Cray Wanderers U23s vs Holmesdale U23s
SCEFL Development League West – 21/2/25
Cray Wanderers 12
Borders 11, 41, 52, 81, McQueen-Hinkley 25, 36,
Damyanov 45+2, 60, Warwick 73,
Morley 75, Allen-Beattie 78, Robinson 85
Holmesdale U23s 0
Cray return to the top of the SCEFL Development West table after what can be fairly described as a Friday night thumping of a gallant but outclassed Holmesdale side at a very wet but thankfully mild Flamingo Park.
The Wands have been in good form since the turn of the year and unbeaten in 7 and had won the last two without conceding a goal. Last time out Roy Brooke’s side had beaten 3rd placed Kent United 3-0 in impressive fashion and were now looking for a league double over Holmesdale.
One slight quibble obtained from the management team of Brooke, Frankie Windsor and Lee Warwick was that at times the Wands haven’t been clinical enough and miss too many chances. Well certainly that wasn’t the case here as Cray must have had maybe 16 attempts on goal and scored twelve goals.
Cray came close to opening the scoring after barely a minute when Holmesdale keeper Mackenzie Grew made a terrific save to deny Bobby Parks a goal from a corner with a tip over the bar,
The game was going from end to end on the wet and zippy carpet with a stylishly attired ‘Dale side in a Catalan style away kit but Cray looked to have just had the edge.
In the 11th minute Cray went ahead with perhaps not one of the more pleasing goals on the eye you will see but they all count. A corner down the right from Victor Damyanov into the six yard box was dropped by Grew and Tom Borders was in the right place at the right time as the ball went into the net off his back for his 20th goal of the season.
After a spell of sparring Cray added a second when Grew looked to clear the ball ahead of the onrushing Borders but the ball ricocheted off his chest out to the impressive Cameron McQueen-Hinkley who with nonchalance fired into the open goal from close to 25 yards.
Cray almost added a third when the continually Odegaardlike Freddie Warwick saw a shot from outside the box held by Grew.
Holmesdale were still in the game and perhaps their only real opening of the game fell to Michael Ganney who broke into the area but was denied by a good blocked tackle by Bobby Parks and then Lincoln Hunter.
A third goal did seem to be on the card and duly arrived in the 36th minute when Borders saw a shot saved but following up McQueen-Hinkley at the left post finished with authority for his second goal.
Four minutes before the break Cray made it four with another crisp finish from Borders (who in my opinion should get the occasional first team appearance as the season winds down) with Grew having no chance to save.
The last action of the first half saw Cray reach a nap hand with a fifth goal that was possibly the goal of the half. Corey Holden out on the right launched a ball over the top that went through to Damyanov down the right of the area whose first touch took the ball wide of Grew and the Bulgarian stroked the ball into the net in Hristo Stoitchkov fashion in style.
HT: 5-0
Cray could have been excused for taking the foot off the gas in the second half in search of an operation clean sheet and with another crunch game at home to Glebe next Friday but the team must have missed the memo.
In the 52nd minute Cray added a sixth and Borders completed his hat-trick with a goal he started and finished, turning a defender and cutting into the box down the left and firing in at the near post and through the legs of Grew and into the net.
Eight minutes later, the Wands made it 7-0 when Warwick with time and space found the constantly overlapping Andy Dzontoh who down the right fizzed the ball across for Damyanov to score from 9 yards.
After a lull of 13 minutes by which time the likes of Tommy Allen-Beattie, Ed Mare, Archie Morley and Sam Robinson entering the fray Cray added an eighth goal when Warwick showed poise to fire into the net from twenty yards through a crowd of players.
In the 75th minute it became nine nil when Archie Morley who bears a resemblance to a young Grant Basey down the right who had far too much time to charge into the area and bury the ball into the net.
Three minutes later and Cray reached double figures with another well worked goal this time down the right and the ball into the box fell to Tommy Allen-Beattie at the near post to steer the ball into the net.
In the 81st minute, the abacus was running out of counters when Borders scored his fourth with a similar finish to Allen-Beattie to make it 11-0.
Five minutes from time the scoring was completed when 16 year old Sam Robinson finished well for his first goal for the team.
It was easy in the end to feel sorry for Dale who worked ever so hard and never threw in the towel and were a credit to their coaching team especially as they didn’t seem to have replacements available.
In the end Cray moved back to two points clear of Erith Town who have been Cray’s nemesis this season with the Dockers having two games in hand.
Cray are an exceptionally talented team and this was without the likes of George Brooke and Michael Ihiedi available and had so much to more in the tank to offer. The likes of McQueen-Hinkley, Archie Morley and Victor Damyanov have been given first team accreditation ahead of the first team game with Folkestone and definitely are well worth a watch on a Friday night and will be in action again on 28th February v Glebe, 7.45 pm and would recommend the game deserves a decent crowd.
Cray: Nathan Manwaring, Andy Dzontoh, Corey Holden, Oliver Chiriseri, Lincoln Hunter, Bobby Parks, Victor Damyanov, Freddie Warwick, Tom Borders, Cameron McQueen-Hinkley, David Boateng: Subs: Tommy Allen-Beattie, Sam Robinson, Jaylen Bains, Archie Morley, Eduard Mare
Holmesdale: Mackenzie Grew, Zane Millington, Millene McLennan, Nathan McGarry, Hegure Koke, Louis Nelson, Osilani McEwen, Frankie Hutchinson, Michael Garry, Nathan Good, Emmanuel Igboah.
