Cray Wanderers 0-1 Hastings United

Cray Wanderers 0 – 1 Hastings United
Location	Hayes Lane, Bromley, Kent BR2 9EF
Kickoff	21/09/2022 19:45

CRAY WANDERERS  0-1  HASTINGS UNITED
Isthmian League Premier Division
Wednesday 21 September 2022
Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane

CRAY WANDERERS missed out on the chance of breaking into the Isthmian League Premier Division play-offs after losing an uninspiring game against Hastings United, last season’s Isthmian League South East Division champions.

Neil Smith’s men remain in sixth-place in the table with 12 points from eight games after Hastings United striker Ben Pope capitalised on a howler from goalkeeper Shaun Rowley to snatch the victory with 15 minutes remaining.

Smith emerged from the home dressing room following his side's first home league defeat at ten o’clock for a meeting with Cray Wanderers directors' in the boardroom and didn’t make himself available for a post-match interview.

Gary Elphick’s side started the game on the front foot, creating their first opening inside the opening six minutes.

Cray Wanderers’ right-back Roman Charles-Cook gave the ball away and Pope cut in from the left flank into the middle and his right-footed deflected drive from 25-yards was comfortably gathered by Rowley, gathering the bouncing ball to his right.

Tom Chalmers, who started as one of two holding midfielders, broke down the right wing and from a tight angle his attempt clipped the top of the Cray Wanderers crossbar in the tenth minute.

From that moment both sides lacked quality in attacking key areas and Hastings United comfortably went on to maintain their fourth clean sheet in eight games, with Craig Stone and Alex Brefo slamming the door shut with dominant performances at the heart of their defence.

Cray Wanderers’ centre-half Sinn’Kaye Christie, who was later forced off with a torn meniscus in his knee, pinged a long diagonal out of defence and the ball was expertly brought down by Michael Ademiluyi down the right and his low cross was comfortably gathered at his near post by visiting goalkeeper Louis Rogers in the 20^th minute.

Hastings United also started the second half on the front foot and went close to smashing the stalemate after 38 seconds.

Holding midfielder Hasler hit a long ball out of defence and right-back Jake Elliott found space in the second phase down the right to whip in a deep cross for left-back Kane Penn to get in behind the home side’s weak link in defence (Charles-Cook) and drove his shot into the side netting.

Shortly afterwards, Penn then played the ball inside to Knory Scott, whose right-footed angled drive from 25-yard deflected past the far post.

The versatile Anthony Cook slotted in at right-back in the 54^th minute as soon as Charles-Cook was hooked by Smith, most probably for often giving the ball away inside his defensive half.

The home side briefly upped their slow tempo as soon as central midfielder Mitchell Chapman came off the bench and their only worthwhile shot on goal finally arrived in the 57^th minute.

The Wands built down the left with ineffective winger Danny Bassett feeding Billy Crook, who played the ball inside the left-back Sam Wood, who sliced his left-footed drive past the left-hand post from inside the D immediately after slipping over unchallenged.

Cray Wanderers’ targetman Tom Derry offered very little in attack as he wasn’t given the service from any of his team-mates and he finished the game at centre-half alongside Jalen Jones as soon as Christie was forced off with his knee injury just past the hour-mark, leaving Bassett as the furthest man forward in attack.

This awful game had a goal-less draw written all over it as both sides were cancelling each other out – that was until Cray Wanderers’ goalkeeper Rowley switched off when faced with his first shot on target.

Hasler found a pocket of space just beside Chapman in a central position and hit a left-footed half-volley screaming towards goal from 35-yards, which should have been dealt with by Rowley.

However, the 25-year-old stopper inexplicably spilt the shot and Pope pounced on the loose ball and slotted his shot across the keeper to find the bottom far corner from eight-yards to open his account for the season.

Cray Wanderers failed to give it a go towards the end and will have to perform vastly better when they travel to league leaders Hornchurch on Saturday.

Elphick made his third substitution in the 86^th minute bringing Lloyd Davies on for match-winner Pope.

Davies was booked for kicking the ball away and shortly afterwards he was shown his second yellow card and then a red for a bad foul on emergency centre-half Derry with 44:25 on the clock.

Hastings’ substitute left-winger Gil Carvalho cut into the box on the counter-attack at the end and Rowley made a comfortable low save at his near-post, as Hastings United climbed up a couple of places into eighth-place with 11 points from seven games.

Hornchurch are one of three sides on 15 points after eight games, the others being Potters Bar Town and Aveley.

Horsham and Bishop’s Stortford follow on 14 points and Hornchurch came away from Herne Bay with a 6-0 win last night. 

Newly-promoted side Herne Bay beat Ashford United 2-0 in The FA Cup Second Qualifying Round last Sunday, slumped to the foot of the table on four points as a result.

Meanwhile, Jones remains the Wands only recognised centre-half going into the game at Bridge Avenue on Saturday, with Christie and Harold Joseph both on the sidelines through injury.

Cray Wanderers: Shaun Rowley, Roman Charles-Cook (Mitchell Chapman 54), Sam Wood, David Ijah, Sinn’Kaye Christie (Ben Krauhaus 64), Jalen Jones, Danny Bassett, Billy Crook (Sam Skeffington 81), Tom Derry, Anthony Cook, Michael Ademiluyi.
Subs: Alex Bentley, Jargal Enkh

Booked: Tim O’Shea 45 (assistant manager), Jalen Jones 90

Hastings United: Louis Rogers, Jake Elliott, Kane Penn, Sam Hasler, Craig Stone, Alex Brefo, Knory Scott (Gil Carvalho 68), Jack Dixon, Ben Pope (Lloyd Dawes 86), Sam Adams (Ryan Worrall 60), Tom Chalmers.
Subs: Finn O’Mara, James Hull

Goal: Ben Pope 75

Booked: Sam Adams 18, Sam Hasler 40, Jack Dixon 58, Knory Scott 67, Lloyd Dawes 89, Craig Stone 90

Sent Off: Lloyd Dawes 90

Attendance: 237
Referee: Mr Steven Scott
Assistants: Mr Marcos Valko & Mr James Black