Rusthall vs Cray Wanderers
FA Youth Cup 2QR – Thursday 5th October – Match Report
Rusthall vs Cray Wanderers – FA Youth Cup 2nd Qualifying Round – Thursday 5th October – Match Report
Rusthall 6
Sargent 2 mins, 69, Massood 11, 59,
Lyons 50, Little 90+2
Cray Wanderers 3
Owusu-Boateng 9 pen, Allen-Beattie 30, 45+2
Cray Wanderers FA Youth Cup adventure came to an end as Rusthall advanced into the 3rd Qualifying Round after victory against a ten man Wands from the 1st minute in a nine goal thriller.
The Wands had advanced past Sevenoaks Town, Hollands & Blair and Corinthian en route to the 2nd Qualifying Round and once again had to travel down to Rusthall who had impressively beaten Chatham Town and Dover in the last couple of rounds.
Cray got off to a terrible start when a ball was played over the top for Hayden Marshall to latch onto who was adjudged to have been brought down by Lennie Rye just outside the area and was deemed the last man and was sent off after just 50 seconds.
There was double punishment for Cray when from the resultant free kick Stan Sargent curled the ball around the wall and into the net after just two minutes.
Sargent then put a free kick just across goal with no-one to get on the end of it but Cray were looking a threat and in the ninth minute drew level when Michael Ihiedi was brought down by Toby Crampton just inside the area. From the spot, David Owusu-Boateng levelled the scores.
Two minutes later though Rusthall went back in front. Following a free kick to the left of the area, Sargent’s ball across came to Jack Lyons down the right and his cross to the near post was turned in from close range by Zead Massood.
Cray were very much in the game and after a fine run by Ihiedi led to a corner, Cameron McQueen-Hinkley’s cross was headed wide by Tommy Allen-Beattie.
The game then went through a bit of a messy phase with bookings but on the half hour Cray levelled when Callum Redman’s ball into the box was headed out by a defender as far as Allen-Beattie who scored his third goal of the cup run with a fine shot into the top right corner of the net.
The game was now going from end to end. For Cray, Owusu-Boateng shot wide but Rusthall came even closer when Yusuf Rabbatt was unlucky to see a shot crash back off the underside of the crossbar and out. Then Marshall set up Lyons for a shot that was held by Tom King.
There was still time in this dramatic half for Cray despite being a man down to go in at the break in front when two minutes into added on time another Redman cross into the area from the right was held up by Owusu-Boateng and came to Allen-Beattie who placed a shot wide of the keeper into the bottom left corner.
HT: 2-3
The second half began with Rusthall on the attack and Cray were not able to get any real possession. From a free kick, Lyons whipped over a cross that was pushed out by King and came to Austin Kent who fired over the top.
Then in the 50th minute Rusthall drew level again when the lively Sargent down the right laid a cross into the area and came Lyons who finished well with a low shot wide of King to make it 3–3.
Rusthall were now on top and Rabbatt saw a header cleared off the line by Cameron McQueen-Hinkley but Cray did look to break the tide and Alfie Murphy made a strong run and his shot was held by Jack Glassborrow.
In the 59th minute Rusthall went back in front with a class goal with a fine pass from Toby Crampton out to the right to Lyons who played a fine ball across into the area for Massood to head home from seven yards.
Cray were working incredibly hard to keep in the game being a man down but ten minutes later the game was virtually over when Sargent made a surging run down the left hand side, broke into the area and placed a quality finish wide of King into the net to make it 5-3.
Still Cray looked to reduce the arrears and Ryan Kwesi-Opoku shot wide and then from a corner, Murphy found Redman who volleyed over the top. For Rusthall, Rabbatt who had a good game was set up by Lyons but shot wide.
The final word on a pulsating and passionate night of football fell to the home side who scored a sixth goal two minutes into added on time when Sargent and Massood combined to set up Frank Little for another fine piece of finishing crashing home from the edge of the area.
Rusthall: Jack Glassborrow, Austin Kent, Harry Palmer, Joseph Brum, Frank Little, Toby Crampton, Zead Massood, Yusuf Rabbat, Jack Lyons, Hayden Marshall, Stan Sargent: Subs: Femi Onasanya, Finn Appleby, Calum Wright, Ben Williams, Natman Burness, Yunai Cheng, Anthony Mepham
Cray Wanderers: Tom King, Callum Redman, Frankie Forrester (Ryan Kwesi-Opoku, H/T), Cameron McQueen-Hinkley, Leonard Rye, Finlay Avery, Jabari Anthony-Ofeosi (Kaya Mahmut, 61), Sase Ogebride-Ihama, David Owusu-Boateng, Michael Ihiedi, Tommy Allen-Beattie (Alfie Murphy, 51): Subs: George Chambers, Jaylen Bains, Kevin Bamba
Sent off: Rye 1 min
Booked: McQueen-Hinkley 10, Ihiedi 27, Allen-Beattie 29, Redman 41, Avery 48
Att: 180
