Cray Wanderers FA Cup adventure for 2017-18 came to an end in the Preliminary Round as SCEFL Premier Sevenoaks Town emerged victorious in a rip roaring cup tie at Hayes Lane.

The Wands were hoping to make home advantage tell in a rare competitive encounter between the two sides but Sevenoaks showed a lot of enterprise and took a two goal lead into the break leaving Cray with a mountain to climb.

Both sides could have scored in the opening five minutes but it was Sevenoaks who scored first after eight minutes when Tom Young coolly slotted home from Jimmy Rogers through ball.

Young then became provider for the second goal setting up Billy Bennett for a clinical strike in the 35^th minute.

Cray though found their true form after the break and pulled a goal back in the 49^th minute with Luke Medley scoring his first of the season tucking home from Ben Mundele’s pull back.

Sevenoaks though soaked up the pressure and scored a third in the 69^th minute when Young beat the offside trap to lift the ball over Nick Blue to give the visitors breathing space.

Cray pulled a second goal back in the 80^th minute when Freddie Parker soared high to head in off the post to set up a grandstand finish.  The Wands almost pulled the game round in stoppage time but Karl Dent’s effort was cleared off the line.

Cray had drawn their first two league games whilst Sevenoaks beat Broadbridge Heath in the previous round had a 50/50 start to their league campaign beating Chatham Town on the opening day of the season before losing at Cray Valley on Wednesday night.

The game started at a very fast pace and Sevenoaks could have scored in the 2^nd minute.  Good work by Tom Young down the left saw the ball played into Andy Irvine who set up Jimmy Rogers whose close range effort was headed off the line by Jay Leader.

Jay showed his strength at the other end shortly after when from a corner down the left, Karl Dent’s cross to the far post was met by Leader whose header was pushed behind well by Craig Holloway.  From the second corner the ball to the near post came to Mitchell Nelson whose effort was blocked.

There was no time to really draw breath and in the 8^th minute, Sevenoaks took the lead when Rogers put a delightful ball over the top through to Young who burst on, took the ball round the advancing Nick Blue and calmly placed the ball into the net.

A couple of minutes later, it should really have been 2-0 when Harrison Carnigie set up Jack Miles inside the area but he turned the ball wide with Blue to beat.

Unfortunately in the build up to that move, Barney Williams suffered concussion and had to be replaced in the 14^th minute and had to go to hospital for inspection.  We all wish Barney well and hope he’ll be back soon.  In his place came central defender Marcus Evans for his senior Wands debut with Mitchell Nelson switching to right back.

Cray looked to get back into the game and Dent who carried on his fine form of the early weeks set up Mundele who burst forward but fired the ball over the bar.

Then, a neat build up saw Dent switch the ball to the right to Brandon Scott who hoisted a cross to the far post for Mundele but was well defended knocked behind for a corner by Miles.

Dent’s delivery from corners was excellent and from another right wing cross the ball fell again to Leader but the came too quickly too him and Holloway was able to smother the ball.

For Sevenoaks a Steve Camacho cross was met by the head of Irvine but couldn’t get enough direction with the header and Blue came to gather the ball.

In the 35^th minute, Sevenoaks scored a second goal and was again very well worked.  Started down the left by the live wire Young he cut to the edge of the area and squared the ball across to Billy Bennett who hit a sweet strike from just inside the area.

As half time neared Cray looked to reduce the arrears but had no luck in and around the area.  Firstly, Scott was denied at the near post by the legs of Holloway.

Then from a free kick, 20 yards out on the left, Dent’s ball into the area Holloway did well to get to the ball before Lea Dawson who was ready to knock the ball in.  Then Mundele was denied by a combination of good goalkeeping and defending to block his close range effort.

Half Time: 0-2

If Cray were to pull the game around they needed to get a goal early in the second half and it duly arrived four minutes after the restart.  Leader strode forward and played the ball out to the left to Mundele who charged to the byline and cut the ball back to Medley who from five yards knocked the ball into the net.

The game was now definitely alive as a cup tie and three minutes later came perhaps a turning point of the game.  Cray were awarded a free kick twenty five yards from goal.  From the kick Dent played the ball cleverly to Michael Frieter who hit an instinctive shot which was heading for the roof of the net had it not been for a fine save by Holloway pushing the ball over for a corner.

The pressure was now starting to build and Evans played the ball out to Scott who in turn set up Frieter who from a tight angle fired over the bar.

Sevenoaks had been under the cosh but managed to weather the storm and got a second wind and almost scored a third with Young denied by a brave block by Blue down the right.

Then Young was set up again by Bennett who ran on and as Blue came out, took the ball round him but as he was about to shoot was denied by a fine blocked tackle by Evans.

For Cray another free kick from Dent was met by the head of Dawson but could only direct his header towards Holloway who gathered the ball.  For the visitors, Byron Walker’s shot was safely gathered by Blue.

The next goal in the game would be crucial and it came for Sevenoaks in the 69^th minute.  Paul Springett played a ball through which caught out the offside trap and former Bolton youngster Young, raced on and lofted the ball very expertly over Blue and into the net.  It was probably a goal worthy of winning any game whatever your allegiance.

Cray looked to stay in the tie and Scott hit a drive which Holloway saved but the visitors would be penned in in the final ten minutes as Cray sought the goals which would bring about at least a replay.

They pulled one goal back ten minutes from time when from a right wing corner, the ball came to Frieter who put over a cross which was met emphatically by substitute Freddie Parker who rose above a couple of headers to direct a header which went into the net via the left post.  This was his first goal for Cray and looks a tremendous talent.

Cray laid a siege to the Sevenoaks goal in the final five minutes with Scott set up by Parker but firing over the bar.

Then Anthony Adesite and Frieter combined to find Mundele who was working tirelessly and with his back to goal turned and fired in a shot at the near post which was saved.

Then Dent made a great run forward and from 30 yards fizzed in a shot which narrowly screamed wide of the left post.

Finally in the second minute of injury time, Cray were denied again as Dent surged onto the end of Frieter’s pass and dinked the ball towards goal but was cleared off the line twice as Dent followed up the first block.

It just wanted to be and Cray had certainly finished the game the stronger with Sevenoaks looking out on their feet but it was Town who held on and pulled off for them a very impressive victory against a higher ranked side in Cray.

Cray now can concentrate on Wednesday’s Kent Senior Cup tie with Thamesmead and a look to getting a winning league run going next weekend.

With the team perhaps not at their strongest through injury or because of unavailable players the team will have better days as the season progresses.  However the real winner today was the game of football as this was a really cracking game between two attack minded sides with a great amount of sweat expended in the greatest cup competition of them all.

 

Cray Wanderers: Nick Blue, Barney Williams (Marcus Evans, 14), Timi Osidobu, Jay Leader, Mitchell Nelson, Lea Dawson (Capt.), Ben Mundele, Karl Dent, Luke Medley (Freddie Parker, 72), Michael Frieter, Brandon Scott (Anthony Adesite, 87).

Subs not used: Joe Vines, Sean Law, Dean Carpenter

 

Sevenoaks Town: Craig Holloway, Steve Camacho, Greg Benbow, Jimmy Rogers, Jack Miles, Corey Holder, Harrison Carnigie (Brett Ince, 73), Paul Springett, Andy Irvine (Byron Walker, 65), Billy Bennett (Darren Marsden, 65), Tom Young.

Subs not used:  Marvin Okundalaiye, Joe Bingham

 

Booked:          Camacho, Holloway  

 

 

Referee: Shaun Farrer

Assistant Referees: Luke Chapman, Oliver Westgate

 

Att: 162

Pictures supplied by Jon Hilliger.