Cray Wanderers vs Leyton Orient – Match Report
London Senior Cup – 1st Round – Wednesday 2nd November
Cray Wanderers 1
Ademiluyi 69
Leyton Orient 0
Cray Wanderers returned to the London Senior Cup after an eight year absence and advanced to a 2nd Round tie with Dulwich Hamlet after victory against Leyton Orient at a very soggy Hayes Lane.
In a game played in constant rain after a fairly cagey first half the match opened up after the break and the decisive moment came in the 69th minute when Michael Ademiluyi pounced onto a ball played over the top and lobbed the ball over Sam Sargent from just outside the area and took an eternity to seem to drop into the net with the defender on the line unable to clear.
Neil Smith’s Wands side had a weekend off from league football and were able to recall Freddie Carter to the side albeit just for one half and named new signing Yahaya Bamba from Sevenoaks Town on the bench but was for the main part a full strength side.
Richie Wellen’s Leyton Orient side have started superbly in the EFL League 2, topping the league and although mostly a young team on the night did have a few players with first team experience.
With the rain lashing down it was no surprise that the game took a little while to settle down. An early corner apiece which required clearing out of the area and a shot from Leyton Orient’s Jayden Wareham which was blocked by Mitch Chapman were the only real moments of concern in the first twenty minutes which perhaps Leyton Orient just edged on possession.
Cray began to get into the game around the 25 minute mark and Michael Ademiluyi down the right of the area broke into the box but his cross shot to the near post was claimed by Sam Sargeant. Then Harrison Sodje and Nyren Clunis combined to set up Mitch Chapman for a shot that was blocked by Shadrach Ogie.
At the other end, Wareham found space to shoot from 20 yards which went over the bar and then from a corner, Shaun Rowley got a touch to flick the ball behind for another corner from which the ball came to Stephen Duke-McKenna down the left and his cross-shot went wide of the right post.
There was a half chance for Leyton Orient when Daniel Nkrumah worked his way into the area down the right but was denied a shooting chance by a fine tackle from Freddie Carter.
The best opening of the half came in the 36th minute when Sam Skeffington found Ben Krauhaus down the right who jinked into the area and looked to place his shot but just lacked sufficient power and Sargeant got down to save.
Before half time a cross from Kellen Fisher found Dan Bassett whose header was blocked but real chances were at a premium in the first half and was goalless at the break.
H/T: 0-0
At half time, Carter was replaced by Jalen Jones and the second half opened up with more purpose and Skeffington came close with a shot from 25 yards which went just over the bar.
Leyton Orient created their best chance of the match in the 55th minute when Jordan Brown’s ball found Charlie Kelman who got past Jones’ challenge and from the left of the area fired over the bar.
Then, Brown found Duke-McKenna down the left of the area and his effort stung the hands of Rowley and behind for a corner. From the corner, the ball came to Brown down the right and his ball across was flicked goalwards by Nkrumah but Rowley got down well to save.
The game then went through a quiet phase before the deadlock was broken in the 69th minute when a ball played from the right caught out the Orient defence and Michael Ademiluyi latched onto the ball and deftly lobbed the ball over Sargeant and the ball dropped agonisingly slowly into the net before a defender could clear the ball.
The Wands who then introduced Yahaya Bamba and Nyren Clunis to the fray came close to a second when Skeffington found space for a shot from outside the area which Sargeant did well to tip over the bar.
Going into the final few minutes both keepers made good saves with Leyton Orient coming close Charlie Pegrum set up Antonio Clements down the left and Rowley did well to turn the ball behind for a corner.
Then a moment later, Bamba who scored against Cray in pre-season for Sevenoaks cut inside from the left and drew a good save from Sargeant who turned the ball aside.
For Cray a corner from Nyren Clunis from the left to the far post for Jalen Jones was flicked behind for another corner.
Then Clunis almost got on the scoresheet when he exchanged passes with Anthony Cook whose pass seemed to bounce into the path of Clunis who volleyed just over the bar.
In the end Cray had done enough to win and had shown a lot of quality in the second half especially and deserved to win the match and gave an all action performance. Defensively it was another clean sheet, the second in three games and managed to keep a lively Orient side at bay for most of the game and restricted them to only a handful of openings.
Cray won their first London Senior Cup tie since winning at Tower Hamlets in October 2014 and set up a fascinating clash at Dulwich Hamlet in the 2nd Round.
The Wand now go into a game against 4th placed Aveley on Saturday and will be a good test against a confident side but Cray too can come into the match with confidence after four games undefeated in the league and should be a great game.
Cray Wanderers: Shaun Rowley, Kellen Fisher, Freddie Carter (Jalen Jones, H/T), Sinn’kaye Christie, Mitch Chapman, Sam Skeffington, Ben Krauhaus (Anthony Cook, 77), Michael Ademiluyi, Dan Bassett (Yahaya Bamba, 71), Tom Derry (Nyren Clunis, 71):
Subs: Cerny Ando
Leyton Orient: Sam Sargeant, Connor Wood, Heddwyn Ogbebor, Jordan Brown (Charlie Pegrum, 72),, Shadrach Ogie, Jayden Sweeney, Stephen Duke-McKenna (Thomas Avgoustidis, 60), Daniel Nkrumah, Jayden Wareham (Makai Welch, 72), Charlie Kelman (Ebraima Davies, 72), Antonio Clements: Sub: Lorenzo Saponara
Referee: Tommy Breen
Assistants: Bogdan Khimyich, Joshua Reid
Att: 114
