Haringey Borough vs Cray Wanderers – Isthmian Premier – Saturday 16th March, Match Report
Haringey Borough 0
Cray Wanderers 4
Brown 45+2, Ijaha 51, Porter 59, Cook 76
Cray Wanderers bounced back from consecutive league defeats to win at Haringey Borough and produced a clinical second half performance against a ten man Borough side who remained in the bottom four.
Haringey, who had won their last two home league games, were reduced to ten men in the 16th minute when Nadum Melvin-Lambert was sent off after a high boot caught Frankie Raymond. Cray took the lead in first half stoppage time when Ellis Brown struck a first time shot from Sam Wood’s cross.
The Wands put daylight between the sides in the first quarter of an hour of the second half when David Ijaha hit a stunning strike from outside the box to make it 2-0 and then eight minutes later George Porter was played through and slotted home a composed finish. The scoring was completed in the 76th minute when Anthony Cook slotted home a Josh Hallard cross and Cray moved on to 45 points in 13th place.
Cray were looking to bounce back from Wednesday night’s home defeat to Potters Bar Town and from the side which started that game came David Ijaha and George Porter for Josh Hallard and Gary Lockyer. Haringey Borough in 20th place made three changes to the side beaten at Hashtag United in the Velocity Cup with J’Ardell Sterling, Bobson Bawling and Ben Allen coming in for Charne Lemba, Mohammed Kahdum and Alpanso Kennedy.
There was a moment of class from Haringey Borough who announced a minute’s applause for former Wands Club Secretary Kerry Phillips who passed away on Thursday and was impeccably observed.
It was the home side who began the game on the front foot and in the 4th minute came close to taking the lead when Ben Allen’s shot was on target and superbly turned over the top by Shaun Rowley.
Two minutes later, Cray moved forward and George Brooke’s low shot was well held by Borough keeper Dillon Barnes. Then from a free kick down the right, Frankie Raymond’s cross just missed the head of Jack Holland and went across goal.
In the 16th minute, Borough were reduced to ten men when Nahum Melvin-Lambert lashed out and caught Frankie Raymond with a high foot and was sent off.
Cray began to dominate the possession and Porter set up Emmanuel Kwatchey who played a fine ball across goal which no-one could get on the end of and then Brooke saw a shot blocked.
Haringey did have a chance on the break when Allen looked to get through on goal but lashed his shot wide of goal. Meanwhile at the other end Kwatchey’s cross was turned over the top by Porter.
Allen then found space for Haringey but his shot was well fielded by Rowley and for Cray Brooke nudged the ball wide from a right wing cross and Tom Beere saw a shot held.
Cray took the lead in the second minute of added on time when after a period of possession, Raymond played a great ball out to Sam Wood down the left and his cross found Ellis Brown who from just inside the area hit a first time shot wide of Barnes and into the net.
HT: 0-1
The second half began with Cray carrying on where they left off before the break and down the left, Beere found Brooke who hit the post with a near post shot.
In the 51st minute Cray scored a second goal when Brown’s ball across from the right found David Ijaha who cut inside to the left of the area and he smashed a shot into the top left corner for his second goal of the season.
George Brooke gave another eye catching performance and was replaced by Josh Hallard shortly and then Raymond’s free kick was headed over by Holland.
Cray scored a third goal in the 59th minute when George Porter was played through and broke into the area and tucked away a tidy finish for his fifth goal of the season.
The Wands almost scored a fourth when Raymond saw a shot well saved by Barnes who turned his near post shot away and behind for a corner.
For Haringey, Mekhi Leacock-McLeod saw a shot held by Rowley and then a cross-shot from Khalifa Jabbie was cleared away well by Jack Holland.
Enoch Muwonge and Anthony Cook were brought on and Cray had the ball in the net when Tom Bonner headed in a Raymond free kick but was deemed to be offside.
In the 76th minute Cray scored a well worked fourth when Hallard down the left played a ball to the near post for Cook to sweep home his 11th goal of the season with a classy finish.
Borough kept going and McLeod saw a shot pushed out by Rowley while at the other end Muwonge put Cook through down the right but pulled his shot across goal and wide.
In the end though Cray had produced a professional performance with the man advantage and scored well worked goals and defensively were very sound and another clean sheet for Shaun Rowley whose great early save was a key moment in the game. Haringey’s defeat keeps them in 20th place and Cheshunt’s win against Concord Rangers leaves them six points from safety with eight games still to play.
Cray moved on to 45 points in 13th place and will next go on to back to back home games against Folkestone Invicta and Chatham Town in good heart with eight matches to go and looking to finish the season on a high.
Haringey Borough: Dillon Barnes, Ebenezer Addo, Charlie Smith, Khalifa Jabbie, J’Ardell Sterling (Charlie Lemba, 64), Jorge Djassi-Sambu (Capt.), Bobson Bawling, Olu Durojaiye, Nahum Melvin-Lambert, Matt Young (Mekhi Leacock-McLeod, 52), Ben Allen (Alexander Nicolaides, 60): Subs: Tage Kennedy, Arthur Iontton
Sent Off: Melvin-Lambert 16 mins
Booked: Allen 55, Jabbie 58, Lemba 77
Cray Wanderers: Shaun Rowley, Emmanuel Kwatchey, Jack Holland, Tom Bonner, Sam Wood, David Ijaha, Tom Beere, Frankie Raymond, Ellis Brown (Enoch Muwonge, 66), George Brooke (Josh Hallard, 52), George Porter (Anthony Cook, 73): Subs: Alfie Evans, Cameron Black
Booked: Beere 89
Referee: Derrick Lilley
Assistants: Jamaal Horne & Steve Walsh
Att: 408
