Berkhamsted v Cray Wanderers – Isuzu FA Trophy – 1st Round – 24/10/26
Berkhamsted 1
Sekyere 84
Cray Wanderers 2
Strachan 75, Payne 88
Pics Natalie Stribbling
Cray Wanderers advanced to the 2nd Round of the FA Trophy after a dramatic last fifteen minutes lit up a grey afternoon at the expense of fellow FA Cup headliners Berkhamsted.
After a fairly quiet first half the game sprung to life in the second and with the game seemingly heading to penalties Cray took the lead when Alfie Payne’s right wing corner to the far post was headed in by Rob Strachan.
Berkhamsted though looked to have taken the game to a shoot-out with a fine strike from Jeffrey Seykere six minutes from time.
What wasn’t expected was one of the all time great Cray Wanderers goals in the 88th minute when Alfie Payne from just inside his own half saw keeper slightly off his line and with precision on a wet and heavy half way line lifted the ball goalwards and dropped into the net for his first Cray Wanderers goal. In a match of fine margins it was a great way to decide the tie and keep the Wands remarkable cup season going to the 2nd Round on 14th November.
After the drama, joy and emotion from Tuesday night’s FA Cup replay with Bedford Town you couldn’t have written the script for the next game to be two of this season’s FA Cup story tellers with the Wands visiting Berkhamsted who themselves have reached the 1st Round of the Cup for the first time and produced an outstanding performance to win 2-1 at Southend United last Saturday.
For Cray there was a chance to give Alfie Payne, Bayli Spencer-Adams and Seidou Sanogo a start in place of Frankie Raymond, Crossley Lema and Alex Hernandez.
Berkhamsted who like Cray have a solid fixture backlog and who travel to Plymouth Parkway in the Cup and made a number of changes from the side beaten at Chichester City in the league in midweek with perhaps the schedule and resting key players.
Finishing British Summer time with a wet and puddly afternoon in the lovely setting by the Grand Union Canal and the pitch passed good to go in the morning the first half began with perhaps Cray in the ascendancy before the game just took a breather from the half hour mark. The match despite the conditions was competitive but never dirty with just one yellow card for Ryan Blake of Berkhamsted following an early challenge on Ade Yusuff.
In the opening ten minutes Cray looked to play their trademark passing game and Ola Ogunwamide was lively in the opening exchanges as was Lateef Adaja on the left and he put over an excellent cross which had to be cleared via a touch away from the keeper Matt Burch.
In the 13th minute Cray came closest in the first half to scoring following a corner down the right the ball was played into the box and a flick on saw the ball come to Yusuff whose header was well clawed behind by Burch. From the corner Spencer-Adams glanced the ball wide.
Then Sammie McLeod pulled a shot wide before the home side began to exert themselves winning a couple of corners but overall the defending from Cray in the first half was similar to the second half at Bedford where the home side never created a chance.
For Cray, following hesitation by Burch at the edge of his area Ogunwamide cut the pitch and found Adaja who down the left fired into the side netting.
The game then just petered out for a bit with just before the break Berkhamsted showing some intent with Billy Busari’s cross from the left across goal and Frankie Morgan put behind for a corner but at half time both teams were happy for a warm and dry down.
HT: 0-0
If the first half was sparring the second was a free for all with Cray having to make a change with Yusuff replaced by Jakob Lowe.
The home side seemed energised by the break and came out much more on the front foot with Adam Watkins seeing a shot pushed out by JJ Briggs who had so little to do in the first half.
Then Ryan Blake found space to fire in a shot that looked to be deflected on to the left post and behind. Then Watkins from the left saw his effort pushed out by Briggs. Then with perhaps more time Lewis Rolfe fired over the angle of post and bar.
Cray though were still coming to terms with the conditions well and pacing themselves and added Alex Hernandez and Soul Kader to pep up the attack. The Wands were unlucky when Ogunwamide down the right broke into the box and his cross-shot came off the feet of Burch and came to Payne who was denied by a block from Jeanmal Prosper.
For Berkhamsted a ball across from the right to the far post for Busari was superbly defended by Tobi Tinibu and put the ball behind.
Going into the last fifteen minutes both teams were still looking to avoid the possibility of penalties and Cray began to get on top and in the 75th minute broke the deadlock with a classic corner kick.
Down the right Payne’s flag kick found its way to the far post where the outstanding Rob Strachan got ahead of Lowe to head into the net and score his third goal of the season.
Cray now had their tails up and nearly scored a second shortly after when Lowe down the right saw his near post shot pushed out well by Burch.
Berkhamsted though showed their resilience and with all five subs on, one of those Jeffrey Sekyere who scored the winner at Southend in the Cup showed why with a well struck shot from just inside the box with six minutes to go and suddenly it was the Comrades who were in the ascendancy.
There was a crazy few minutes as Payne was denied by the legs of Burch and Ruben Antwi saw a shot blocked for Berkhamsted.
What wasn’t perhaps in the script was what was going to happen with two minutes to go and the game winding down perhaps for a shoot-out when out of nothing Payne who from just inside his own half perhaps seeing Burch off his line and on a wet pitch lifted the ball on target and over the keeper and dropped into the net cue delirium and wonderment behind the goal at what had just happened.
Cray needed to batten down the hatches with still three minutes of added time and had to clear their lines and also Berkhamsted had a late free kick which was blocked by the wall and it was the Wands who saw out the attack and made it through to the 2nd Round draw on Monday and showed how to battle in extreme conditions against a good side and on a grass pitch.
It was a supreme team effort which after a draining if inspirational week showed the character in the side and I think overall deserved the victory.
Also a special mention to the Cray Massive who in wet conditions and a trip outside of London had a great day and enjoyed some great North Hertfordshire hospitality and being so handily placed to the train station and High Street meant it was an away day for the ages if you include Alfie’s goal.
A special word for the referee too who was excellent, let the game flow where it could in the conditions and seemed to understand tackling is a key element of the game and not every challenge is a foul.
The Wands now return to league action and aim to put some league points on the board after dropping to 18th with a double header trip to Essex with Stanway Rovers on Tuesday and Brentwood Town on Saturday 31st October.
The draw for the 2nd Round takes place on Monday, 1 pm and played on 14th November. This means that the scheduled league match at Burgess Hill Town on that day will now be rearranged.
Berkhamsted: Matt Burch, Jack Tompkins, Jeanmal Prosper. Lewis Rolfe (Cam Hyde, 77), Ryan Blake (Ruben Bartlett-Antwi, 62), Billie Busari (Jeffrey Sekyere, 63), Adam Watkins (Luke Andrews, 77), Ricardo German, Tom Georgiou, Declan Jabali Phillips (Harry Rush, 68), Billy Mardell-Smith
Booked: Blake 2 mins
Cray Wanderers: JJ Briggs, Tobi Tinibu, Bayli Spencer-Adams (Soul Kader, 64), Rob Strachan, Frankie Morgan, Alfie Payne, Seidou Sanogo, Sammie McLeod (Alex Hernandez, 58), Ola Ogunwamide (Crossley Lema, 90+1), Lateef Adaja, Ade Yusuff (Capt.) (Jakob Lowe, H/T): Sub: Frankie Raymond
Referee: Maros Valko
Assistants: Tom Flanagan, Jamaal Horne
Att: 313
