Despite going a goal down and losing Andre Coker and Mitchell Nelson to injury early in the second half Cray Wanderers battled back to pick up a hard fought point at home to East Thurrock Utd at Hayes Lane on Saturday afternoon.
The game got off to a lively start with Ben Mundele having a shot saved by Jack Giddens, but the home side struggled to get their usual rhythm going against a tough Thurrock side who gave them no time on the ball.
Veteran Rocks striker Danny Pugh forced a save from Lewis Carey and then saw another effort go narrowly wide soon after when one on one with The Wands keeper. Cray slowly got going, getting the ball down and playing it out wide.
Tom Murphy rolled the ball just wide of the post after good work by the ever impressive Bradley Pritchard and Nelson was denied by Giddens following a Karl Dent free kick.
Murphy went close again as Cray piled on the pressure towards the end of the half with a series of free kicks and corners, Mundele seemingly the target for some very heavy challenges. Giddens made two more good saves in the final minutes from Dent’s shot and Harry Hudson’s header from a corner.
The second half got off to the worst possible start for Cray as they were caught cold conceding immediately, when Jordan Brown raced down the left and crossed for Pugh who flicked his header past Carey in off the far post.
Initially stunned The Wands then rallied when Mundele set up Joe Taylor who could only touch the ball wide on the stretch, but they then suffered double blow when Coker and Nelson limped off injured just before the hour mark.
Cray still kept pressing forward though, Tom Carlse playing in Taylor who was denied by Giddens with Charlie Allan hitting the top of the bar with the rebound.
Barney Williams set up Dent who hit the side netting, while the visitor’s best chance fell to Frankie Merrifield who collected a long ball that caught Hudson out, but the striker could only shoot wide from the edge of the box.
After another good spell The Wands finally levelled up on 74 minutes when Taylor played in Murphy who coolly took his chance from just inside the box clipping the ball home to equalise.
The game opened up for the final fifteen minutes with Thurrock having a series of corners at one end, while at the other Pritchard was denied by Giddens low down at his near post following good work by Jerome Frederico and Murphy drove the ball over from 25 yards.
The young Cray centre back pairing of Hudson and Geoffrey Okonkwo stood up really well to the test and The Wands could have won it late on when Allan played in Taylor, but the home side’s top scorer saw his shot deflected wide as he shot across goal.
This was Cray’s fifth draw of the league season so far and still keeps them ninth in their first season back up in the Isthmian League Premier Division. Tony Russell’s side now face Bowers & Pitsea at home on Wednesday night.
Cray: Carey, Williams (Frederico 79), Carlse, Nelson (Okonkwo 57), Hudson, Coker (Allan 57), Dent, Pritchard, Mundele, Murphy, Taylor.
Subs Not Used: Oduguwa, Parker.
East Thurrock: Giddens, Scott, Ring, Sheehan, Marlow, Olukoga, Crook, Pugh, Merrifield, Bonnett-Johnson (Harris 75), Gelashvili (Brown 43).
Subs Not Used: Coventry-James, Gilbey.
HT 0-0 FT 1-1
Goals: Cray – Murphy 74mins – East Thurrock – Pugh 46mins.
Att: 174
Ref: Mr Conall Bartlett