Cray Wanderers continued their unbeaten start to the Bostik South-East season with victory at Herne Bay to go eight points clear at the top of the table.
On a glorious early autumnal afternoon Cray came close several times to opening the scoring in the first half Jerome Federico, Junior Dadson, Freddie Parker and Ben Mundele all unlucky not to score and Jay Leader headed against the crossbar. The game evened up towards the break with Herne Bay having a couple of opportunites.
Cray thought took only two minutes after the restart to take the lead with a high quality piece of finishing from Mundele. The Wands then went two nil up twenty minutes from time when Tom Phipp scored his first senior goal for Cray from the penalty spot after Sean Roberts was brought down. Herne Bay made it a nervy last ten minutes when they pulled a goal back also from a penalty through Jake Embery. Cray though were able to see the game out and their task was made easier when Danny Rumbol was sent off in the final minute for hauling back Parker.
The Wands were looking to return to winning ways after the FA Trophy defeat at Canvey Island last Saturday and to take to a mini break next weekend with no scheduled match. There was one change from last weekend with Bradley Pritchard starting in place of Malik Solebo.
On a warm and pleasant day, the game got off to an electric start with Cray looking fluent going forward and created a number of chances in the first ten minutes.
Firstly Ben Mundele saw a shot which keeper Jordan Beeney got down to save and then did well to claim Jerome Federico cross shot out on the right.
After four minutes Cray came closer still when the very impressive Sean Roberts played the ball out to Federico whose right wing cross to the back post found Junior Dadson who miskicked his attempted volley but the ball fell nicely to him but fired over from six yards.
Then Pritchard played a neat ball through to Freddie Parker who from seven yards didn’t get a firm connection to his shot and Beeney was able to smother the ball.
Herne Bay though offered pace going forward and Michael-Frazer Osunkoya down the left fired a shot which just went over the bar.
In the 19th minute, a patient passing buildup from Cray which started out on the left with Pritchard to the fore, the ball switched out to Mundele down the right who took on Simon Kabamba and from just inside the area arched a shot towards the top corner and Beeney did very well to tip the ball one handed over the bar for a corner.
Then two minutes later Federico set up Roberts who hit a sweet strike from 20 yards which went just past the right post.
Herne Bay created their best chance of the half when Jake Embery and Miles Cornwell combined to set up Osunkoya who fired narrowly over the bar from 14 yards.
Just before the half hour Roberts found Parker in space who took on Ben Gorham and from inside the area hit a decent driven shot which Beeney did well to save at the second attempt.
The game quietened down for a few minutes after a blistering opening but five minutes before half time Cray came closest yet to breaking through when Pritchard’s right wing corner was met by a towering header from Jay Leader which thudded back off the crossbar.
For Herne Bay Tom Carlton shot over the bar but at half time despite a lot of quality football played there were no goals.
Half Time: 0-0
Much like the game at VCD at the end of September, Cray began the second half in a powerhouse mood and two minutes after the restart went ahead with a goal out of nothing from Mundele. The ball had been worked from the left out to Mundele who strode on and from the edge of the area similar to his shot in the first half which was tipped over this time cracked a shot into the top left hand corner giving Beeney no chance to save.
Herne Bay almost got back on level terms straight away when Cornwell managed to work his way into the area from the left and his shot was pushed behind well by Nick Blue who hadn’t had much to do to that point.
Cray were looking to put daylight between the teams and Parker set up Dadson who fired just wide of the right post. This was followed by Pritchard shooting wide from Parker’s cutback.
Then from a left wing corner Phipp flicked the ball to the back post to Leader who looked to cut the ball back to the left post but Phipp was unable to connect with the cross.
Herne Bay weren’t helped second half by receiving a couple of injuries to key players Matt Fry and skipper Gorham who both had to leave the field with their knocks. 
Cray continued to attack with great quality and Federico down the right fired a shot just over the top. Then Dadson down the left saw a near post shot pushed out by Beeney. Then Phipp found Pritchard whose attempted lob was claimed by the keeper and Federico’s cross was put wide by Dadson.
Herne Bay were very much still in the game and a cross from Alex Mulrooney-Skinner was volleyed over by Sami Mexiane.
Cray were given the chance to go 2-0 up with twenty minutes to go when Roberts who deserved a goal for his all action display was upended just inside the left of the penalty area by Danny Leonard for a penalty award. Up stepped Tom Phipp who calmly fired into the bottom left corner from the spot to claim his first Cray Wanderers goal.
From here it seemed that the game was almost done but Herne Bay got back into the game with a penalty award of their own in the 81st minute. From a right wing corner from Carlton towards the far post Leader was adjudged to have impeded a player in the box and Embery scored his 13th goal of the season.
It could have been a tense and testing last few minutes for Cray but they managed to withstand any potential storm and Malik Solebo looked to claim his first goal for Cray down the right but his shot at the near post was held by Beeney.
Just as the game was about to enter stoppage time, Herne Bay were reduced to ten men when Parker burst through and was hauled back by substitute Danny Rumbol and was deemed possibly the last man and was sent off.
Herne Bay had hung in the game well but that really gave Cray the extra space and time to see out the remaining minutes and pick up their ninth win out of ten played and take them to 28 points, eight clear of Phoenix Sports in second place.
Cray had played some sumptuous football at times during the game and certainly deserved their victory but Herne Bay are not at all a bad side and you feel despite their lowly league position have enough to steer clear of any relegation danger.
The Wands now take a little break next weekend before going on their travels to a first ever visit to in-form Haywards Heath Town on 3rd November.
Cray Wanderers: Nick Blue, Ben Mundele, Barney Williams (Capt), Jay Leader, Mitchell Nelson, Tom Phipp, Sean Roberts, Bradley Pritchard, Freddie Parker, Junior Dadson, Jerome Federico (Malik Solebo, 71): Subs: Karl Dent, Zak Henry, Archie Johnson, Marcus Evans
Herne Bay: Jordan Beeney, Simon Kabamba, Raphe Brown, Ben Gorham (Capt.) (Danny Rumbol, 68), Matt Fry (James White, 52), Danny Leonard, Alex Mulrooney-Skinner, Tom Carlton, Jake Embery, Miles Cornwell, Michael-Frazer Osunkoya (Sami Mexiane, H/T): Subs: James Belcher, Eniyelayefa Amgbaduba
Sent Off: Rumbol 90
Booked: Cornwell, Fry, Mulrooney-Skinner