Cray Wanderers vs Whitehawk – Isthmian Premier – Friday 12th December, Match Report
Cray Wanderers 1
Adaja 30
Whitehawk 2
Lambert 53, 55
Cray Wanderers missed the chance to cement a playoff place in the Isthmian Premier after going down to a Friday night home defeat to Whitehawk at Flamingo Park in a proverbial game of two halves.
Cray starting in fifth place were excellent in the first half playing slick attacking football and merited the lead given on the half hour by Lateef Adaja’s well struck volley. Cray almost added a second on half time but Soul Kader’s tap in was ruled offside.
The second half was a different story as the Sussex side fought back well and two goals in two minutes from Charlie Lambert ten minutes into the second half turned the game on its head.
Cray were looking to build on the 2-0 win at Potters Bar Town the previous Saturday and named one change with Harry Waldock starting for Quade Taylor. Whitehawk in 15th at the start of the match were without a win in four and also made one change from the defeat at home to Welling United with Charlie Harris in for Destiny Ojo.
On a pretty mild evening and the last home game before Christmas the Wands were looking for the first league win against Whitehawk and the match in positive fashion.
Whitehawk threatened from an early corner which saw Grant Hall head the ball over the bar. At the other end for Cray, Harry Waldock played a great ball across the box which no-one could get on the end of. Then after a swift piece of play, Ralfi Hand set up Lateef Adaja but keeper Francis Hurl made a blocked save.
Cray were looking good going forward and Soul Kader was particularly sharp and hit a rasper from Hand’s pass which went just past the right post.
In the fifteenth minute Whitehawk were awarded a free kick in a central area 20 yards out and Andrew Briggs shot was very well held and covered by Harry Seaden. A minute later it was Hurl who excelled pushing out another powerful strike from Kader.
Just before the half hour Kader set up Waldock for a shot from outside the area which was pushed round the left post well by Hurl.
From the corner the ball was cleared out to Freddie Price who put over a great cross from the left over to the far post and Adaja volleyed in his sixth of the season.
For Whitehawk Hall saw a shot held from distance but Cray were playing well at this point and looking good value for that first league win.
Just on half time it could have been 2-0 when Hand in on goal ended with his ball towards goal being turned in by Kader but the flag was raised for offside.
HT: 1-0
The second half started with Quade Taylor on for Waldock but it was a Whitehawk change of Destiny Ojo coming on who added a difference to the visitors attack.
In the 50th minute down the right Ojo’s cross into the area fell to Charlie Lambert but under pressure from Adrian Gyamera fired over.
That was a mere warning as three minutes later it was 1-1 as Lambert cut inside from the left and fired in a shot from the edge of the area which beat Harry Seaden.
Two minutes later it was a complete turnaround as Remi Sutton’s stray pass fell to Lambert who took advantage in style and fired in under Seaden.
Whitehawk were looking threatening with every attack and Charlie Harris saw his goalbound shot pushed over well by Seaden. Then Lambert on a hat-trick hit a near post shot straight at Seaden.
Cray despite the introduction of Alex Hernandez, Ashley Nzala, Chris Dickson for and latterly Kareem Isiaka couldn’t make an impression on the Whitehawk defence and took the sting out of the Wands game.
Whitehawk almost added a third when from a corner Nathan Cooper’s strike was headed over by Taylor for a corner.
Cray did apply some late pressure with Frankie Morgan seeing a shot deflected for a corner but the Wands just didn’t fire in the second half like the first and ended in just the fourth defeat of the season. The result pushed Cray down to 7th after the Saturday fixtures and moved Whitehawk up to 12th.
CRAY WANDERERS – Harry Seaden, Adrian O-Gyamera, Frankie Morgan, Harry Waldock (Quade Taylor, 46), Remi Sutton (Chris Dickson, 75), Harry Revill, Frankie Raymond, Freddie Price (Kareem Isiaka, 82), Ralfi Hand (Alex Hernandez, 64), Soul Kader, Lateef Adaja (Ashley Nzala, 68)
Booked: Kader 64
WHITEHAWK – Francis Hurl, Stefan Wright, Hugo Odogwu-Atkinson, Andrew Briggs, Nathan Cooper, Grant Hall, Charlie Harris, Joel Daly, Harry Bridle (Jerson Dos Santos), 95, Chsrlie Lambert (Joe Overy), Florian Kastrati (Destiny Ojo, HT)
Subs – McGonigle, Lambie
Booked: Daly 23, Ojo 65, Harris 68, Bridle 90
REFEREE – Joseph Gray
ASSISTANTS: Liam Dawson, Jonathan Marsh
Att: 602
