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RYMAN LEAGUE DIVISION ONE SOUTH—WEDNESDAY 2 JANUARY 2008
MATCH REPORTER: JERRY DOWLEN
Cray brushed aside their mid-Kent visitors and started the new year 2008 in the same positive fashion as they ended the old year 2007.
Cray took the lead following a free-kick from Jamie Wood as early as the fourth minute. Michael Power hooked the ball back into the goalmouth from deep on the right, and Ryan Royston picked his way through a couple of tackles before sending an assured low shot past Whitehouse and into the net.
On 13 minutes Royston went close to adding a second, heading over the bar after Jamie Wood’s backheel had set up Aaron Day for a cross from the right.
Wood had earlier pummelled in a shot that seemed to be chested round the post by a Chatham defender, although no corner-kick was given.
The first chance for the Chats arrived on 17 minutes but Cray lined up a five-man wall to defend Smith’s free-kick from 25 yards, and the visiting skipper sent his effort wide.
It was two-nil to Cray on 25 minutes when Tyrone Sterling chipped the ball in and Power took one touch before volleying past Whitehouse.
Taking a free-kick from an almost-identical position to his earlier one, Smith required Glen Knight to make a save on 39 minutes, but the Cray ‘keeper held the shot quite comfortably.
Sterling nearly increased Cray’s lead on the stroke of half time, but Whitehouse made a good blocking save.
Cray did however go three up in the 56th minute. Jamie Kempster’s crossfield pass found Colin Luckett and his superb through ball was whipped into the net by Lewis Wood after a great first touch.
It became less easy for the Wands after Chatham pulled back a goal with a great strike from substitute Botterill in the 72nd minute, and not long afterwards Lewis Wood went off injured.
Cray had already used their three substitutes – freezing cold weather is not good for the muscles – so now it was ten Cray men against eleven and the Chats immediately began to push forward and dominate the play
Knight’s blocking save from Bishenden in the 80th minute was a key moment in the game.
Cray substitute George Fenwick made an equally important contribution in the 86th minute. He raced towards goal after stealing the ball from Larkin, and when the Chatham defender tugged him back it was a red card from referee Mr Meilack and the numbers were duly evened up to ten against ten.
Not only that but the free-kick to Cray was expertly curled into the net by Luckett.
On a night when the weather was described by one Cray supporter as “summer in Glasgow” the final whistle from Mr Meilack was music to our ears, and the 4-1 final scoreline was pretty good too!
Cray Wanderers: Knight, Day, Luckett, Chapman (Morris), Aris, Royston, L Wood, Kempster, J Wood (Fenwick 57), Power (Hall 64), Sterling. Subs not used – Gasiata, Thorogood.
Supporters’ MOM – Aaron Day
Attendance: 153.
* Before the game there was a one-minute applause for Cray supporter John Vallins who has died, age 82. John was a Cray supporter for more than seventy years.
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