Cray Wanderers 1-0 Worthing - The job's only half done, admits delighted Jenkins

Tuesday 28th April 2009

CRAY WANDERERS 1-0 WORTHING

Ryman League Division One South Play-Off Semi-Final

Tuesday 28th April 2009

Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane

JUBILENT Cray Wanderers boss Ian Jenkins says Jamie Wood’s match-winning strike was “world-class” - as his side deservedly booked their place in the Ryman League Division One South play-off final for the second successive season.

Wood, 30, playing in a pocket behind the front two, unleashed a low left-footed drive from 25-yards, which was enough to beat a dull, big and physical Worthing side that relied heavily on long throws.

The Wands, who finished their 42-match league campaign in second place, seven points behind promoted Kingstonian, are just one win away from securing their place in the Ryman Premier League for the very first time.

All they have to do is beat a Metropolitan Police side (that won their first ever play-off game with a 1-0 win at Fleet Town tonight) at Hayes Lane in Saturday’s winner-takes-all showdown.

A delighted Jenkins, speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards, hailed Wood’s 117th goal for the Wands (in his 434th appearance), saying, “A great goal to win any game, a fantastic strike. No keeper in the world is going to save that!”

He added, “He’s been playing in that little pocket behind the front two and he gets a lot of the ball. He should be shooting a lot more and he had one before that, a little sighter the keeper saved.”

Worthing, backed by vocal travelling support, must be a very boring side to watch, as all they did all night was throw ball after ball into the Cray penalty area.

Cray Wanderers, on the other hand, played the better football and thoroughly deserved to book their place in the final.

The Wands went close with a couple of early set-pieces.

The excellent Simon Osborn floated a free-kick into the Worthing box and this was headed across goal by skipper Mark Willy and Lewis Wood out jumped the giant Worthing defenders around him to nod agonisingly over at the far post.

Then, Osborn’s out-swinging corner from the left was met by another Willy header, but this time the influential skipper headed over from penalty spot range.

Worthing did call goalkeeper Glen Knight into action after 18 minutes.

A boring trademark long throw from Ross Treleaven was met by Will Jenkins’ glancing near post header, but the Cray goalkeeper gathered the ball at the second attempt.

Worthing’s Jamie Brotherton, however, escaped with a booking in the 20th minute for elbowing Cray’s left-back Colin Luckett, who was forced off through an ankle ligament injury just eight minutes later.

The injury to the former Kingstonian and Bromley full-back, who is expected to miss Saturday’s final, was the only sour moment on a very proud night for everybody connected with Cray Wanderers.

“The bloke’s gone down the Achilles and (Colin’s) twisted his ankle really badly.” revealled Jenkins. “He’s just going up the hospital now.”

But the long-serving boss was pleased that substitute Tyrone Sterling was able to slot into the side as Luckett’s replacement.

“Tyrone went in there and done a job,” praised Jenkins. “Tyrone’s a natural left-sided player and he can play there. He can cause them a lot of trouble going forward.”

And the Kent side went closer in the 38th minute after Jamie Wood was brought to the ground.

Osborn’s resulting free-kick, some 35-yards out, was met by another Willy header, but this time the strong central defender glanced his effort just past the far post.

Worthing almost grabbed the lead from a set-piece of their own soon after.

Jorge Lopes’ whipped in cross from the right that had Knight back-peddling and as the ball bounced off the top of the crossbar, a corner kick was awarded.

Brotherton swung in a left-flank corner and Andy Alexander powered a header just past the near post. Most people thought it was in!

Worthing goalkeeper Alan Mansfield was twice called into action by Jamie Wood, but he could do nothing about the long-serving Wood’s decisive strike.

Mansfield had made two comfortable saves at his near post to thwart Wood, but after a move involving Scott Kinch and Leigh Bremner, Wood drilled a low right-footed drive from 25-yards, which whistled past the goalkeeper to find the bottom near corner in time added on.

Wood’s second - yet most important - goal of the season brought the usual quiet Cray supporters onto their feet.

