Cray Wanderers picked up a hard fought three points in a battling Bank Holiday encounter with Margate at Hayes Lane thanks to a solitary goal from Danny Bassett just before the half hour.
Cray started the game on the front foot with Ben Krauhaus and Sam Wood combing well down the left and the young Bromley loanee had a couple of efforts on goal blocked.
Nyren Clunis had a shot saved by Amadou Tangara after a strong run and with The Wands still pressing Clunis was fouled on the edge of the box and soon after had to go off injured.
With the game developing a very physical edge the physios were kept busy with eight minutes of injury time at the end of the half.
After Bassett had replaced Clunis and he was quickly involved in the action, putting Cray in from on 28 minutes when he picked up a Wood pass down the left and drove into the box before coolly slotting the ball past Tanagara into the far corner of the net for 1-0.
Former Cray player Cameron Brodie went closest for Margate with a shot that deflected wide and the visitors pressed late on with Cray keeper Shaun Rowley making a strong challenge to deny Fjord Rogers on the edge of the area and then making a great save from the ex-Cray striker after a dangerous corner from Kieran McCann to preserve Neil Smith’s team’s lead.
The second half saw Cray start well again, A Wood corner was turned wide by Mitchell Chapman and Anthony Cook touched the ball just wide latching on to a great ball by Billy Crook just inside the box.
As the half went on Margate came back into things, Brodie fired over from the edge of the area and then a mad scramble in the box from a corner saw the ball cleared off the line by a combination of Roman Charles-Cook and Jalen Jones after Rowley had fumbled the ball.
Harrison Hatfull then shot wide for Gate and another goalmouth scramble saw Rowley eventually gather the ball after it had deflected off Sam Blackman in the six yard box.
An awful challenge on Gary Lockyer by Lewis Knight out wide saw him quite fortunate to only receive a yellow card as tempers began to fray again.
Cray had a chance late on with Lockyer volleying a Wood cross just wide, but as they entered four additional minutes, the tireless work rate from the home team saw them chase every ball and close down Margate to restrict their chances of coming back into things and it was enough to secure a hard earned win, which takes them up to seventh in the Isthmian League Premier Division table.
Next up for The Wands is their FA Cup tie away at Bognor Regis Town next Saturday.
Cray: Rowley, Charles-Cook, Wood, Christie, Jones, Chapman, Krauhaus (Skeffington 79), Crook, Cook, Clunis (Bassett 25), Derry (Lockyer 73).
Subs Not Used: Bentley, Ademiluiyi.
Margate: Tangara, Barton (Hatfull 58), Fisher, Brodie, Knight, Hudson, Blackman, Rogers, McCann, (Bessy-Saldanna 68), Greenhalgh (Smith 82), Howard.
Subs Not Used: Ojeman, Deslandes.
HT 1-0 FT 1-0
Goal: Bassett 28mins.
Att: 312
Referee: Stuart Kyle.