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CRAY WANDERERS 3 WHITSTABLE TOWN 0 Kent Senior Cup 2nd Round 22 January 2008 Report by Jerry Dowlen.
Cray booked their place in the Kent Senior Cup semi-final with a fine display of football in a fast and entertaining game.
Cray manager Ian Jenkins gave a starting shirt to the two young players Jack Bradshaw (17) and Tom Whitnell (19) who had each made their debuts against Leatherhead on 5 January, and both of them responded superbly in their respective roles of goalkeeper and striker.
Even though Cray’s starting eleven had a much-reshuffled and unfamiliar look, they were quickly into their stride. The first thirty minutes was one-way traffic towards the visitors’ goal, and the Wands really should have taken a commanding lead.
George Fenwick shot wide in a one-on-one with ‘keeper Fewell, David Hall flicked a shot wide when the ball sped through to him from Ross Lover via Whitnell, and then it was Whitnell who shot wide after Cray again dissected the Whitstable defence.
Fewell made an agile double-save when he pushed out Lover’s free-kick and then used his legs to block a follow-up shot from Mark Willy.
Cray took a short corner-kick, allowing Tyrone Sterling to set up Lover for a shot that whistled over the bar.
Sterling was then denied by the post, Lewis Wood was scythed down as he collected the rebound but no penalty-kick was given, and Whitnell couldn’t connect with a cross that flew invitingly in front of him as the ball was returned into the goalmouth.
Whitstable’s first dangerous attack ended with Steve Aris deflecting a shot behind for a corner-kick, just after the half hour.
Whitnell was not to be subdued by his earlier misses and when Hall crossed from the touchline out on the right the young striker put Cray ahead on 38 minutes with a well-timed leap at the far post and a well-placed header that Fewell couldn’t keep out of the net.
Cray’s next attack almost brought an instant second goal from Whitnell but from a tight angle he lifted his shot narrowly over the bar.
Bradshaw brought off an admirable and vital save just before half time, getting down quickly to deal with a goalbound shot from Perona.
Fewell then made an equally good save, stretching backwards to tip over a clever shot from Whitnell that was dropping into the net.
So at half time it was just one-nil to the Wanderers – a lead that began to feel worryingly slender when Whitstable increased their tempo and had an equal share of the goal chances that arrived in the second half. Lewis Wood couldn’t reach a header from Sterling that dropped into the goalmouth after good work by Whitnell on the right, and it needed some bravery by Bradshaw and a bit of luck to prevent the Oystermen from equalising in the 52nd minute. Bradshaw came a long way out of his goal to block a through ball that had been played to feet, and fortunately for the Wands when the rebound went to Cory his pot-shot went wide of the unguarded net.
Bradshaw then made a reflex save to push out a header from Cory – a brilliant save considering that neither he nor Cory knew that the flag was being raised to signal offside.
At the other end a Whitnell shot was blocked by Sayer, and the resultant corner-kick brought a glaring miss from Aris who looked nailed-on to head the ball straight into the net but somehow managed to put it wide.
Never mind because Aris in his first responsibility of defender made a tremendous saving tackle on Whitstable’s lively full-back Tipple after he surged into the Cray penalty-area and made ready to shoot.
The relief for Cray supporters was palpable when Willy’s deep cross from the left was met by Whitnell at the far post for another neatly-placed header, this time across the goal and into the far corner, to put Cray two up on 67 minutes.
Whitnell’s two goals were his first ever for Cray and when Aris forced the ball across the line in the 88th minute it was his first ever strike for Cray too. It had looked moments earlier to be a hat-trick for Whitnell, but his shot was cleared off the line, and there was a big let-off for Whitstable too when Cray substitute Michael Power took the ball round Fewell but stroked his shot wide of the far post.
Cray Wanderers: Bradshaw, Hall, Aris, Morris, Willy, Royston (Luckett 74) Lover, L Wood (Power 68), Fenwick (J Wood 80), Whitnell, Sterling. Subs not used – Day, Kempster.
Supporters’ MOM – Tom Whitnell
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