Cray Wanderers vs Dartford
Isthmian Premier – Monday 21st April – Match Report
Cray Wanderers 2
Raymond 39 pen, Adaja 50
Dartford 2
Jones 31, Olopade 56
Cray Wanderers brought the curtain down on the first season of league football at Flamingo Park with a merited point in a cracking game against top of the table Dartford at the start of play who finished the game with ten men.
With the league so delicately poised between three teams for the Isthmian Premier league title between Dartford, Billericay Town and Horsham, all three who have clashed with Cray in April this match was played in front of a new record league crowd of 2, 088 which outstrips by just over a thousand the largest crowd ever at Hayes Lane. In the end, the draw dropped Dartford down to 3rd place after wins on the road for Billericay and Horsham meant all three have 84 points going into the final match with all three playing at home.
This match was played in a crackling atmosphere and almost like a cup tie such was the intensity of the match. After an even first half hour Dartford went ahead through Callum Jones close range finish. Cray though drew level six minutes before the break through a penalty converted by Frankie Raymond after Quade Taylor was brought down by Michael Olarewarju who was booked.
Cray went ahead five minutes into the second half when Soul Kader’s cross was turned into an empty net by Lateef Adaja. There was no time to bask too much with the lead and six minutes later Denzelle Olopade levelled with a clever finish with his back to goal to make it 2-2. Both teams could have won it by Dartford were reduced to ten on 79 minutes when Olarewaju was dismissed for his second caution. Dartford hit the bar and saw an effort cleared off the line in stoppage time but in the end a draw was about the right result.
Cray were looking to bounce back from the 0-3 defeat to Horsham on Good Friday and there was one change to the starting lineup with Eze Ebouzeme coming in for the injured Remi Sutton. Dartford made one change to their lineup to the team which beat Dover on Friday with Louis Dunne coming in for Samir Carruthers.
Ady Pennock’s Dartford side in their razor sharp blue kit looked an imposing outfit and began the game on the front foot looking for an early goal and Shaun Rowley, once again later voted Supporters Player of the Year claimed well from the feet of Olly Box. The game began very open and Cray forced an early couple of corners and it was obvious that the integrity of the league was confirmed as Cray with little to play for went toe to toe with the leaders.
In the 5th minute Dartford threatened when Box set up Callum Jones for a shot but was well tackled by Ike Orji and behind for a corner. From the corner the ball came to Jones but his header was saved.
Four minutes later the excellent Darion Dowrich saw a shot from outside the box held by Jacob Marsden before the briefest of lulls in the game.
After quarter of an hour Marsden did well to come to claim as Dowrich look to play Kader through and then shortly after good link up play ended with Lateef Adaja setting up Orji for a shot which went just past the left post.
Dartford almost scored after a slip up at the back from Cray and Louis Dunne finding himself in the area saw his effort towards goal hit the bar and cleared almost off the line.
The league leaders were looking to get on top at this stage and in the 26th minute from a free kick down the left Dunne’s cross to the far post was met by the head of Josh Hill but claimed by Rowley.
The Wands keeper did even better shortly after when Olopade after Dunne’s cross from a free kick and Hayden Bulllas’ layoff saw his scooped effort clawed behind well by Rowley.
In the 31st minute Dartford go the goal they were threatening on a day where they could have become league champions when from a long throw the ball was flicked across and Jones turned the ball in from close range.
Cray though bounced back well from the goal and ended the half very strongly. Firstly in the 33rd minute Soul Kader who had a majestic game up front set up Josh Williams who strode into the area but Marsden did well to come and claim the ball.
In the 39th minute Cray drew level when inside the area Taylor up from the back looked to be upended by Oloarewaju and from the spot Frankie Raymond netted his sixth goal of the season.
There was still time before the break for both teams to take the lead. Firstly for Cray Adaja did superbly down the right and his cross to the far post was met on the volley by Kader but Marsden did superbly to turn the ball round for a corner. Then for Dartford, Olopade’s cross was turned wide by Olarewaju.