Knight excelled when called upon during the second half as Worthing pressed for an equaliser.

Within the opening two minutes of the second half, the former Dover Athletic goalkeeper dived quickly low to his right to turn around Scott Treleaven’s right-footed drive, following Brotherton’s low centre from the left.

And just before the hour mark, Worthing central defender, Will Jenkins will be ruing his chance, heading Mickey Demetriou’s dangerous in-swinging corner from the right, over the bar from just a couple of yards from goal.

Cray Wanderers really should have sown up the victory with 65 minutes on the clock.

Jamie Wood lifted the ball towards Scott Kinch at the near post and the right-sided midfielder flicked the ball across goal, but striker Leigh Bremner glanced his header agonisingly wide of the far post, missing an open goal, from just a couple of yards out.

With the vocal Worthing supporters behind Knight’s goal urging their heroes on, Knight made a trio of crucial saves to prevent the game going into extra time.

Demetrio, who cut in from the left, brought a comfortable near post save from Knight, but then the goalkeeper did excellently to tip Brotherton’s deflected drive over his bar, and as the game entered time added on, the goalkeeper made a match-winning save with his big feet after Brotherton whipped in a dangerous cross into a crowded goalmouth, resulting in a frantic scramble.

Jenkins admitted that the job is only half done and Metropolitan Police will be out for revenge, having lost last year’s semi-final at Hayes Lane.

“Fantastic, well deserved I think,” he smiled. “As I said to the boys in there, a couple of them are celebrating that win, which is fair enough, but the job’s only half done.”

Jenkins praised his side’s battling qualities against a big and strong Worthing side.

“You look at them, they must have over seven players over six foot and we knew they’d throw the ball long and kick the ball long,” said Jenkins.

“But I know we’ve got strong players playing in my back six that can deal with anything they can throw at them.

“We were by far the better side footballing wide. They threw a bit at us in the end, but we dealt with it quite well.”

Teams like Worthing deserve to be beaten by a piece of class.

And Jenkins agreed, adding, ““The goal’s something you enjoy, a good goal like that’s a footballing goal as well. It’s a lovely bit of football - we deserved to win the game.”

The heroic Wood was delighted that his sweet strike ensured his beloved Cray Wanderers could be playing Ryman Premier League football in August.

“I couldn’t have hit it sweeter to be fair,” he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“To be fair, where I’ve been playing, behind the front two, I should be shooting a lot more. But tonight I’ve had a shot and it’s paid off.”

Reflecting on the match itself, Blackfen based Jamie added, “Over the ninety minutes we were much the better team. We created the more chances, I think we were a lot stronger and we weathered them in the second half.

“First half, we got the ball down and played it around them. Second half was all about just stopping them getting any chances.”

Cray Wanderers: Glen Knight, Arron Day, Colin Luckett (Tyrone Sterling 28), Danny Chapman, Mark Willy, Steve Aris, Scott Kinch, Simon Osborn (Dean Morris 86), Lewis Wood, Leigh Bremner, Jamie Wood (Michael Power 83).

Subs: Jamie Kempster, Juma Ibrahim.

Goal: Jamie Wood 45

Booked: Leigh Bremner 66, Scott Kinch 68, Tyrone Sterling 70, Jamie Wood 72

Worthing: Alan Mansfield, Stuart Axten, Mickey Demetriou, Glen Woodburn, Andy Alexander (Ben Andrews 75), Will Jenkins, Jamie Brotherton, Paul Kennett, Jorge Lopes (Scott Kirkwood 67), Karl Lakehurst (Lee Farrell 85), Ross Treleaven.

Subs: Enzo Benn, Ollie Barton.

Booked: Jamie Brotherton 20, Paul Kennett 56

Attendance: 373

Referee: Mr Anthony Serrano (Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire)

Assistants: Mr R Taylor (Weymouth, Dorset) & Mr Jon Ganfield (Bournemouth, Dorset)

Fourth Official: Mr John Rowbury (Orpington)