This certainly wasn’t an advert for Ryman Premier League football that will live long in the memory, but for Thamesmead Town it took them to within touching distance of climbing out of the division’s bottom four for the first time this season, whilst for Cray Wanderers, there can be little to cheer their loyal band of fans this festive period!

The points for the home side mean that their continuing improvement continues – it’s now just one defeat in nine for Keith McMahon’s side – takes the Mead to just three points from fifth bottom East Thurrock United.

The win also secured the home side’s first double of the season, “a big double too” admitted McMahon. “we’ve got to win games like this against teams around us.”

“It’s beginning to tighten up at the bottom so this win was important as it was that we don’t want to get dragged back in as we’ve played a few more games than everyone else.”

“Especially where we are, points on the board are really important at the this time and we got them today and it was comfortable. 2-1 was the result despite their last goal but if we had come in at half time leading by five or six, no one could have complained.”

“Same again in the second half – first 25 minutes we’ve had the chances, but that’s the difference in this League – you have to take your chances whether you’re playing top or bottom!”

“It was important we didn’t lost today and in the end thought we thoroughly deserved the win”

The home side hit the woodwork no fewer than five times during the course of the game, had two scrambled off of the line and missed a second half penalty as two wonderful strikes from Theo Fairweather Johnson and debutant Rashid Kamara sealed the points – Kamara was an inspiration on debut and deservedly won the sponsored Man of the Match award.

Before the game Cray were hit by the recall of England under 18 keeper Charlie Grainger to League One leaders Leyton Orient for the trip to Priestfield after a training ground injury.

If that wasn’t bad enough for Micky Chapman’s side, Thamesmead hit the ground running and totally dominated the opening half.

Junior Baker’s downward header bounced just wide; Baff Addae was denied by replacement keeper Ladar Kone as he clawed the ball out from under the cross bar, before Shamir Mullings was denined by Jidi Madualo’s last gasp challenge denied the Mead front man after Baker had nodded down Jordan Hibbert’s free kick.

The home side eventually took the lead seven minutes from half time courtesy of a screamer from Theo Fairweather Johnson. He picked the ball up just inside the Cray half and from fully 30 yards arrowed a drive beyond the despairing Kone and into the top left hand corner.

Cray almost grabbed an equaliser just before half time when Aaron Rhule’s driven cross was just too far in front of the stretching Tommy Whitnell at the back post.

The opening quarter of an hour “belonged” to home skipper Lewis Tozer, even if he will choose to forget it very quickly. On 54 minutes, Kamara and Addae combined down the left, and as Addae was brought down, up stepped the Mead skipper to strike the penalty only for Kone to guess rightly as he dived to block.

Tozer was then booked for a clumsy foul before a clash of heads left his head swathed in bandages as he re entered the fray looking similar to Terry Butcher all those years ago.

Both keepers the excelled – Mead keeper Rob Budd pulled off a great save to deny Whitnell’s low drive which was arrowing into the bottom left corner of the net, whilst at the other end Kone produced a fine back pedalling save to tip the ball over.

Indeed from the resulting corner sub Mo Conteh smacked a shot of the face of the crossbar from an acute angle. The substitute was again denied by the woodwork when a fine run saw his shot beat Kone and bounce to safety off of the right post before with 15 minutes left Kamara sealed the win with another pile driver.

Great combination play across the park found the new man coming on off the wing and he took aim and sent the ball arrowing into the top left hand corner with poor Kone flailing once again!

Yet there was still some fight from the visitors and Alex Stavrinou’s low drive into the corner with five minutes left set alarm bells ringing for the home side.

Yet it was Thamesmead who again went closest as first Kamara’s shot cannoned off of Kone and just out of reach of Conteh, and then in stoppage time, it was Sean Roberts’ turn to hit the wood work with a free kick that thudded into the bar and away to safety.

In the end it was a very comfortable three points for the home side and means that they travel to the Metropolitan Police who are just two places outside the bottom four for another vital game on Saturday – a point that manager McMahon acknowledged afterwards.

He said, “Another massive game for us – sadly we’re without Junior who’s suspended but confident if we go there and get a draw that’s a good result for us and keeps us in touch with the sides immediately above us.”

“This is why we worked so hard last year to get promoted to play in games like these…”

For Cray, this was just the latest in the series of disappointing results and continues their long hard winter…

THAMESMEAD TOWN – Rob Budd, Richard Butler, Jay Porter, Jordan Hibbert, Lewis Tozer, Junior Baker, Sean Roberts, Baff Addae, Shamir Mullings (Mo Conteh 69), Rashid Kamara, Theo Fairweather Johnson (Lawre Azeez 78)

Subs – Danny Phillips, Rob Carter, Chris Saunders

CRAY WANDERERS – Ladar Kone, Dmitri Larin, Nathan Simpson, Aaron Day, Ugo Udoji, Jidi Madualo, Alex Stavrinou, Jack Sherratt (Jason Henry 81), Tommy Whitnell, Josh Oyinsan (Tom O’Connor 49), Aaron Rhule

Subs – Carlos Talbot, Rhys Coleman, Adrian Stone

Referee – Mr N Dunn
Assistants – Mr G Heron & Mr J Horne