Cray suffered more disappointment at home as they lost to the only goal of the game despite dominating the second half at a wet and windy Hayes Lane on Saturday afternoon.

The Wands started brightly with James Mascoll tearing down the right and sending in a dangerous cross that Fraser Blake-Tracy had to turn wide for a corner, but from there it was an open end to end affair.

Dereham went close with a Luke Tuttle free kick that hit the foot of the post before Nick Blue gathered the rebound and Grant Basey hit the bar with a deep cross for Cray.

Karl Dent fired over for the home side who looked good down either wing with Mascoll and Ade Osifuwa causing The Magpies problems.

Ryan Crisp put a great chance over the bar for the visitors and despite the promising signs from Tony Russell’s men, they fell behind on 31 minutes.

A deep free kick from Dion Frary caused indecision in the Cray defence and Tuttle pounced on the loose ball to make it 1-0 with a cool side foot from ten yards.

Basey had a free kick saved for The Wands and Ben Hunt had a shot blocked after more good work from Osifuwa as the half came to an end but Dereham held on.

Cray came out looking like the meant business in the second half, James Duckworth and Sean Roberts had a shots saved by Will Viner and Aryan Tajbakhsh fired narrowly wide from distance, but The Magpies still posed a threat on the break.

Crisp having a shot saved by Blue low down to his left before Ben Payne cleared the danger. Duckworth went close with a free kick for Cray and also slid the ball just wide from a great Osifuwa cross and Tajbakhsh hit another powerful effort narrowly wide, but in the final ten minutes Cray lost momentum for a while.

In injury time Payne twisted and turned finding space in the box only to hit the inside of the post and see it bounce out to safety.

The final chance of the game saw Ray Powell head a Tom Youngs cross wide as the home side finished frustrated by their hard working opponents who took a rare chance and defending resolutely.

The Wands now travel to Bury Town next Saturday looking to find a way back to winning ways and keeping their play off hopes alive.

 

Cray: Blue, Osifuwa, Basey, Leader, Payne, Dawson, Roberts (Powell 80), Dent (Tajbakhsh 45), Hunt, Mascoll (Youngs 75), Duckworth.

Subs Not Used: Carpenter, Faulkner.

Dereham: Viner, Anema, Blake-Tracy, Morphew, Howard, Frary, Butcher (Green 75), Borrer, Tuttle (Bilasik 86), Linford, Crisp (Bussens 75).

Goals:  Tuttle 31mins – Dereham .

HT 0-1 FT 0-1

Att: 91

Referee: Mr J Simpson