Kentish Football 
Cray Wanderers 0-4 Bognor Regis Town - I just apologise to them and I just hope this is a one-off and I'll only know it's a one-off at Corinthian-Casuals on Saturday, says Cray Wanderers boss Neil Smith
|
Cray Wanderers 
0 –
4 
Bognor Regis Town |
|
| Location | Hayes Lane, Bromley, Kent BR2 9EF |
|---|---|
| Kickoff | 07/09/2022 19:45 |
CRAY WANDERERS 0-4 BOGNOR REGIS TOWN
The Emirates FA Cup First Qualifying Round Replay
Wednesday 7 September 2022
Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane
CRAY WANDERERS manager Neil Smith issued an apology after his side were dumped out of The FA Cup by an impressive Bognor Regis Town.
This was the third meeting between these two sides this season with Cray Wanderers throwing away a 2-0 lead and having to settle for a point in the Isthmian League Premier Division on 17 August.
The Wands were also 1-0 up and then 2-1 up in Saturday’s FA Cup First Qualifying Round tie at Nyewood Lane, as that game also finished all square at 2-2.
But Cray Wanderers put in an extremely poor performance in tonight’s encounter, that was dominated by Robbie Blake’s side from start to finish.
Isaac Olaniyan – who plays on the left of a midfield diamond – and striker Nick Dembele gave the clinical Rocks a deserved two goal lead going into half-time.
However, things went from bad to worse for Cray Wanderers during an abject second half as striker Nathan Odokonyero lashed in his sixth goal of the season early in the second half.
Cray Wanderers central midfielder Mitchell Chapman was sent off for a foul followed by dissent aimed at referee Gerry Heron just before he was going to be substituted in the 59th minute.
Tom Chalaye came off the bench to add more misery for the home faithful by finishing off a counter-attacking raid with five minutes remaining to set up a home tie against Vanarama National League South side Hampton & Richmond Borough on Saturday 17 September.
Cray Wanderers went into this game sitting in seventh-place with eight points from five games and unbeaten in five, while the Rocks were in ninth-place with seven points.
“Very disappointed. The last two games that we played against them we were 2-0 up and probably should’ve got a result out of it and obviously drawing on Saturday going 1-0 up and then 2-1 up.
“I thought maybe the boys probably thought it was going to be a walk in the park but fair play to Bognor, I thought they thoroughly deserved the win,” said Smith, who was then asked what was missing.
“I think urgency. I think they thought it was just going to be how it has been where we’ve been the dominant side in both of the games but today Bognor were proper dominant because I think we lost all urgency and we thought we were going to win – but when they got their chances, they took them.”
Bognor Regis Town bossed the possession stakes, playing a nice brand of carpet football on the artificial pitch at Hayes Lane but they didn’t create that many chances and when they did, they were clinical.
Full-backs Josh McCormick (right) and Joe Rabbetts (left) played high and wide and often linked up in attacking raids and Bognor Regis Town dominated the key battle ground of central midfield during the entire game.
Bognor Regis Town created a couple of chances from outside the Cray Wanderers penalty area but both efforts sailed over.
Firstly, in the 18th minute, McCormick and Odokonyero linked up down the right channel and Odokonyero cut onto his left-foot just inside the corner of the penalty area but his shot sailed over the crossbar.
Cray Wanderers’ holding midfielder Sam Skeffington’s forward pass was intercepted by McCormick on the halfway line and he fed Sam De St Croix (who plays on the right of the midfield diamond) and he cut inside and from the edge of the D his effort suffered similar fate.
Bognor Regis Town’s total dominance was rewarded with their first goal coming in the 27th minute with a three-man move on the deck.
Centre-half Craig Robson played the ball forward to Odokonyero, whose first time square pass gave Olaniyan the opportunity to stride into the box and past four defenders before placing a clinical shot into the bottom left-hand corner from 16-yards.
“Again, we should’ve defended better,” acknowledged Smith. “The two centre-halves (Sinn’Kaye Christie and Jalen Jones) got split and they’ve been really good the last couple of games, keeping a couple of clean sheets as well. We are still learning but the fella took it well.”
Cray Wanderers only created a couple of goalscoring chances on this sorry night, their better one coming in the 32nd minute.
