Cray Wanderers vs Eastbourne Borough – Isthmian Premier – Saturday 22nd August – Match Report
Cray Wanderers 2
Ade Yusuff 23, Alex Hernandez 86
Eastbourne Borough 1
T’Yano Wilson 90+3
Pics: Natalie Stribbling
Cray Wanderers picked up their first win of the 2026-27 season and at the same time ended Eastbourne Borough’s unbeaten start after a high quality game at Flamingo Park Cray won with a goal in each half from Ade Yusuff and Alex Hernandez. Tyano Wilson pulled a goal back in stoppage time but was too late to affect the result.
Eastbourne Borough going into the game were one of four unbeaten teams after the first three games but after the day’s action there was just one left as Borough, Dartford and Leatherhead all tasted defeat on a day where perhaps the early form book was overturned.
The Wands came into the game in 16th but perhaps had been unfortunate not to have picked up more points than the two gained from the first three matches. On another bright if welcome fresher day there were two changes for Cray from the Carshalton Athletic match with Lateef Adaja and Soul Kader coming in for Bayli Spencer-Adams and Daniel Ajakaiye who has departed the Wands. There was a new right back signing on the bench, Harmony Okwumo previously with Norwich City U21s and Kings Lynn.
Eastbourne playing in their first Isthmian League season had seven points from their first three games and made two changes to the 3-2 win vs Brentwood Town with Terrell Egbri and Elliott Johnson coming in for Giles Phillips and Tyano Wilson.
The game set out at a terrific pace and was a great advert for the league with Cray on the front foot from the start.
The Wands forced three corners in the opening stages and from the first the ball fell in the box for Lateef Adaja down the left of the area but his near post shot was blocked behind for a corner. From the third corner the ball was cleared outside the area to Frankie Morgan who fired a shot over. Then good work between Ade Yusuff and Ola Ogunwamide saw the ball fall to Sammie McLeod who again shot over.
Eastbourne though warmed to their task and had a good five minutes of pressure. First Josh Rees down the left saw a shot blocked well by ex Borough player Frankie Raymond. Then from a corner played into the box the ball came to Liam Nash who was denied by another block from Alex Hernandez.
Then a right wing corner the ball came to Egbri whose cross was headed over by Freddie Carter who had a successful spell on loan to Cray in the 2022-23 season when at Gillingham. This was followed by a strong Rees shot being held by Henry Molyneux.
For Cray, Soul Kader set up Ogunwamide but was denied by a block from Craig Eastmond and then Ogunwamide’s cross had no takers in the middle.
In the 21st minute Eastbourne came close when Kai Corbett who scored a hat-trick in the last game saw a stinging shot well pushed out by Molyneux.
Then in the 23rd minute the goal the match deserved came when Molyneux’s long kick down field bounced off a defender and left another ex-Wand Lewis Carey somewhat stranded and came to Yusuff who coolly slotted into the net for his second goal of the season.
Eastbourne nearly levelled straight away when a corner from the right was met by the head of Nash but Molyneux excelled by making a fine save to push the ball over. At the other end Ogunwamide who had a fine game worked an opening but shot wide of the right post.
There was a fine competitive edge to the game which saw bookings for Raymond and Corbett and the game after a pulsating start just started to steady before the break with the Wands going in one nil up.
HT: 1-0
The second half began more sedate but Cray were playing well and Sammie McLeod found Ogunwamide who shot wide of the left post. At the other end Rees saw a shot blocked inside the area.
The Wands won a corner and Raymond found Morgan and Ogunwamide whose cross found Rob Strachan who headed off target. Then Kader set up Yusuff down the left byline but his ball across was cleared away almost off the line by Elliott Johnson.
Then Ogunwamide cut inside down the right and into the box but couldn’t get a shot away but instead found Yusuff who shot wide of the right post.
Cray continued to forge the better openings and halfway through the half came close twice in quick succession when after Hernandez saw a shot blocked the ball fell to Kader who found space to get in a shot which Carey did well to push away with the ball falling to Adaja at the left post but the keeper did well to block the follow up.
Eastbourne though were still in the game and Darren McQueen fired over from twenty yards and then after a good build up Sam Oguntayo set up Nash who shot just over from outside the box.
The hard working McLeod was booked and Shae Hutchinson was introduced in the 72nd minute for Kader adding pace down the wings. In a rare occurrence both managers received yellow cards with Steve King in the first half and Tim O’Shea in the second.
For Eastbourne a Corbett corner was glanced over by Nash while at the other end Raymond volleyed over the bar. Borough looked to threaten from a free kick well outside the box which Corbett fired over before Alfie Payne was introduced for McLeod for Cray.
In the 84th minute Eastbourne came close with a free kick out to the left of the area from which Corbett’s kick to the left post was pushed round by Molyneux.
Two minutes later Cray had a cushion of a second goal and was well worth waiting for as from a free kick slightly in from the left and around 25 yards possibly further out Hernandez who had set the bar high with his free kick goals last season against Cray Valley, Brentwood and Ramsgate possibly excelled those with a stunning strike which hit the right had corner of the net and but for the net possibly would have travelled a very long way.
Towards the end Tade Kpotie who made a name for himself in pre-season made a brief appearance in added time for his Wands league debut before in the third minute of stoppage time Eastbourne pulled a goal back. Tyano Wilson did well to keep the ball alive in the penalty area and slotted his first goal for the club with a low shot into the net.
There wasn’t time for a major comeback and the Wands saw out the remaining seconds for a deserved win and although only moved up one place to 15th had merited a victory at some point in the early weeks and certainly one at the start of play that would have been hard to call against one of the title favourites.
There were many fine performances and a real team effort and one the supporters enjoyed going into the Bank Holiday weekend double header at Maldon & Tiptree and at home to Welling United next Monday.
On behalf of the Wands supporters I would like to dedicate this win to Steve Cullum, from our photographic team who has been absent with ill health but was at the game with his wife Hazel and was great to see him.
Cray Wanderers: Henry Molyneux, Crossley Lema, Robert Strachan, Frankie Morgan, Frankie Raymond (Capt.), Sammie McLeod (Alfie Payne, 82), Ola Ogunwamide, Lateef Adaja, Alex Hernandez, Ade Yusuff (Tade Kpotie, 90+2), Soul Kader (Shae Hutchinson, 72): Subs: Miller Fleming, Harmony Okwumo.
Booked: Raymond 27, McLeod 70
Eastbourne Borough: Lewis Carey, Matthew Hayden, Elliott Johnson (Capt.) (Giles Phillips, 66), Freddie Carter, Darren McQueen (Max Sheaf, 79), Samuel Oguntayo, Craig Eastmond, Terrell Egbri (Owen Bellamy, 86), Josh Rees, Liam Nash (Gold Omotayo, 85), Kai Corbett (Tyano Wilson, 87)
Booked: Corbett 37
Referee: Alfie Finch-Critchley
Assistants: Nicholas Garside, Howard Collins
Att: 788
