Cray Wanderers 4-1 Moneyfields - When we do what we do we can make a team look pretty ordinary, says Cray Wanderers boss Tony Russell

Cray Wanderers 4 – 1 Moneyfields
Location	Hayes Lane, Bromley, Kent BR2 9EF
Kickoff	22/11/2017 19:45

CRAY WANDERERS  4-1  MONEYFIELDS
The Buildbase FA Trophy Second Qualifying Round Replay
Wednesday 22^nd November 2017
Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane

CRAY WANDERERS boss Tony Russell says his side made Moneyfields look pretty ordinary after progressing through to The FA Trophy Third Qualifying Round at a windy Hayes Lane.

 

Portsmouth-based Moneyfields are unbeaten at the top of the Evo-Stik Southern League South-East Division table with 34 points in the bag from 14 games, but they suffered only their third defeat in 23 games by a Cray Wanderers side sitting in fourth-place in the Bostik South table with 34 points from their 17 league outings.

Cray Wanderers were without Lea Dawson (serving a one-match ban after picking up his fifth yellow card of the season in the 1-1 draw at Moneyfields on 14 November, while Karl Dent was nursing a knock to his ankle.

Cray Wanderers started the game on the front foot and took the lead through Mitchell Nelson, the central defender who opened his account in Saturday’s 7-0 win at East Grinstead Town.

Moneyfields striker Ryan Pennery, who kept falling over during the first half, levelled through a chip early in the second half.

But Cray Wanderers responded by taking the lead just 191 seconds later through midfielder Michael Frieter.

Power was restored to Hayes Lane this afternoon after Bromley’s Vanarama National League game with Aldershot Town was postponed 13 minutes before kick-off last night through a power outage, but there was no power shortage here as striker Michael Power tucked home two penalties as Cray Wanderers extended their unbeaten run to 16 games.

“I was pleased because I didn’t want to make a big thing of it. We should’ve beaten them in the first leg. We dominated them and missed lots of chances and I’m glad to get it done,” said Russell, who takes his side to Braintree Town in the next round on Saturday.

“Listen, they’re unbeaten, they won again on Saturday, they’re a decent side, but I think for a game and a half baring a 15 minute period where the wind just picked up and we were getting pinned in, I think we looked a far better side.”

Moneyfields should have taken the lead inside the opening seven minutes when a poor pass out of defence by Jay Leader was intercepted by Joseph Briggs, who put in striker Pennery, who skipped into the Cray penalty area before drilling his right-footed shot over the crossbar from 12-yards with only Nick Blue to beat.

“I think it was a sloppy pass from Jay Leader, just got a bit casual and under hit a pass, said Russell.

“The boys were saying at half-time the wind just came from nowhere. Usually there’s weather warnings.   Jay got sloppy with a pass, it got intercepted and the guy slipped in, it was a tight angle and it was nice for it to go over.”

Visiting keeper Steven Mowthorpe stuck out his left leg to deny right-winger Brandon Scott.

Power hooked the ball into the wingers path but his left-footed shot from 12-yards was blocked by the keeper and Scott recycled the ball and played the ball inside to Frieter, who sliced his shot past the right-hand post.

“Brandon goes clean through and the keeper saves it and Brandon then squares it to Frieter and he just got to tap it in and he treads on the ball,” said Russell.

“I thought first half, as a whole, we were sloppy in the final third.  We got in some great areas, we pressed them in and it was all us.

“I said to the two wide boys (Scott and Rhule), I thought they were poor.  They were brilliant on Saturday and I thought for their standards our quality in the final third could’ve been a lot better.”

Power played a one-two with Frieter and his low left-footed drive from 20-yards kissed against the foot of the left-hand post, deflecting behind for a corner.

“There were so many posts and bars hit today, I lost count,” added Russell.

“Shags hit the post again (in the second half). It was good movement, it sort of got stuck under his feet and he’s dragged it out and he bent it around and slow motion, it’s hit the post.

