Ashford Town 0-2 Cray Wanderers - Title chase takes new twist

It has been a very good week for the club, having announced details of their new stadium at Sandy Lane, and three clean sheets in the last seven days has given the Wands’ experienced side the belief that they can avoid a repeat of their play-off final heartbreak last term and go up automatically.

Hardworking striker Leigh Bremner and central defensive rock Mark Willy, both taking their Wands goalscoring tallies to five for the season, did the damage inside the opening eighteen minutes.

Ashford Town had gone fifteen games undefeated before they were brought back down to earth by Whitstable Town last Tuesday, going down to a 4-1 away defeat and the Nuts & Bolts have slipped one place outside the play-off zone in sixth place, although they are only four points behind joint-leaders Kingstonian and Cray Wanderers.

Worthing, who started the day at the summit, ended their 24-match unbeaten run, courtesy of Tom Bradbrook’s 64^th minute header, which sees Sittingbourne move up to seventh, just one point behind Ashford.

With the top eight sides separated by only six points, that means the Ryman One South title race will go right down to the last kick of the season.

Ashford, already without the services of Mitchell Sherwood (hamstring) and Jimmy Bottle (medial ligament in his knee) lost influential defensive rock Sean Ray (groin) during the warm up and top scorer, Paul Jones was withdrawn inside the opening thirteen minutes due to a hamstring strain.

Cray Wanderers, meanwhile, were without 18-year-old striker Richmond Kissi, who was serving the second of his three match ban, picked up whilst playing for their reserve side.

The Wands gave Simon Osborne his debut, albeit from the substitutes bench, having signed him from Croydon Athletic in midweek.

And it’s that kind of experience that will put the Wands in good stead as their season enters their final 12 games.

Danny Lye, who slotted in at the heart of Ashford’s defence, alongside Elliott Brathwaite, was involved in Cray Wanderers’ eighth minute opener.

Ashford were outdone by a route-one kick from visiting goalkeeper Glen Knight, and Bremner latched onto the bouncing ball and after cutting inside both right-back Jimmy Elford and Lye, lashed a right-footed drive over Seb Barton and into the roof of the net from inside the box.

Having lost 13-goal striker Jones, Ashford’s attacking options were limited as their Kent rivals eased their way to victory on a rare mild, sunny February afternoon.

Homelands was stunned to silence when Willy powered home Cray’s second of the game after eighteen minutes.

Finger of blame could be pointed at Ashford goalkeeper Barton who failed to deal with Dean Standen’s excellent corner from the left, allowing Willy to thump his towering header into the roof of the net from inside the six-yard box.

Ashford’s one and only chance off the game arrived ten minutes before half-time when a driven shot from substitute James Humphrey’s was cleared off the line after Charlie Glyde - who was named as a substitute before Ray’s late withdrawal - floated in a free-kick from the right.

Visiting goalkeeper Glen Knight, who was superb at plucking balls out of the air during the game without being tested, punched Glyde’s right-wing corner to his former Dover Athletic team-mate Craig Wilkins, but the versatile striker hooked the ball harmlessly past the left-hand post.

Cray should have wrapped the game up just two minutes before the break, when striker Lewis Wood was released by Willy’s ball over the top but his left-footed shot from the edge of the box ballooned over Barton’s crossbar.

With Danny Chapman expertly pulling the strings in midfield, Cray Wanderers never looked in any danger of helping their Kent rivals get back into a disappointing game.

Winning the midfield battle, Cray Wanderers called Barton into his best save of the match after 62 minutes.

Left-sided winger Tyrone Sterling, who impressed throughout, was released by Chapman and after bursting clear of Elford managed to whip in a delightful cross, which was met by Bremner’s towering header, which was superbly tipped over by Barton.

Sterling then met Chapman’s up-and-under with a volley, but he fluffed his lines as the ball ballooned high over Barton’s crossbar.

Ashford’s one and only second half chance, in a disappointing display, came in the 76^th minute when Anthony Browne’s header cleared the crossbar, following Ryan Briggs’ in-swinging corner.

Bremner went on to squander an excellent chance after being played in behind an Ashford back line that were missing Ray, their leader, but he blazed his right-footed shot over the crossbar, despite Barton going to ground too early.

Sterling and substitute Tommy Whitnell missed further chances for the rampant visitors at the death.

But both managers, speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk, admitted it was important to win the battle in the middle of the park.

“They didn’t pose us any threat and I thought collectively we looked very, very strong,” said Cray Wanderers’ assistant manager Joe Francis.

