Cray Wanderers vs Cheshunt – Isthmian Premier – Saturday 28th February – Match Report
Cray Wanderers 2
Fiddes 17, Hernandez 23 pen
Cheshunt 1
Wilson-Braithwaite 85
Photos to follow.
Cray Wanderers ended a run of three successive home draws with a hard earned three points against a Cheshunt side unbeaten in eight games in 2026 to keep Cray in sixth, just outside the playoff places.
Cray took a two goal lead into the break through Max Fiddes and an Alex Hernandez penalty but Cheshunt finished strongly replying five minutes from time with a Dequane Wilson-Braithwaite header but the Wands held out to pick up the three points which keeps Cray on fifth two points, two behind Chatham Town and Billericay Town in 4th and 5th places.
The match pitted two sides that have been hard to beat in the first two months of the season with the Wands only defeat coming at home to Aveley on 9th January and had been unbeaten in six including five draws. Cheshunt in 14th place had beaten Aveley on Tuesday night and looked to be a tough nut to crack.
There were two changes to the Cray starting lineup from the game at Dartford with Quade Taylor coming in for the injured Harry Waldock and Max Fiddes who saw his loan from Dover Athletic extended for another month in for Lateef Adaja. Striker Shae Hutchinson was on the bench. Cheshunt also made two changes from the win against Aveley with Antonis Vasiliou and Jesse Effa coming in for Matthias Fanimo and Connor Kurran-Browne.
On a grey afternoon the prospects were there for a good match and the game set off a decent pace. Cheshunt had the first shooting chance in the fourth minute when from a right wing corner from Effa the ball came out to captain Sam Granville who shot wide of the left post.
A couple of minutes later Cray looked to open the scoring and good link up play between Ola Ogunwamide, Crossley Lema and Frankie Raymond saw a ball played into Remi Sutton down the left of the area and the former Cheshunt player hit his cross-shot over the top.
The Wands won four corners in the opening quarter of an hour but Cheshunt came close when from a throw in the ball came to Charlie Naylor whose ball into the area down the right was pushed out by Harry Seaden and fell to Lordon Akolbire who shot wide of the left post.
Two minutes later Cray took the lead when from a corner down the right from Raymond the ball was cleared out to the left and Frankie Morgan’s ball into the box was helped on by Sutton and Fiddes reacted quickest to steer the ball into the net from six yards for his second goal for the Wands.
Cray now had their tails up and a couple of minutes later Jordy Mongoy down the left saw a near post shot blocked.
In the 23rd minute Cray extended their lead. From a free kick down the right from Raymond the ball came to Ogunwamide and his ball across was handled inside the area by Akolbire. Alex Hernandez showed strong character after seeing his spot kick saved at Dartford by stepping up to score with some aplomb from the penalty for his sixteenth goal of the season.
The match then went through a bit of a lull and settled down with a yellow card apiece and Cheshunt having to make a change with Nahum Melvin-Lambert coming on for Arthur Iontton. Cray looked to score a third when Raymond found Hernandez whose shot was on target but was charged down and cleared.
At the break Cray had the lead but still there was work to be done and the next goal in the game looked to be important.
HT: 2-0
The second half saw Cheshunt making a change at the break with Connor Kurran-Browne who scored against the Wands in the corresponding game in November coming on for Vasiliou and in the end made their full compliment of substitutions in order to get back into the match.
There weren’t too many chances with Cheshunt having more of the play without causing too many problems for the Wands defence. For Cray, a free kick outside the area for Hernandez was blocked and then down the right Ogunwamide cut inside but curled his effort well over.
For Cheshunt, Kurran-Browne hit a first time shot that just went past the left post and then saw a shot down the left blocked.
For the last half hour Cray brought on Lateef Adaja, Shae Hutchinson, Ralfi Hand and Freddie Price to add energy. Cheshunt did come close just after the hour when from a free kick, Matthias Fanimo’s cross was flicked towards goal by Raul Fernandes Da Silva but Remi Sutton cleared the ball almost off the line. Then from a Fanimo corner the ball came to Tommy Wood who hooked an effort towards goal but was comfortably claimed by Seaden at his left post.
Cray looked to threaten when Adaja cut into the box but was denied by a good tackle from Freddie Cowin to put the ball behind for a corner.
The match just looked to be petering out but with five minutes to go Cheshunt pulled a goal back when from kick out on the right from Fanimo the ball into the box was met with a strong header from Dequane Wilson-Braithwaite to set up a nervy finish.
With two minute to go Cheshunt almost levelled when Akolbire found space down the right but fired his shot past the left post.
Both side looked to end the game with a flourish and Cray almost added a third when Adaja saw a shot blocked and Hutchinson set up Hernandez for another blocked shot.
The Wands though saw out the five additional minutes to pick up the three points which had been deserved in recent weeks as Tim O’Shea’s side haven’t always got their just rewards for the performances while picking up points from draws.
With Billericay Town winning against Folkestone Invicta, Cray stay sixth and break the fifty points barrier to move to fifty two from thirty three games played and are two points behind Billericay Town and Chatham Town who have games in hand. Cray are a point clear of Dartford in seventh who won late at Welling United and three of Burgess Hill Town in eighth. Chatham Town, Billericay Town, Dartford and Burgess Hill Town all play on Tuesday night as teams start to catch on those games in hand as we enter the last two months of the season.
Cray now head to a couple of trips to Sussex over the next two Saturday’s heading to Chichester City on 7th March and against Whitehawk the following Saturday with the next home game vs Potters Bar Town on 21st March. Cray still have to play Aveley, Billericay Town and Burgess Hill Town as well as games against sides looking to stay up like Potters Bar Town, Cray Valley PM and Welling United so it looks like it is going to be all to play for in every match in the final nine matches of the season.
Cray Wanderers: Harry Seaden, Crossley Lema, Remi Sutton, Tom Bonner (Capt.), Frankie Morgan, Frankie Raymond, Quade Taylor (Ralfi Hand, 78), Ola Ogunwamide (Lateef Adaja, 60), Jordy Mongoy (Freddie Price, 78), Alex Hernandez, Max Fiddes (Shae Hutchinson, 75): Sub: Adrian Owiredu-Gyamera
Booked: Hernandez 28, Fiddes 68
Cheshunt: Aymen Azaze, Lordon Akolbire, Dequane Wilson-Braithwaite, Raul Fernandes Da Silva (Darion Furlong, 66), Freddie Cowin (Jaiden Myles-Owen, 75), Charlie Naylor, Arthur Iontton (Nahum Melvin-Lambert, 38), Antonis Vasiliou (Connor Kurran-Browne, H/T), Jesse Effa (Matthias Fanimo, 61), Sam Granville (Capt.), Tommy Wood
Booked: Naylor 44, Wilson-Braithwaite 60, Akolbire 68
Referee: Patrick Nixon
Assistants: Gavin Farrington, Joshua Reid
Att: 552