“We just felt when we were on top, we just need to be a little bit more clinical. That’s the only thing that’s missing from us at the moment.  I knew we’ve scored four and you’re being greedy, against a team that’s not lost. We should’ve scored seven or eight and that’s the standards I want us to set.”

But Cray Wanderers deserved their lead when it arrived with 14 minutes and 9 seconds on the clock from the resulting corner.

Aaron Rhule swung in a corner from the left which Moneyfields failed to clear and Nelson poked his shot into the bottom right-hand corner from eight-yards at the far post.

“You have to ask Vinsey (assistant manager Joe Vines), I don’t remember Vinsey doing that one (during training) but he claims it whenever we score from a set-play.  He turns round and says that’s another one for me!

“He’s a set-piece guru.  Joe and the centre halves talk about it a lot in the changing room, so we are a threat from set-plays. 

“Mitch scored one Saturday as well through a set-play.  I suppose that’s the most disappointing thing, through all our pressure in the first half, we’ve only scored through a set-play.”

Dean Carpenter played a low pass into Power’s feet on the edge of the Moneyfields box and Carpenter went close through his right-footed curler, which narrowly missed the far post.

Frieter swung in the home side’s second corner of the night and Leader hooked the ball across the penalty area and Nelson retrieved the ball and whipped in a cross for Leader, who had got up off the floor to direct his header past the post from 12-yards.

Cray Wanderers dominated for the opening 20 minutes before Moneyfields started to get back into the game.  Eight of the 18 fouls that the away side made came in the opening half-an-hour.

Moneyfields almost forced an equaliser through a nice two-man move down the left in the 30^th minute.

Briggs and Pennery linked up by exchanging passes a couple of times before Pennery cracked a right-footed deflected drive from outside the box, which was palmed over the crossbar by Nick Blue’s outstretched left-hand.

“They were trying to get us on the counter-attack. It’s very similar to the away leg, they were carrying a bit of a threat on the counter,” said Russell.

“You don’t have their record if they’re a bad side.  When we do what we do, we can make a team look pretty ordinary and that goes for most teams in our league. 

“I think I can see that they’re a good side, powerful, big. We just had to keep playing at our tempo, that was the key.”

Moneyfields made a tactical switch when they lost central defender Brett Poate through injury.  Winger Conor Bailey moved back to slot in at left-back, replacing Jamie Ford, who moved inside to partner Pearce at the heart of their defence.

Cray Wanderers winger Brandon Scott twice lacked end product in the final third after speeding down the wing on the counter-attack, with poor shots landing in Mowthorpe’s gloves at his near post.

Blue was called into action in the 40^th minute when he got down low to his right to use his legs to prevent Sam Pearce’s dipping right-footed free-kick from 35-yards nestling inside the bottom left-hand corner.

Russell said: “He did well, pushed it way from goal as well, which is in the coaches goalkeeping manual, I think.

“It was a save I expected him to make. He wasn’t at full-stretch, but he didn’t take no chances with it and he pushed it away.”

Moneyfields expected to make use of the wind behind them during the second half but Cray Wanderers kept the ball on the deck for most of the game and the visitors had no answer for Russell’s brand of carpet football.

“I said to the players at half-time, I’m disappointed we’ve not scored more there but I think we’re going to get loads of chances in the second half,” said Russell.

“Moneyfields believed with that wind that their woes were over.  We don’t use the wind for or against.  You put the ball along the floor the wind doesn’t really affect it, so we don’t ever need the wind, the wind’s really irrelevant in what we’re going to do today.

“I said to the two wide players be better in the final third, pick people out or go past people but we need end product , we need shots or we need rosses and that’s what we asked for.”

Moneyfields clawed themselves back in the game with exactly six minutes on the clock through an error of judgement from Blue.

Central midfielder Jake Raine hit the ball down the right channel and Blue rushed off his line to reach the edge of his penalty box, stopped and watched Pennery’s chip sail over his head before dropping into the back of an empty net.

“I said to the centre halves I want us to be brave, to play a high line because all their going to do is crash it, so when they crash it, the wind gets hold of it and it runs through to the goalkeeper,” said Russell.