Left-back Sam Wood swung in a left-footed free-kick from within the right channel and centre-half Jalen Jones glanced his header across goal and sailing just past the far post.
Smith said: “It was a token gesture, it was token. We didn’t deserve to get a goal. I don’t think we didn’t do ourselves justice tonight in a Cup game and if he scores we would’ve taken it but we didn’t deserve anything in the first half or the second.”
Bognor Regis Town effectively killed the game off as a contest when they notched their second goal in the 34th minute.
Alfie Bridgman – who plays behind the front two – linked up well with McCormick down the right before Bridgman easily reached the by-line and cut the ball back for Dembele to sweep a first time shot into the bottom right-hand corner from inside the six-yard box.
Smith added: “So a couple of players were out of position. He’s just run in between Danny (Bassett) and Sam Wood and he’s just cut it back. All the boys are taken to the goal-line and he’s finished it well.”
The away side created a half-chance following their first of four corners.
De St Croix raised both of his arms and swung in a corner from the left and Robson and his central defensive partner Tom Bragg both headed the ball on from inside a crowd of players. The ball came out to Rabbetts, who flashed his drive past the right-hand post from 25-yards.
Cray Wanderers failed to keep possession during the entire game, failing to land a glove on their opponent, failing to press their visitors’, who dominated the middle of the park and were clearly lacking desire throughout this FA Cup tie.
Smith said: “I actually said you’ve got to come out and show what you’re about. We can do this two ways. I can have a go at you and be aggressive or you go and show me what you’re about and believe it or not just before they got the goal and the sending off, I was making a substitution with Ben Krauhaus and again we just let someone run through. We’re in the 18-yard box and within two seconds it’s a goal and then it was all too late, so it was then a bit of just get some players on and get them game time because we’ve got a big game on Saturday.”
Cray Wanderers’ second attempt on goal arrived inside the first couple of minutes of the second half.
Anthony Cook’s deep corner came in from the left and was met by the head of targetman Gary Lockyer, which meekly went just past the right-hand post from inside the six-yard box.
Smith was asked why he dropped Tom Derry to the bench and started with former Ashford United man Lockyer until Derry replaced him in the 53rd minute.
“Just to have a look at Gary. I haven’t seen Gary really play. He did really well on Saturday, he scored a goal against Bognor. He needs the minutes. Tom was carrying a little bit of a knock so I wanted to rest him. I should be able to do that during the season.”
Bognor Regis Town scored their third goal in the 49th minute.
Skeffington lost possession to De St Croix in midfield and he played the ball along the deck to Odokonyero, who drilled a left-footed screamer into the far corner from 30-yards.
“What a good player, he’s at Portsmouth and you can see he’s a talented young player and you don’t give talented young players chances,” added Smith.
Smith was about to bring Billy Crook off the bench for Chapman.
Referee Gerry Heron booked Chapman for a foul and as the midfielder was heading towards the home dug out he must have said something to the referee, who pulled out a second yellow card and then a red and Cray Wanderers had to play the final 31 minutes with 10 men. Both cards coming within 30 seconds of each other.
Smith said: “Whether he did, I didn’t hear anything but the referee decides to do it knowing Mitchell’s coming off anyway so the referee, I don’t think he has to do it. I think he wanted to do it. He was a bit petty all the way through the game giving free-kicks.
“There’s nothing we can do so I’m just concerned we don’t get injuries. The result’s happened so now it’s a case of getting a couple of players on and giving them some time before Saturday.”
Cray Wanderers’ players mainly stood like statutes in key battleground areas of the pitch, allowing Bognor Regis’ players to spray the ball all around the pitch at will without anyone in an amber shirt showing any desire to win the ball back.
Smith said: “I think it was more their back four that had more possession than the midfield. I think the midfield just popped it off. They played a diamond and our boys just couldn’t cope with the diamond, even though we gave them instructions. As I say we’ve been dominant in the other two games. We just weren’t clinical enough like they were tonight in the two games when we could’ve won both of them.”
Bognor Regis Town’s next chance of this one-sided affair came in the 77th minute when De St Croix and Rabbetts linked up before Odokonyero cut the ball on to his left foot and his angled drive was comfortably saved by Shaun Rowley.
