a corner.
Eight into the second half, Frankie Morgan came on for his first appearance since August and certainly continued to pep up the Wands game.
Two minutes after coming on Morgan found Adaja down the left who cut into the box and dinked a ball across to the far post but Isiaka from close to goal put a header just past the right post for perhaps the best chance of the game. For Chichester, Olly Munt saw a shot blocked.
The Wands made a handful of substitutions just after the hour with Nods Bobomurodov, Ashley Nzala and Ralfi Hand all coming on but then the match began to even up again with Cray falling foul of a well drilled Chichester offside trap on a handful of occasions.
Chichester won a corner down the right and the ball into the box fell to Bello but Ethan Binnie who hadn’t had much to do in goal made a block and grabbed the ball ahead of any follow up. For Cray, Williams saw a shot blocked by Jamie Horncastle.
Chris Dickson entered the fray for the last quarter of an hour but it was looking very much like a goalless draw at this point as both defences were outstanding.
The match did begin to open up in the last ten minutes and Chichester threatened from a throw in down the right from Bello which was headed out by Sutton and fell to Rob Hutchings who had a very good game for City who volleyed over the bar.
With five minutes left Chichester created perhaps their best chance of the game when Ben Pashley found Bello down the left and set up substitute Misha Djemaili who turned the ball wide of the right post when well placed.
Then two minutes later Hutchings hit a shot from outside the box which Binnie pushed out and the follow up blocked.
The last opportunity of the game came in the final minute for Cray when a ball was played into the area towards the right post and Quade Taylor helped the ball onto Remi Sutton who shot over from five yards.
In the end the game ended in the first goalless draw of the season for Cray and made it nine draws this season out of sixteen games played. Despite the point, Cray moved down one place to 7th on 24 points. Chichester had played well for their point after a second successive goalless draw are 15th in the table with 17 points but have only played eleven games and are unbeaten away from home.
The Wands although hard to beat perhaps just need to pick up a win or two to go with the draws and now go on to two Kent derbies starting with a trip to league leaders Folkestone Invicta on Tuesday night and then Welling United on Saturday looking to defend an unbeaten away record themselves.
Cray Wanderers: Ethan Binnie, Prosper Keto (Frankie Morgan, 53), Remi Sutton, Quade Taylor, Adrian Owiredu-Gyamera, Frankie Raymond (Capt.), Harry Waldock (Ralfi Hand, 66), Lateef Adaja (Ashley Nzala, 64), Josh Williams, Kareem Isiaka (Nods Bobomurodov, 62), Alex Hernandez (Chris Dickson, 76)
Booked: Keto 31, Waldock 61, Bobomurodov 78
Chichester City: Kieran Magee, Emmett Dunn, Rob Hutchings, Ben Pashley (Capt.), Joseph Moore, Jamie Horncastle, Isaac Bello, Joseph Clarke, Lloyd Rowlatt (Misha Djemaili, 61), Ethan Prichard (Lewis Rustell, 71), Olly Munt (Modou Jammeh, 62): Subs: Theo Bennetts, Curtis Da Costa
Referee: Callum Parke
Assistants: Chris Gustafsson, Robert Maris
Att: 522