HT: 1-1
At the break with Horsham losing at Bognor and Billericay drawing at Canvey Island if results stayed that way then Dartford would have just needed to avoid defeat to Carshalton on the final day.
Cray tough began the second half full of energy and took the lead five minutes in when down the left, Kader who was a constant handful broke past George Whitefield and his cross took out Marsden and the ball fell to Adaja to shoot into an empty net to make it 2-1 to Cray.
Despite this goal the lead looked a fragile one and so it proved in the 56th minute when Dartford equalised when struggled to clear a ball across and Dunne saw an effort blocked by with his back to goal Olopade steered the ball into the net.
With news that Horsham had turned the game around at relegated Bognor Regis and Billericay had edged in front Sam Oduadu headed wide and then Samir Carruthers fired a free kick over. Then substitute Eddie Dsane saw an effort saved by Rowley.
Cray had to make a change in the 72nd minute when Eze Ebouzeme went off injured to be replaced by Victor Damyanov.
In the 79th minute Olarewarju was sent off for a foul on the half way line for his second booking which for a while rocked the visitors out of their stride.
For Cray, Raymond saw an effort from long range go over while for Dartford an effort from Dsane went just wide.
Five minutes of added time brought added drama to this captivating plot and in the 90th minute Dartford almost scored when Jones cross came to Dsane on the stretch but the ball hit the bar and went over.
Then two minutes later, Jones sent the ball towards goal but Rowley made a great block and following up Taylor, another outstanding performer along with ex-Dart Tom Bonner headed off the line and over.
There was still time for Cray to almost grab a winner when great pace by Williams saw him cut into the area down the right and his cross just couldn’t get a touch from Kader and the ball fizzed across goal when any sort of connection would certainly have led to a goal.
In the end the game ended in a 2-2 draw in a match in which to be honest neither team deserved necessarily to win but certainly didn’t deserve to lose. Cray could take an incredible amount of credit for the performance and helped to maintain a solid home record of one defeat in seventeen and certainly did Horsham and Billericay huge favours with the point.
As a result, Billericay on the count of a 3-0 win at Canvey, Horsham 3-1 winners at Bognor and Dartford now all have 84 points with Billericay a slender +1 advantage over Horsham. This makes it as an exciting race for the title as anyone can remember and all three will be at home on the last day. Billericay vs Cheshunt, Horsham vs Hashtag United and Dartford face Carshalton Athletic. Cray Valley who won at Chatham confirmed a playoff place but Dover and Chichester will vie for the final playoff place on the last day which Chichester hosting Dover on Saturday.
Cray finish the season at Lewes on Saturday and can look back on a satisfactory first season at Flamingo Park and league season in 10th place and with crowd numbers healthy through the season this was topped today with the biggest home crowd since the halcyon days of the great cup adventures at Grassmeade in the late 1960’s.
The atmosphere at the game was electric and both sets of fans deserve credit for making it a great occasion as well as game and one that any Wands fan will never ever forget.
Cray Wanderers: Shaun Rowley, Ike Orji, Quade Taylor, Tom Bonner, Darion Dowrich, Lateef Adaja, Frankie Raymond, Eze Ebouzeme (Victor Damyanov, 72), Nyren Clunis, Josh Williams, Soul Kader: Subs: Tom Borders, Kevin Kardel, George Brooke, Freddie Warwick
Booked: Bonner 69, Rowley 90+4
Dartford: Jacob Marsden, Sam Oduadu, Josh Hill, George Whitefield, Callum Jones, Denzelle Olopade, Olly Box (Eddie Dsane, 67), Sam Okoye, Louis Dunne (Samir Carruthers, 64), Michael Olarewaju, Hayden Bullas (Jeremiah Pinder, 89): Subs: Jack West-Astuti, Tyler Christian-Law
Sent Off: Olarewaju 79
Booked: Hill 15, Olarewaju 39
Referee: Stephen Goldup
Assistants: Ashley Diamond, Piotr Zachwieja
Att 2,088