“Just all over the park we won every 50-50 ball. We chased them in and the ball went in behind and it could’ve been more.

“I know they’ve been on a really good run and sometimes when a run comes to an end, what Steve (Lovell) was looking for is a reaction.

“We’re just looking forward to every game now, we’ve just said in there, the boys are showing a belief and a desire to want to take this right to the wire now and we look strong.”

Cray have now kept clean sheets against Burgess Hill, Cockfosters (in the London Senior Cup in midweek) and today against Ashford and Francis added, “I think by our own admission, we’ve conceded some sloppy goals. We’d be the first to admit that.

“If we shut teams out, we’ll make chances. I think Mark Willy, Aaron Day, Colin Luckett, Glen Knight and Dean Morris were outstanding today and collectively in midfield and all over the park we were just head and shoulders above them.

“Three weeks ago we said every ninety minutes counts and we said it today and that’s what we’ll be saying before every game until the end of the season.

“And we don’t fear anybody playing like that.”

The Wands have added yet another experienced head that will stand them in good stead for their crucial run-in.

Speaking about the capture of former Gillingham and Bromley midfielder Simon Osborn, Francis added, “Simon is another experienced ex-professional footballer and he will bring nothing but he’s experience. He’s a great passer of the ball, he’s calm, he’s cool (and) he’s been in these situations before and I would imagine he’d play a part.”

Ashford Town boss Steve Lovell, meanwhile, rued the losses of Ray and Jones for their downfall today, admitting his side lost the midfield battle.

“I don’t like making excuses but we lost players in the warm up and in the game again, it’s the second time it’s happened to us in a week,” bemoaned Lovell, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“But fair play to Cray, they battled , they battled hard and that’s the word I think, they won the battle.

“It wasn’t a pretty game of football, which most games in this league aren’t, but they got two goals from our mistakes and apart from that, they didn’t have to do anything after that.

“They sat back, 4-4-2 and allowed us to go at them, but we never got going.

“We never got going. Sometimes you’ve got to hold your hands up and say look, we didn’t deserve anything out of the game today - and we didn’t.

“It’s disappointing from that factor but we’ve got to pick ourselves up and battle on. There’s still eleven games to play and loads to play for.”

Lovell says he will be trying to delve into the transfer market this week to find a replacement striker as Jones is expected to be out of action for two weeks.

“I totally agree with you, we did look flat, very flat and losing Paul Jones, our top scorer after ten minutes, doesn’t help either,” admitted the Welshman.

“Mitchell Sherwood is our second top scorer so you’re worrying where our goals are going to come from. The only way we looked like scoring was from set plays and we never attacked the ball. They deserved to get the win today, there’s no doubt about it.

“We’ve got eleven games to go to show the character that we’ve got here. I’ve got to try and get two or three players in, in the next week or so to bolster the squad.

“But I’m not going to panic because we went on a fifteen game unbeaten run with those players.

“If I can get somebody in between now and next Saturday, a centre forward to take Paul Jones’ position, then we’ll be back and firing on all cylinders hopefully.”

A clearly disappointed Lovell added, “I thought our senior professionals today were brilliant out on the field. I thought the younger ones have a lot to learn.

“It just shows you can ask them to come in and do things but until they learn that it’s not pretty football, it’s a battle, you’ve got to win your battles and if you win your battles you can play after that. If not, you’ve got no chance.”

Ashford Town: Seb Barton, Jimmy Elford, Daniel Brathwaite, Elliott Brathwaite, Charlie Glyde (Ian Batten 63), Ryan Briggs, Anthony Browne, Danny Lye, Craig Wilkins, Paul Jones (James Humphreys 13), Orlando Smith.
Subs: John Ralph, Darren Ibrahim.

Cray Wanderers: Glen Knight, Dean Morris, Colin Luckett, Danny Chapman, Mark Willy, Aaron Day, Dean Standen, Jamie Kempster, Lewis Wood, Leigh Bremner (Tommy Whitnell 85), Tyrone Sterling (Jamie Wood 87).
Subs: Callum O’Shea, Simon Osborn, Scott Kinch.

Goals: Leigh Bremner 8, Mark Willy 18

Booked: Aaron Day 49

Attendance: 348
Referee: Mr Gary Croft (St Leonards, East Sussex)
Assistants: Mr Michael O’Keefe (Sevenoaks) & Mr Leigh Crowhurst (Uckfield, East Sussex)