Cray Wanderers interest in the Kent Senior Cup this season came to an end as Ebbsfleet United advanced to the last eight with a very professional performance at a very wet Stonebridge Road and hit the Wands with five goals without reply.
Cray managed to hold the Fleet at bay for 35 minutes but goals in the last ten minutes of the half from Toby Edser and then right on half time courtesy of a fine Billy Clifford strike made it 2-0 at the break.
The Wands got off to a poor start to the second half and conceded three goals in the ten minutes after the interval as goals from Nathan Odonkonyero, a second from Edser and then from Greg Cundle threatened to submerge Cray totally in the wet conditions. There were no further goals and Cray worked hard in the last half hour but on the night Ebbsfleet had shown their class and quality.
Cray were looking to build on the positives of the FA Trophy win against Chesham United on Saturday and named a very strong lineup with just three changes with Tom Penfold, Sam Wood and Reggie Rye coming in for David Ijaha, Nyren Clunis and Jack Holland who was on the bench. Ebbsfleet were beaten by a stoppage time goal against Dagenham & Redbridge and won one of their last thirteen league and cup games and there were eight changes to Dennis Kutrieb’s side with only goalkeeper Mark Cousins, defender Luke O’Neill and midfielder Matthias Fanimo remaining from Saturday.
It was evident in the opening minutes that Ebbsfleet were going to dominate possession and they put some good passing moves together but the Wands were defending well and Shaun Rowley’s handling was excellent. The Fleet won a couple of early corners but their first real incision came in the 12th minute when Ben Chapman who had a fine game set up Nathan Odonkonyero down the left of the area and his near post effort was scuttled behind by Rowley for a corner.
It was Cray though in the 16th minute who had the first real opening of the game when down the right, Yahya Bamba cut inside and into the box and his cross-shot was pushed out by Mark Cousins who did well to save from Gary Lockyer’s follow up on the stretch.
Cray were able to repel Ebbsfleet’s attacks and defended stoutly but around the half hour mark, Fleet got well on top. Odonkonyero hit a shot from twenty five yards which was deflected behind for a corner. Then Jordan Ibe also tried his luck with a shot deflected past for another corner. At the other end, Sam Wood’s right wing cross towards the far post was glanced by Ellis Brown but Cousins was able to claim.
In the 35th minute Ebbsfleet got the goal they had been threatening when ex-Liverpool player, Ibe’s shot was pushed out well by Rowley but following up Toby Edser was on hand to score.
Ebbsfleet almost scored again two minutes later when Dominic Samuel beat the offside trap to bear down on goal but Rowley made a fine blocked save.
Just when it seemed Cray may go in at half time only one behind, just on the interval Ebbsfleet scored a second goal. From a free kick out on the right the ball came to Billy Clifford who from 25 yards hit a crisp strike which wrong footed Rowley and into the net.
HT: 2-0
The Wands got off to the worst possible start to the second half when just over thirty seconds in it was 3-0 when Clifford found Odonkoneyro down the left of the area and the former Bognor Regis Town striker stroked home into the bottom right corner to basically seal the win.
Cray looked to hit back and Bamba who had an industrious game hit a shot from outside the area which Cousins had to dive down to push out.
In the 53rd minute Ebbsfleeet scored a fourth when down the left, Luke O’Neill cut almost to the byline to square the ball to Edser who scored his second goal of the game.
Two minutes later it was starting to look very dodgy for Cray when Clifford set up substitute Greg Cundle who made no mistake from twelve yards.
It looked like damage limitation from this point and was almost six nil when Haydn Hollis saw a shot parried by Rowley.
Then from a corner down the right, O’Neill’s ball to the far post was glanced on by Clifford and came to Ben Chapman who volleyed over.
Cray introduced Jack Holland off the bench in the second half along with two members of the U18s squad, Cameron McQueen-Hinkley and Michael Ihiedi and things were more settled going into the latter stages,
Ebbsfleet came close again to a sixth when O’Neill’s cross was headed wide of the left post by Edser on a hat-trick.
Cray almost pulled a goal back when McQueen-Hinkley curled a fine effort just over the top and certainly the team never stopped working at this stage of the game and finished the match well.
The final effort for the Wands of the night came close to the end when from a free kick out on the left of the area, almost 25 yards from goal, Gary Lockyer fired the ball over the wall and Cousins did well to push the wet ball out possibly with his chest.
In the end Ebbsfleet were convincing winners and played well on the night but despite the scoreline Cray kept on going and probably really paid for the poor ten minutes after half time.
Cray next go into a crucial league match with Wingate & Finchley on Saturday looking to move out of the bottom three and look to build some momentum in November and start climbing the table whilst Ebbsfleet in 19th place in the National League next visit Hartlepool United on 11th November.
Ebbsfleet: Mark Cousins, Luke O’Neill, Ouss Cisse, Toby Edser, Billy Clifford, Matthias Fanimo (Haydn Hollis, H/T), Nathan Odonkonyero, Ben Chapman, Dominic Samuel (Greg Cundle, H/T), Jordan Ibe (Franklin Domi, 74), Myles Kenlock: Subs: Mustapha Olugardo,
Omari Sterling-James
Scorers: Edser 35, 53, Clifford 45, Odonkonyero 46, Cundle 55
Cray Wanderers: Shaun Rowley, Anthony Cook (Jack Holland, 62), Cameron Black, Tom Penfold, Jamie Mascoll, Frankie Raymond (Michael Ihiedi, 80), Sam Wood, Ellis Brown,
Reggie Rye (Cameron McQueen-Hinkley, 71), Yahya Bamba, Gary Lockyer: Subs: Hugo Webb,
Yousuf Hoque
Booked: Cook 50
Referee: Teddy Osborn
Assistants: Daniel Proctor, Mitchell Bush
Att: 237