Injury hit Cray Wanderers picked up a vital three points with a hard fought victory against high flying Enfield Town at Hayes Lane on Friday night thanks to goals in each half from debutant Tolu Oyebola & Ellis Brown.
With both sides wearing their change kits it was a game between the home side in grey camo and the visitors in purple, which took a while to get used to.
Enfield started the game on top, Sam Youngs and Dylan Adjei-Hersey going close early on. Joshua Okotcha had a header from a corner cleared off the line by Frankie Raymond, before Cray’s first chance saw Gary Lockyer latch on to a ball from Eammanual Kwatchey and fire just wide.
The Wands suffered a big blow on 18 minutes when Jack Holland had to go off with a groin injury with David Ijaha deputising at centre back next to Cameron Black.
Black made a superb saving tackle to deny Reece Beckles-Richards and from the resulting corner Youngs headed over. Then against the run of play Neil Smith’s side took the lead on 26 mteinus when a Sam Wood free kick from 35 yards out was headed home by Oyebola on his debut to make it 1-0.
Cray had a good spell following the goal going into the break, but Marcus Wyllie did have a shot well saved by Shaun Rowley when Town broke up field.
Enfield started the second half on top, but Cray posed a real danger on the break. Brown just failed to connect with a great pass from Alfie Evans and Brown then set up Lockyer who shot narrowly wide.
The key second goal for The Wands came just before the hour mark when a long ball up field by Rowley was flicked on by Lockyer and Brown crashed a half volley past Rhys Forster from the edge of the area to make it 2-0.
Youngs forced another save from Rowley as Enfield looked to respond and they had a series of corners, which the home side managed to repel. Locky set up Brown again, but this time the Cray Number 7 sent his shot wide across the goal.
With The Wands looking confident George Brooke set up Evans who had a shot saved by Forster and with over five minutes left Brooke then played a great pass to Mascoll on the overlap with the Cray left back choosing to take the ball to the corner flag to run some time down.
Sam Wood had a long range effort saved by Forster before Enfield had a strong spell of pressure in the five minutes of added on time, but The Wands held out with some industrial defending and they even had two more chances on the break, with Evans & Brown setting up Lockyer who had a short saved, before Brooke fired over after more good work from Evans right on the whistle.
This was a much improved showing from Cray Wands, keeping their second clean sheet in a row and they now move up to sixteenth in the table ahead of their next home game on New Year’s Day when they entertain Hastings Utd.
CWFC – Rowley, Kwatchey, Black, Holland (Evans 18), Macoll, Ijaha, Brown, Woodm Raymond, Lockyer, Oyebola (Brooke 77).
Subs Not Used: Thompson, Dembele, Kusei-Gabriel.
ETFC – Forster, Parcell, Payne, Thomas, McKenzie, Okotcha, Youngs, Asjei-Hersey (Taffe 61), Knight, Wyllie, Beckles-Richards (Hippolyte 64).
Subs Not Used: Donellan, Connolly, Souyla-Osekanogo.
Goals: Oyebola 26, Brown 58mins.
Att: 307
HT 1-0 FT 2-0