“I said to Bluey for us to do it, you’re going to have to sweep and maybe he got that in his head. The ball’s gone over and he’s just come charging out and then stopped so he’s in no-man’s land and watching the ball go in. He’ll be disappointed with that.

“He had a moan at me because I moaned at him from the line. I was angry but all he was trying to do was do what I was asking him to do, which I’m lucky because plyers do that for me.  You can see the way we play players will do what I ask them to do.  He done it a little bit too literally.”

Cray Wanderers were the team that pressed and Carpenter’s cross found Scott at the far post and he played the ball inside to Power, who shot straight at Mowthorpe, who was beaten for a second time, with nine minutes and 11 seconds on the clock.

Right-back Ben Mundele charged forward down the right before playing the ball inside to Frieter, who drove his right-footed shot at goal from 25-yards, the ball deflecting off Pearce and sailing into the top far corner of the net.

Russell said: “Great response, that’s the difference with us this year, there’s a belief, it’s imbedded in them, no one panics. It seems to just gee-them back up.

“As soon as they score, we were going at them. It was all us again, no-one gets on Bluey’s back, you don’t hear anyone go on at Bluey apart from me.  They’re very close and they’ve got a real belief and the reaction was very good and they carried on going at them.”

Russell added: “We’ve been working on counter-attacks from set-pieces.  I think we counter very well.  We try to learn off other teams. We do what we do very well. 

“I went to watch Corinthian-Casuals before we played them.  From open play counter-attacking, I thought they were fantastic so once I got what I wanted out of it I just sat and watched them how they did it.

“They’re the best counter-attacking team that I’ve seen so I thought I spend the second half watching what they did and how they break.  We’re a lot better on the counter-attack, we’ve got pace in our side so it does seem pretty obvious to do it.”

Blue made up for his error by making a flying save to prevent an equaliser just 97 seconds later.

Daniel Wooden’s flicked pass put substitute Nathan Paxton through on goal and his right-footed curler from 20-yards saw Blue dive high to his left to tip the ball around the post for a corner.

“I know that Bluey’s a great goalkeeper.  I just get frustrated with him when he does stupid things,” said Russell.

“We get on really well, we’re very close off the field so maybe I go at him probably more than I would if I didn’t have that relationship.

“They’re very direct, not so much this game but at their place they were very direct.  The ball dropped and all off a sudden he’s hit a shot and Bluey’s reacted to it and made a save.”

Excellent defending from Nelson prevented Moneyfields a certain leveller.

Pennery’s flicked pass played in his strike partner Wooden, who chipped the ball over Blue and stand-in captain Nelson showed desire to sprint back towards his own goal-line to acrobatically clear the ball off the line.

“I thought Mitch had a superb game and he was the best player on the pitch.  I gave him the armband today, maybe it was that? I thought he was superb today,” said Russell.

It proved to be a vital moment as Cray Wanderers made it 3-1 with 25 minutes and 48 seconds on the clock.

The home side cleared Bailey’s corner and broke down the right through Scott, who was impeded by Louie Martin, as he came across form right-back and assistant referee Nick Fruin flagged for a penalty.

Power stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way with a right-footed penalty, which nestled into the bottom right-hand corner.

“I’m not going to go too much into it because I don’t want to give everything away, that move there is something we spoke about and worked upon exactly that,” said Russell.

“The biggest annoyance, the ref didn’t seem to give the penalty until the linesman stepped in. It was a joke! He’s pushed it past him and he’s just shoved him over.  He wasn’t going to give that, luckily enough the linesman’s given it and it’s a penalty.”

Moneyfields suffered a cruel twist of fate on three occasions during the final 15 minutes.

Nelson was booked for his challenge on Pennery and referee Neil West awarded Moneyfields a free-kick inside the D.

Pearce stepped up and thumped his curling right-footed free-kick crashing against the top of the right-hand post from 20-yards.

