WEALDSTONE 3 CRAY WANDERERS 2
Ryman League Premier Division, Tuesday 17 November 2009
Report by Jerry Dowlen

Cray suffered the agony of conceding a 90 th minute own-goal that extended their recent losing run, despite a battling performance that saw them twice come from behind at Wealdstone.

The first six minutes of the game were typical of the luck that seems to be running against the Wands lately. Steve Aris had to leave the game with a badly cut leg after a mistimed tackle, and the right flank of Cray's reshuffled defence was breached immediately, allowing Danny Spendlove to plant the ball past Jack Smelt.

With more steadiness in front of goal, the home side might have put the game beyond Cray's reach, but gradually the Wands began to assert themselves down the slope and show that they were capable of troubling the Stones defence.

Cray earned a number of free-kicks in the final third of the pitch, and although their nearest effort on goal was a Rob Quinn snap-shot that went wide, their efforts were rewarded on the half hour when Leigh Bremner was brought down in the penalty area and Colin Luckett drove in the spot-kick.

In the closing minutes of the first half there were near misses in both goalmouths. Cray were stretched at times to withstand an aerial bombardment from the long throw-ins of Lee Chappel, but a breakaway saw George Porter take the ball round the home 'keeper and prod the ball towards the empty goal, only to be denied by full back Marvin McCoy anticipating his shot and toeing it to safety.

Cray made the brighter start to the second half, and Bremner carefully set up Scott Kinch after wriggling through on the left, but the midfielder's shot was deflected wide.

Cray were caught on the break after 53 minutes when McCoy overlapped on the right, and his first-time goal-laden cross was flapped away by Mark Willy, whose punishment was a yellow card and a penalty-kick that Ryan Ashe netted confidently.

Yellow cards for Quinn and Tommy Tyne followed soon afterwards as play became increasingly heated, and then came boiling point when Rob Fitzgerald retaliated after an ugly challenge from Kinch, who was already due for a booking after charging into home 'keeper Sean Thomas. Out came the red card for both players, and it was ten men versus ten men for the last twenty minutes of the game.

It was Cray who seemed to benefit more from the new shape of the game, and although having to kick uphill they applied plenty of pressure, resulting eventually in an equaliser on 76 minutes when the non-stop Bremner headed home from Luckett's cross.

Bremner went close on two occasions after that, and John Guest was denied at close range as the Wands went looking for the winner, but it was Wealdstone who had the last word, inflicting more cruelty on Cray.

Play was in the 90th minute when Luckett tried to cut out a low cross from Spendlove who had burst through from deep on the left, but disastrously for Cray the ball flew into the net off his outstretched boot.

Cray Wanderers : Smelt, Aris (Day 6), Luckett, Porter, Willy, Guest, Kinch, Quinn, Tyne (Beveney 85), Bremner, J Wood ( Sterling 57). Subs not used: Goldsmith, Jenkins.