The curtain was brought down on a dramatic 2016 for Cray Wanderers as they once again summoned all their powers of recovery to grab a point after going two goals behind against ten man Ramsgate at Hayes Lane.

The visitors looked like they would inflict a third straight defeat for Cray after an early Tom Chapman header and a Aaron Millbank penalty just after the half hour gave Ramsgate a two goal half time lead and a semblance of control.  In quite a feisty match they were reduced to ten men five minutes after the break when Oliver Gray was sent off for a second bookable offence and looked to have withstood Cray pressure until with eight minutes to go, Danny Haynes notched his 23^rd goal of the season to give the Wands hope.  With the game two minutes into injury time Cray levelled when Jey Siva’s deflected shot salvaged a deserved point.

Cray made one change to the side which lost against Greenwich on Boxing Day with Sean Roberts starting in place of Lea Dawson.

Ramsgate also lost on Boxing Day at home to Herne Bay but got off to a flyer in this game catching Cray cold after just 1 min 50 on the clock.  The hard working Aaron Millbank found Joe Kane down the right who swung over a cross which was met by the head of Tom Chapman who steered the ball past an advancing Nick Blue from just inside the penalty area.

It took the Wands a little while to recover from this and Ramsgate came close again when Luke Girt fizzed a shot wide of the left post from twenty yards.  Then Alfie Paxman played in Chapman again who took the ball round Blue but his shot was blocked by Jey Siva.

It was evident though that Ramsgate could look after themselves and saw both full backs, Kane and Jack Penny booked for fairly cynical tackles with Karl Dent in particular taking some rough treatment.

The Wands created their first real opening in the 16^th minute when Dent’s pass found Danny Haynes who ran on and his shot was saved well by the feet of keeper Luke Watkins.

For Ramsgate, Girt fired well wide from distance and then Chapman saw an effort parried away well by Blue.  Meanwhile Jay Leader had to have treatment for a mouth injury and Tony Russell made a tactical change when Timi Osidobu came on for makeshift right back Dane Luchford.

Cray came close again when Sean Roberts found Haynes on the right of the area and curled in a shot which Watkins got down well to save.

In the 31^st minute, Ramsgate took advantage of a rare mistake from Leader when Chapman latched on to a bad pass, strode on and was bundled over in the box by Paul Lorraine for a penalty for which he was booked.  A minute later after Chapman was helped to his feet, Millbank fired home the penalty and things started to look bleak.  Efforts from Paxman which was blocked and Kane which was held by Blue carried Ramsgate on the offensive.

Before half time though, Cray began to carve out openings in particular for Haynes.  A typical jinking run from Brandon Scott down the right saw his make his way close to the by line, pulled a cross back and Haynes slightly on the turn saw his effort acrobatically turned behind by Watkins.  From the corner, Siva’s ball to the near post was headed wide by Haynes.

With the game still a bit fractious with Haynes and then Oliver Gray receiving his first yellow card before half time, the Wands came close again when Haynes down the left beat the offside trap but his attempted lob was pushed up in the air by Watkins.

Finally for the half, Sol Taiwo curled a free kick wide of goal and at half time there was a feeling that perhaps we wouldn’t reach the 90 minutes with eleven a side.

Half Time:  0-2

Ramsgate appeared to have a semblance of control of the game at the break but made things harder for themselves five minutes after the restart when Gray was booked for the second time following another foul on Dent and had to play the last forty minutes plus a man down.

Cray were not really creating too many openings at this stage and Lea Dawson was introduced for Lorraine to help the midfield area.  From a free kick, from close to twenty five yards, Taiwo fired over the bar but Ramsgate seemed to be their own worst enemies and George Crimmen and Girt went in the book as did Prescott for Cray and it would seem their indiscipline might by Cray’s best chance of getting back in the game.

Unfortunately, Leader suffered a nose injury to go with his earlier blow and had to receive hospital treatment and was replaced by Sherwin Stanley.

This did seem to up Cray’s game a bit and Dent fired just wide of goal cutting free from the tackles and in the 68^th minute came close when Siva down the left found Haynes who hit a first time shot which went narrowly past the right post.

It looked it was going to be one of those afternoon’s for Cray when a minute later Stanley turned the ball into the net from Osidobu’s cross was deemed to be offside.

This was followed by Haynes using his pace to break through the tiring Ramsgate defence but his effort was blocked by the keeper.  The follow up fell to Dent whose goalbound effort was cleared off the line by Kane.

This seemed to knock Cray’s confidence for a short while but Sean Roberts saw an effort blocked and then Haynes fired straight at Watkins as time started to tick away.

Cray though are a very determined and resilient side and got themselves back in the game in the 82^nd minute when Stanley set up Haynes who finally got the goal his display merited with a crisp drive past Watkins to set up a grandstand finale.

This actually seemed to inspire Ramsgate who hadn’t really threatened during the second half came close when Millbank cut in from the left and hit a fine drive which Blue got down well to save.

Then with Cray looking to grab a goal were almost caught with a classic breakaway when Paxmain played in Penny whose shot cannoned back off the right post.

Cray kept going and Taiwo and Haynes fired over the top as the game was about to enter what was five minutes of added time.

In the second minute, the Wands were awarded a free kick twenty five yards from goal.  Haynes slipped a pass through to Siva down the left who hit a shot which was deflected past Watkins by the unfortunate Kane for his first goal for Cray to help grab a point.

The game then ran its course and finished in a 2-2 draw which keeps Cray in 10^th place in the table on 40 points, whilst Ramsgate remain 20^th in the table seven points clear of the bottom three.

Cray:   Nick Blue, Dane Luchford (Timi Osidobu, 16), Jey Siva, Jay Leader (Capt.) (Sherwin Stanley, 65), Paul Lorraine (Lea Dawson, 53), Lee Prescott, Danny Haynes, Karl Dent, Brandon Scott: Subs:  Anthony Adesite, Jai McKinlay

Booked:          Lorraine, Haynes, Prescott

Ramsgate:  Luke Watkins, Joe Kane (Capt.), Jack Penny, George Crimmen, Luke Wheatley, Oliver Gray, Macauley Murray (Jake Munday, 76(, Luke Girt, Aaron Millbank, Tom Chapman, Alfie Paxman (Joshua Donnelly, 90+1):  Subs:  Mitchell Laing, Lloyd Blackman, Jacob Mensah

Sent Off:         Gray 50 (2 cautions)

Booked:          Penny, Kane, Crimmen, Girt

 

Referee:          Ryan Whitaker

Assistants:     Wally James, Joe Kasper                 

 

Attendance:   158