The Rocks hit the home side on another counter attack when Rabbetts found himself in the middle of the park and he released substitute Charlie Bell down the left and he teed up Rabbetts, who lacked composure inside the box and drilled a shot past the near post and into the Glyn Beverly Stand.
Bognor Regis Town sealed the deal with five minutes remaining, hitting the home side on the counter-attack.
Michael Ademiluyi cut into the past by Bognor Regis’ right-back McCormick but the diminutive winger fell to the ground as he poked his shot past the near post from a tight angle.
Goalkeeper Toby Steward played the ball to holding midfielder Calvin Davies, who played the ball out wide to substitute wideman Bradley Lethbridge, who had oceans of space to put it on a plate for fellow sub Chalaye, who was left unmarked at the back post to stroke a left-footed shot across the keeper to find the bottom far corner.
“I thought Michael was outstanding tonight. He touched every blade of grass and he showed what I want at this club and I can’t be disappointed with the boys, that’s our first loss in six games and I’d rather lose in The FA Cup than the league.
“We’re down to 10 men and we’re still trying to get a goal just to make it a little bit exciting but they could’ve scored four or five. It wouldn’t have made a difference to the result. Fair play to Michael to try to go on and score.”
Smith demands a reaction from his side when they travel to bottom-five side Corinthian-Casuals on Saturday, a side that have claimed one win and two draws from their five league outings.
“I said this is either going to be us or it was a one-off because you haven’t played like that for seven games,” added Smith, when asked what he told his players at the final whistle.
“I know what the boys can do so it’s up to them. It’s up to us. It’s either a one-off or has it now started that we think we’re too good and we stopped doing the hard work because that’s what we didn’t do today.
“I said to the boys don’t think Corinthian-Casuals are down in the bottom five and it’s an easy game because it won’t be because they were watching you thinking they can pull off a result.
“It’s so early in the division, one win and all off the sudden they’re above midtable so it’s about us doing what we’re good at and we didn’t do anything we are good at today.
“I can probably count two or three people that I can say you played how I know you can play and when you put on 11 and three subs, that’s not good enough!”
Cray Wanderers are reporting for training tomorrow night and Smith added: “I’ve just got to make sure we get this out of our system very quickly. It’s The FA Cup, we weren’t going to win it. I wanted a Cup run for the club and the owners because they’re just brilliant people and we couldn’t deliver but we’re back to our bread and butter and our bread and butter is the league.”
When asked what message he gives the home fans after such an awful performance tonight, Smith replied: “I just apologise to them. They know what we’re about. They’ve seen us. I was talking to them on Saturday where we could’ve got a win. They’ve been absolutely amazing. It’s up to us to give them something back and there were some Bromley supporters who are supporting this club as well and I’d like to thank them.
“I just hope this is a one-off and I’ll only know it’s a one-off on Saturday, so it’s down to us.
“When I came here (in March) it was making sure we didn’t have a season like they had last season and that’s my sole focus. I just don’t want to be in and around that bottom five at all, meaning tonight is a wake-up call and a little bit of a kick up the backside and we’ll take it but we’ll only know come Saturday.”
Cray Wanderers: Shaun Rowley, Alex Bentley, Sam Wood, Sam Skeffington, Sinn’Kaye Christie, Jalen Jones, Danny Bassett (Billy Crook 61), Mitchell Chapman, Gary Lockyer (Tom Derry 53), Anthony Cook (Ben Krauhaus 50), Michael Ademiluyi.
Subs: Harold Joseph, Jacob Munting, Kieron Bennett, Jargal Enkh
Booked: Mitchell Chapman 58
Sent Off: Mitchell Chapman 59
Bognor Regis Town: Toby Steward, Josh McCormick, Joe Rabbetts, Calvin Davies, Tom Bragg, Craig Robson, Isaac Olaniyan, Alfie Bridgman (Charlie Bell 46), Nathan Odokonyero (Tom Chalaye 77), Nick Dembele, Sam De St Croix (Bradley Lethbridge 85).
Subs: Myles Bowman, Danny Howick
Goals: Isaac Olaniyan 27, Nick Dembele 34, Nathan Odokonyero 49, Tom Chalaye 85
Booked: Calvin Davies 29, Craig Robson 88
Attendance: 145
Referee: Mr Gerry Heron
Assistants: Mr Christopher Caskey & Mr Abdul Olol
Red Dragon I.T. Ltd