“That was a dangerous free-kick. It was central, inside the D with the wind behind him.  I thought he literally had to get it up and it would fly in the goal. He's smacked it. It nearly broke the goal, Bluey had no chance,” said Russell.

“That was a carbon copy of their goal when we drew 1-1 at their place.  They had one shot on goal and the guy had a fast bowler run-up, shot, it hit the end of the wall and sent Bluey the wrong way and scored.

“They got lucky in the first leg and we maybe got away with it this leg.”

Blue could only watch as Raine cracked a dipping left-footed drive crashing against the crossbar from 35-yards and Pennery brought the ball down under control before poking the rebound against the base of the left-hand post from six-yards.

Russell said: “They had 10 minutes where we just couldn’t get out.  The wind had really picked up and someone cleared the ball and it virtually came back. They were having pop shots and they hit the bar and it zoomed back and the guy shot straight away and it hit the post.

“Ray Powell (my old assistant manager) used to say it all the time. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing or how good or bad they are, every team has as spell in the game. Every team, it doesn’t matter what level they are.”

Good skill inside the penalty box by Power saw him sweep his shot against the near post after being fed by Leader.

Russell added: “Great skill. He faked to do a back heel, he sent the centre half off to get a hot-dog for us and then he’s come back and hit the inside of the post. It would’ve been a great goal.”

Martin gave away his second penalty, this time bringing down Aaron Rhule as he cut into the box from the left wing.

Power stepped up to slot his right-footed penalty into the bottom right-hand corner for the second time, leaving the keeper rooted to the spot, the goal timed at 41 minutes and 2 seconds to give the scoreline a flattering look.

“Again, Aarron’s had a funny mixed game. He’s a bit like Brandon. He done alright when he was in it, he was in it.  Him and Brendon, I thought today were very frustrating.

“Jerome Frederico didn’t turn up. There was a crash on the M25, he comes from Watford and he literally turned up with about 20 minutes to go.  We were limited on what we could do.”

Power has now scored 18 goals this season and with his side seven points behind leaders Lewes, Russell said: “He missed three weeks of the season when he got married and went on his honeymoon.  I said that to him the other day. If he didn’t have his honeymoon, we’d be top of the league!  He doesn’t do nothing spectacular with what we do. He just has that little bit of quality just when it comes through to him. He just glues it for us. He’s that target and we can have flyers off him and he puts the ball in the net.”

Russell, meanwhile, takes his side to Braintree Town in the next round on Saturday. Bradley Quinton’s side are in second-place in the Vanarama National League South table with 35 points from 19 games.

“I took the liberty, I went to watch them yesterday (a home 1-1 draw against Truro City).  I fancied us tonight, so I thought why not?  On the way I did say to Nathan White if we lose and I’ve just come all the way here, I’m going to kill them!”

Cray Wanderers: Nick Blue, Ben Mundele, Barney Williams, Dean Carpenter, Mitchell Nelson, Jay Leader, Brandon Scott (Ralique Lawrence 80),  Zak Henry (Marcus Evans 83), Michael Power (Freddie Parker 87), Michael Frieter, Aaron Rhule.
Subs: Jerome Frederico, Kyron Lightfoot

Goals: Mitchell Nelson 15, Michael Frieter 55, Michael Power 71 (penalty), 87 (penalty)

Booked: Zak Henry 39, Mitchell Nelson 74

Moneyfields: Steven Mowthorpe, Louie Martin, Jamie Ford, Lewis Fennemore, Brett Poate (Nathan Paxton 34), Sam Pearce, Joseph Briggs, Jake Raine, Ryan Pennery (Gary Austin 80), Daniel Wooden (Declan Seiden 90), Conor Bailey.
Subs: Max Smith, Callum Glen

Goal: Ryan Pennery 52

Booked: Louie Martin 71, Jamie Ford 82, Nathan Paxton 85

Attendance: 139
Referee: Mr Neil West (Leigh-on-Sea, Essex)
Assistants: Mr Jamie Eacott (Maidstone) & Mr Nick Fruin (Beckenham)

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