Cray Valley PM vs Cray Wanderers – Isthmian Premier – Monday 6th April – Match Report
Cray Valley PM 1
Shomotun 40
Cray Wanderers 2
Raymond 11, Hutchinson 74
Photos: Natalie Stribbling
Cray Wanderers bounced back from Saturday’s home defeat to Billericay Town to complete a league double over Cray Valley PM to keep the Wands outside chance of the playoffs alive and leave the Millers third from bottom of the Isthmian Premier.
Cray Wanderers have been impressive on their travels with just two defeats in nineteen coming into the match and got off to another quick start with Frankie Raymond crashing home a well struck shot after eleven minutes.
Cray Valley who had won their last two matches to boost their hopes of surviving relegation grabbed an equaliser five minutes before the break when Fumnaya Shomotun down the right found the net from just outside the area.
The Wands restored the lead sixteen minutes from time when substitute Shae Hutchinson scored with his first touches of the ball when he broke down the right, cut into the box and lashed a shot into the bottom left corner of the net. Cray Wanderers held out for a well earned three points.
On a beautiful, warm and sunny Easter Monday surely putting the long windy and wet winter firmly behind us the match had a lot riding on it at both ends of the table. The Billericay defeat although a tough one to take having been 3-1 up still contained a lot of positives for a fine attacking display. From that side there was one change with Cray at full strength with Remi Sutton coming in for Tom Bonner.
Cray Valley had been rallying in recent weeks and from the side which won 1-0 at Ramsgate there was one change with Kurtis Cumberbatch coming in for former Wand, Tom Beere.
The match began with Cray Wanderers setting a cracking pace but it was Cray Valley with the first shooting chance when Shomotun blazed a shot over down the right of the area.
Cray Wanderers though were looking impressive and took the lead in the 11th minute when after good build up play, Lateef Adaja found Frankie Raymond who hit a fierce shot which went past Prince Adegoke and into the net off the left post for his first goal from open play this season.
From here the game settled down with not to many opportunities although Cray Valley were presented with a free kick in a good position to the right of the area but Shomotun curled a shot over the bar.
For Cray Wanderers after Raymond won the ball in midfield and broke forward to just inside the area and hit a low shot which was held by Adegoke.
However, five minutes before half time Cray Valley were level when Sanchez Ming down the right played a pass to Shomotun who cut inside and fired in a shot which went in at the near post to level things at the break.
HT: 1-1
For the second half the game opened up a lot more with Cray Valley threatening straight away with Alfie Newby made a good run down the left but his ball across was cleared by the Wands defence.
Three minutes after the break Cray almost went back in front when ex-Miller Dan Ajakaiye down the left broke into the area and his cross-shot was pushed up and over for a corner by Adegoke.
Four minutes later Cray Wanderers were unlucky when Ajakaiye set up Ola Ogunwamide who was denied by a block from Adegoke’s legs and the ball came out to Ajakaiye whose shot was blocked by a stretching Cumberbatch but was deemed not to be a handball.
Raymond continued to pull the strings in midfield and fired a shot over for Cray while for the home side, Cumberbatch’s run and ball across was blocked with ex-Wand Chris Dickson unable to get a touch.
On the hour Cray Wanderers came close again when Ogunwamide and Alex Hernandez combined to find Alex Stepien-Iwumene whose well struck shot was deflected off Newby for a corner.
Despite Cray Wanderers being in the ascendancy Cray Valley almost took the lead when Shomotun who played well throughout the game down the right had a one on one chance but his shot was well pushed round the left post by Harry Seaden.
Wands boss Tim O’Shea made a quadruple substitution for the final twenty minutes or so with Max Fiddes, Jordy Mongoy, Ralfi Hand and Shae Hutchinson all coming on. It was the latter replacement, Shae Hutchinson who made an instant impact in the 74th minute. The former Norwich City U23s, Potters Bar Town, Lewes and Bracknell Town midfielder received the ball out on the right, broke into the box and lashed home an unstoppable finish past Adegoke and into the bottom left corner of the net for his Wands goal.
The Wands now had to see out the remainder of the game but Cray Valley almost levelled five minutes later when Dickson as Wands fans would attest to produced a fine piece of play set up a shot which cannoned back off the crossbar and back out into play.
Cray looked to see out the game with the home side having one more half chance when a long ball into the area was met by a back header from Montel Agyemang but was claimed by Seaden.
The Wands saw out the remaining minutes to make it three successive away wins and ground a hard earned three points to at least keep in touch with Chatham Town and Dartford in fifth and sixth place. Cray are six points behind Chatham and four behind Dartford but is likely that the Wands must win the final three games and hope the two Kent sides slip up. Cray Valley did work hard and are a point behind Hashtag United and Welling United in 20th place and three points behind Carshalton Athletic and have three games left including a huge relegation crunch match at Hashtag United on Saturday followed by a home match with Champions-elect Folkestone Invicta and finish at Dartford on the final day of the season.
For Cray Wanderers, they keep churning out good results especially away from home with the ninth on the road victory and have back to back home games to follow against Lewes on Saturday whose win against Whitehawk should keep them safe from relegation before hosting Welling United on 18th April. The final match of the season sees Cray visit Burgess Hill Town currently a place behind Cray and also on sixty four points.
The Wands support was once again incredible and spurred the team on and in the end on the balance of play Cray Wanderers deserved the win to claim the local bragging rights.
Also a word for the match officials who had a very good game and in such a high stakes match let the game flow and not noticed too much.
Cray Valley: Prince Adegoke, Alfie Newby, Kurtis Cumberbatch (Montel Agyemang, 66), Makise Evans, Marvel Ekpiteta, Sanchez Ming (Jermaine Green, 78), Danny Waldren (Capt.), Hassan Ibrahiym (Bola Okewoye, 56), Emmanuel Adebiyi, Fumnaya Shomotun, Chris Dickson: Subs: Cem Tumkaya, Clement Asiedu
Booked: Ibrahiym 17, Ekpiteta 34, Waldren 84
Cray Wanderers: Harry Seaden, Crossley Lema (Adrian Owiredu-Gyamera, 77), Remi Sutton, Quade Taylor, Frankie Morgan, Frankie Raymond (Capt.), Alex Stepien-Iwumene (Ralfi Hand, 72), Lateef Adaja (Shae Hutchinson, 71), Ola Ogunwamide (Jordy Mongoy, 71), Daniel Ajakaiye (Max Fiddes, 72), Alex Hernandez
Booked: Stepien-Iwumene 69, Morgan 82, Raymond 88
Referee: Patrick Jolliffe
Assistants: Matthew Dyson, Daniel Cooper
Att: 452
