Cray Wanderers continued their unbeaten start to 2020 and made it four successive wins after a come from behind victory at league leaders Worthing.
In a game where Cray lost three players to injury in the first half with Geofrey Okonkwo, Jay Leader and Lee Lewis having to leave the field and had to blood two debutants in Ehizojie Onoabhagbe and Femi Abatan.
The Wands fell a goal behind with a well taken strike from Reece Myles-Meekums in the 24th minute. The second half saw Cray claw their way back into the game and Joe Taylor scored his 29th goal of the season on 69 minutes when he latched onto Carey’s through ball.
Worthing were reduced to ten men six minutes from time when Jesse Starkey was sent off for a slightly mistimed challenge on Barney Williams. Then with the game entering its final minute, Cray went in front as Joel Rollinson placed a fine shot into the bottom right corner of the net.
Cray headed to Woodside Road in good heart after a seven match unbeaten run but without three key players with Ben Mundele suspended, Tom Phipp injured and Mitchell Nelson unavailable but Tom Carlse returned for his first game back since December and also Geofrey Okonkwo, Karl Dent and Joel Rollinson came in for Jerome Federico.
With two teams in fine form all the ingredients were there for a rip-roaring game and it certainly didn’t disappoint as the first half flashed by but was certainly filled with incident from a Cray Wanderers point of view.
Cray had the first opening of the game when Karl Dent’s ball towards the near post was just turned fractionally wide by Joel Rollinson.
Worthing looked threatening particularly through Reece Myles-Meekums who made an electric start to the game and following a corner helped set up Ricky Aguiar whose shot was blocked by Geofrey Okonkwo. Then Alex Parsons won the ball and found Myles-Meekums whose well hit shot was pushed out well by Lewis Carey.
Unfortunately Okonkwo had to leave the field with injury after 11 minutes and was replaced for his debut by former Crystal Palace U23s and Greenwich Borough centre-half Ehizojie Onoabhagbe.
Cray came close in the 14th minute to taking the lead when Bradley Pritchard found Taylor who broke down the right of the area and his cross-shot was well saved by the boot of Carl Rushworth.
Worthing though were having a decent spell of pressure and went in front on 24 minutes when Myles-Meekums cut inside and from close to the byline found space to drill a shot past Carey into the bottom left corner of the net.
Shortly after, Myles-Meekums again found space in the area but was denied a goal by a fine tackle from Tom Carlse. Then Myles-Meekums down the right set up Parsons who fired wide from the edge of the area.
Cray though were still in the game and from a free kick out on the right, Rhys Murrell-Williamson curled in a ball towards goal which eluded Rushworth but came back off the left post and into Rushworth’s arms before Taylor could get to the ball.
There was another blow when Jay Leader went down with a head injury going for a challenge and had to leave the field with cuts to his head and spend the second half in the hospital. He was replaced by Lee Lewis.
Before half time chances came to Cray when Pritchard found Rollinson who shot over the bar but the best chance fell to Worthing when Parsons set up Aguiar who seemed destined to score but Carey did superbly to get a hand to the ball to turn it wide of the right post.
The first half toll told even more when Lee Lewis was injured and was replaced by Stefan Abatan for his first team debut.
The second half began a little quieter but the first opening came to Worthing when Starkey’s ball in into the box went across goal but no-one got a touch.
Cray though were not out of the game and Abatan set up the impressive Murrell-Williamson who ran into the box and from 12 yards saw his shot pushed out by Rushmore who held the ball before Taylor could follow up. Then Abatan and Dent combined to set up Taylor who held off Aarran Racine but fired just over the bar.
Worthing then had a good spell and Aguiar set up Starkey whose shot from just outside the area was parried away well by Carey. Then from a corner the ball was flicked into the area and cleared off the line by Dent and back out and Barker’s ball towards goal was hacked off the line by the superb Barney Williams.
This proved key as in the 69th minute Cray were back on level terms, Carey’s ball forward sought out Taylor who won a race with Racine and ran on down the left of the area, round the keeper and calmly slotted in from 6 yards.
Now the game was end to end Murrell-Williamson fired over the bar for Cray. At the other end, Worthing almost regained the lead when Aguiar’s shot was pushed out by Carey and came out to Starkey whose left wing ball into the near post was flicked wide by Ollie Pearce.
Then from a free kick from the right edge of the area, Starkey saw his effort well saved by Carey. For Cray, Dent shot over the top from Williams’ pass.
The key moment, however, came six minutes from time. Starkey was sent off for a slightly mistimed challenge on Williams in the centre of the field which led to a bit of a skirmish and a red card was shown for dangerous play.
With the game heading for a draw a sting in the tail came in the final minute. A throw down the left came to Rollinson who drove towards goal and from 16 yards placed an unerring finish wide of Rushmore and into the bottom right for his third goal for the Wands.
Now Cray had five minutes to hold on and despite some pressure from Worthing they were able to hold on and pick up a huge win which tested the team to its absolute limit.
Despite the setbacks during the game, Cray’s win sees them move above Hornchurch into 3rd in the table on 54 points. Worthing have a five point cushion at the top after Folkestone lost at home to Carshalton so the defeat doesn’t hurt them at this stage and they will surely bounce back.
Worthing: Carl Rushworth, Joel Colbran, Fin Stevens, Alfie Young, Aarran Racine, Danny Barker, Ricky Aguiar, Jesse Starkey, Reece Myles-Meekums (Marvin Armstrong, 88), Alex Parsons (Lloyd Dawes, 83), Kieron Pamment (Oliver Pearce, 66):
Subs: Darren Budd, Jasper Pattenden
Cray Wanderers: Lewis Carey, Barney Williams (Capt.), Tom Carlse, Jay Leader (Lee Lewis, 40, Stefan Abatan, H/T), Geofrey Okonkwo (Ehizojie Onoabhagbe, 11), Charlie Allen, Karl Dent, Bradley Pritchard, Rhys Murrell-Williamson, Joel Rollinson, Joe Taylor:
Subs: Jerome Federico
Referee: Lewis Sandoe
Attendance – 932