It was a contest played in persistent rain from first kick to last between two relegated sides from last season, it was Keith McMahon and his Thamesmead side that maintained their unbeaten start to the season, whilst heaping more misery on Keith Bird, and his Cray side who slipped to the foot of the early Ryman North table.

Goals either side of half time deservedly earned the three points for the Mead, as firstly Tyrus Gordon-Young took advantage of a defensive slip to fire home gloriously from 20 yards past beleaguered Cray keeper Nick Taylor, before Rob Carter raced clear down the right and fired the ball into the bottom corner of the net.

Early on inside the opening 5 minutes Taylor performed heroics to keep out Jack Hopkins header (from Ashley Probets free kick), and Cray were again indebted to their keeper as he did brilliantly under great pressure to keep out Probets vicious in-swinging dead balls, before in their first real attack, the visitors had loud appeals for a penalty turned away by referee May as Ian Daly went down under pressure from the magnificent Lewis Tozer, who’s Man of the Match performance alongside another impressive performance from Richard Butler slammed the door in almost everything Cray had to offer on a very difficult and slippery playing surface.

With Stuart Zanone becoming an increasing handful in the ever worsening conditions under foot, it was little surprise that the opening goal was a result of a defensive slip as Tyrus took full advantage of his strike partners battling to drill home from an acute angle after 34 minutes. Indeed Zanone himself was desperately unlucky not to open his account as Cray keeper Taylor performed heroics as the striker raced through. Zanone had seemingly done enough to take the ball round the Cray keeper, before Taylor stuck out a left hand to leave the Mead striker frustrated. And then on the stroke of half time, Taylor again denied Zanone again by this time sprinting out of his box to fly hack the ball to safety as Zanone’s pace again took him clear.

The second half began in similar fashion as the Mead double the lead within eight minutes as Carter gloriously drove home after being put through down the inside right channel. Tyrus could then have had a second himself but sliced wide after he’d held off a defender.

Cray tried to respond as Ishmael Welsh surged into the Mead box only to be denied by that man Tozer again with a sensational sliding block. The home side quickly countered and Tyrus sliced wide after he muscled through to get on the end of a long clearance. Michael Spencer then went close for the home side as he fired in a 25 yard shot that went just wide after doing superbly well to make room for himself on the edge of the Cray box, before Simon Glover will have felt that he could have possibly done better as a Probets free kick got stuck under his feet on the edge of the six yard box.

Cray did rally late on with Shaun Welford having a shot on the turn well saved by keeper Rob Budd, before Tozer was a relieved man as he deflected Daly’s shot into the side netting. In the final minute, a sliding Welford couldn’t reach a driven cross but as the veteran striker ended in the Mead’s net sadly it summed up Cray’s afternoon.

The Mead though maintain their unbeaten record and left boss Keith McMahon a very happy man. “If you get two points a game over the course of a season, you’re always going to be there or there abouts and these points gives us 12 from six games,” the Mead boss said. “I thought Tozer was outstanding today, and I thought that Tyrus and Rob Carter never stopped running all afternoon. Stuart (Zanone) was a real handful, particularly in the first half – he’s had his knockers this season, but I’ve never been one of them, and he keeps performing for us!”

“We’ve got to be happy with the start and we’ve still got Derek Duncan to come back. Who’d have thought that a slight lock in a meaningless game could have kept him out for so long, but he was here today having an increased session and will hopefully may take some part in training on Thursday. Saturday’s Cup tie at South Park may be just that bit early for him, but we’ll see!”

THAMESMEAD TOWN – Budd, Spencer, Probets, Hopkins, Toze, Butler, Roberts, Glover, Gordon-Young Aziya 90), Zanone (Thompson 68), Carter (Ramadan 78)

Subs not used – Hallam and Murphy

CRAY WANDERERS – Taylor, Fakinos, Bird (Springett 72), Lye (Beckett 84), Humphrey, Talbot, Stubbs (Stone 59), O’Connor, Welford, Daly, Welsh

Subs not used – Fitzgerald and Behcut

Referee – Karl May
Assistants – Alex Stacchini and Piotr Zachwieja