Cray Wanderers went down to their second straight league defeat and moved down to 4th place in the Bostik South as Ashford United avenged their 9-1 defeat in January with a determined display in perhaps the surprise result of the day.
Cray who started the game in second place started brightly in the first five minutes but it was Jason Whitmore’s young side who scored with their first shot on goal in the sixth minute when debutant Daniel Ajakaiye struck to set up a dramatic afternoon.
The Wands pressured Ashford for much of the first half but didn’t create too many chances but in the second half poured forward and deservedly levelled through Brandon Scott’ sixth goal of the season after 56 minutes.
Efforts by Scott and Mitchell Nelson were well saved by George Kamurasi as Cray pushed forward for a winner but were caught with a sucker punch four minutes from time when the lively Ajakaiye struck again to leave Cray chasing the game once more and were unable to pull the game around a second time.
On a very cold, rather blowy but bright afternoon, Cray were looking to bounce back from last Saturday’s home defeat to Carshalton against an Ashford United side who had gone seven games without a win and fielded a very young side who could well push on next season under Gary Alexander’s management. For Cray there were three changes from last weekend, with Charlie MacDonald in for Michael Power, Brandon Scott for Junior Dadson and Michael Freiter for Karl Dent.
The game began with Cray playing the ball around very well and Aaron Rhule was an early influential figure down the left and was brought down early in the game by Ola Williams which earned a booking for the full back. From the free kick, Freiter’s ball into the box was flicked on by Jay Leader towards MacDonald in the six yard box but good defending from Pat Kingwell saw the ball blocked and cleared.
Then Barney Williams down the left set up Freiter for a shot which was headed away by Jahmal Howlett Mundle and the ball came to Scott who charged into the area but the ball was put behind for a corner.
However, what wasn’t expected after a brisk start from Cray was for the home side to take the lead but they did in the 6th minute. Following a throw in down the left the ball was played forward up to Daniel Ajakaiye and the former Bromley and Whyteleafe player held off challenges to fire in a near post shot which fizzed past Nick Blue and Ashford were ahead out of nothing really.
Cray had to try get back into it fairly quickly and did win a few corners but didn’t really make much out of them save for one which George Kamurasi pushed away and a short one which Aaron Rhule drove to the near post which was gathered by the giant Ashford keeper.
The Wands best chance of the half came after 14 minutes when Scott did well down the right to work his way into the area and lay the ball to MacDonald whose shot was pushed out by Kamurasi but following up Scott turned the ball wide of the left post. Then three minutes later Rhule put over a very good cross from the left but Freiter and MacDonald just couldn’t get to the ball and went across goal.
Ashford to their credit defended very well after this with Cray dominating entirely the possession and had a number of corners and a couple of free kicks in good positions but the final ball was often lacking for Cray or the home side got in good blocks and tackles although Rhule was still a threat for Cray and he was set up Leader and his ball into the box was palmed away by Kamurasi.
Five minutes before half time, Rhule was unlucky again with another burst down the left and his ball across couldn’t get a touch from MacDonald and went across goal. Before the break, a free kick from Freiter down the right into the area was headed towards goal by Rhule but was cleared away by Howlett Mundle.
Despite Cray totally dominating the possession it was Ashford who led at the break and were certainly proving a very difficult nut to crack.
Half Time: 1-0
Cray began the second half in much the same way having virtually all of the play and looking to use Rhule and Scott’s pace down the wings. Firstly, Dean Carpenter hit a shot from distance over the bar and then Rhule was fouled 25 yards from goal out on the left. From the free kick Freiter fired wide of the left post.
A Cray goal was on the cards and duly arrived in the 56th minute when from a throw in down the left the ball came to Rhule who picked out Scott from just inside the penalty area who finished in great style stroking the ball into the bottom left corner of the net.
Ashford then had an opportunity when from a free kick down the left, George McLennan found Sid Sollis who hit a shot wide of goal.
This set up a flurry of activity with Scott unlucky not to score again when he jinked past a couple of players and into the area but his near post shot was pushed behind well by Kamurasi for a corner. From the right wing kick, Freiter’s ball to the far post was met by the head of Nelson and his header seemed goalbound but Kamurasi did very well to turn the ball behind once again.
Then Scott down the right played the ball out to Rhule who cut inside and curled a shot wide of the right post. This was followed by another corner from Freiter which was flicked on by Nelson and Kamurasi couldn’t get to the ball but luckily for Ashford they desperately managed to clear the ball away. Cray must have won about 10 corners in the second half and from another Freiter cross to the back post Nelson couldn’t get direction on his header and went wide.
Cray still looked the more likely at this stage to get a winner and Michael Power and Junior Dadson were brought on to add freshness to the side. Rhule did well once again down the left jinking past a couple of players and his cut back to the near post to Power once blocked by a defender and cleared away and then Dadson shot well wide.
With four minutes to go, not for the first time this season, despite dominating the game they would get caught out when a ball through from Dean Grant found Ajakaiye in space who from inside the area calmly slotted the ball into the net to give Ashford the lead.
Cray then went back on the attack to try and save the game again and Carpenter was unlucky not to score his first goal of the season when his run and shot from just outside the area was deflected past the post for a corner and then saw another effort deflected through to Kamurasi.
Ashford almost broke out and scored again when Clark Woodcock’s fine ball through found Ajakaiye once again who charged inside the area but Blue did well to come out and claim before he could claim his hat-trick.
The final chance in four minutes of added came for Cray when Leader played more further forward and found Dadson who from inside the area saw his near post shot blocked by a combination of Kamurasi and McLennan.
Despite the pressure Cray couldn’t score to salvage a point and now drop down to fourth in the table as Corinthian Casuals moved into the second automatic promotion spot behind Lewes and Carshalton are up to third. The Wands are three points clear of Greenwich Borough who are fifth and four ahead of Walton Casuals in sixth.
Ashford had worked extremely hard with a few new faces in their team and they can look back on a satisfactory afternoon in which they soaked up a lot of Cray pressure and despite being under the cosh managed twice to take the lead and defended solidly.
With this being the last game in February, Cray will be hoping for better fortune in March starting with a game against in-form Whyteleafe next Saturday before their next away match not far down the road from Ashford at Hythe Town on 10th March. The Wands have now won just one of their last six games but with 10 games to go have plenty still to play for.
Ashford United: George Kamurasi, Ola Willams (Clark Woodcock, 81), George McLennan, Will Thomas, Jahmal Howlett Mundle, Pat Kingwell (Capt.), Jordan Johnson-Palmer, Dave Cook, Dean Grant, Sid Sollis (Matt Day, 74), Daniel Ajakaiye.
Subs not used: Brandon Williams, Aaron Lee Wharton,
Booked: Williams, Cook.
Cray Wanderers: Nick Blue, Ben Mundele, Barney Williams, Jay Leader, Mitchell Nelson, Zak Henry, Dean Carpenter (Capt.), Michael Freiter (Karl Dent, 83), Charlie MacDonald (Michael Power, 76), Aaron Rhule, Brandon Scott (Junior Dadson, 76).
Subs not used: Marcus Evans, Joe Vines.
Booked: Rhule
Referee: Simon Finnigan
Assistant Referees: Zoltan Konkoly, Kane O’Beirne
Att: 198