Cray Wanderers 3-0 Haringey Borough - You get to this stage of a Cup, you want to win it - Francis

The Spartan South Midlands League side gave their more illustrious opponents an early helping hand when left-back Ronnie Bridges put through his own net after only 39 seconds to settle any nerves.

The Kent side - who were dumped out of the Championship Manager Cup by lower-league Leatherhead only 48 hours earlier - dominated the first half but they had to wait until the stroke of half-time before doubling their lead, courtesy of a fine strike from Richard Morgan.

Cray Wanderers took their foot of the gas during the second half to conserve energy but they booked their trip to Tooting & Mitcham United when striker Carl Gibbs added a third in the last minute.

Assistant manager Joe Francis emerged from the dressing rooms first and was pleased with the performance from a much-changed side.

He said: “Really good performance.  We had to ensure that we rested a few players because they all played the other night on Tuesday.  To ask them to play Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday would’ve been too much but we’ve got a good reserve side, a good youth set up, so it gave us the opportunity to play some of those players and they did really well.”

Only Allan McLeod and Jack Clark (playing at right-back and left-back respectively tonight) were the only survivors from Tuesday night’s disappointing Ryman League Cup exit, as manager Ian Jenkins brought back some familiar faces.  

Central defender Joe Vines (who arrives from Maidstone United), midfielder Jamie Wood (one a one-match deal from VCD Athletic) and Matt Woolf, who played his first game for three years following injury after coming off the bench for an impressive 22 minute cameo, came back and the Kent side were too strong for their Tottenham based opponents.

The game was switched to Beckenham Town’s ground, due to Bromley’s Hayes Lane being unavailable but despite their unfamiliar surroundings, Cray Wanderers got off to a flying start when Jack Clark’s angled drive flashed across the face of the goal-mouth and Haringey Borough left-back Bridges got the final touch as the ball nestled into the bottom corner.

“Good start!  We needed that!” said Francis, especially after Leatherhead scored their first goal after 60 seconds on Tuesday night, before going on to comfortably win 2-0 to clinch a semi-final home tie against Dulwich Hamlet.

“We’ve had opportunities in recent games to be ahead and not gone ahead but yes, a good start tonight and it just gives everybody a little lift and you can start playing your football.”

This signalled a period of dominance from the Wands, but unfortunately a lack of killer instinct in front of goal was frustrating.

Ross Lover (back in the side following injury) replicated Clark’s ball but this time found Gibbs lurking at the far post, but the nippy striker steered his shot just past the foot of the near post when well placed.

Another chance arrived, as early as the eighth minute, when Wood stole the ball off David Boal, and sent a left-footed drive into Greg Thurstans’ arms from 25-yards.

Wood then played in a fine pass for Gibbs in behind the Haringey defence but he rushed his shot and he dragged his shot wide when all he needed was a little bit more composure.

Haringey Borough almost levelled in the 13th minute when a sliding McLeod lost possession of the ball to Daniel Akley, who slipped the ball through to Demetri Stratis and his angled drive was beaten away by the diving Pat Brennan, but Theo Charalambos couldn’t capitalise on the chance and his effort was flicked away at the near post.

Cray Wanderers squandered yet another chance when Brannan’s clearance was flicked on by Gibbs to release Richard Whyte through on goal, but a fine challenge from defender Edmund Arthur forced the shot wide.

Haringey created a half-chance when Charalambous floated in a free kick from the left and a back header from Nick Nicou (who later took the captain’s armband from Marvin Walker) wasn’t going to trouble Brannan, neither was a shot from Akley, after the number 10 cut in from the left.

Cray Wanderers, however, doubled their lead, fourteen seconds into stoppage time at the end of the half.

Morgan cut in from the left and drilled an angled right-footed drive across goalkeeper Thurstans and the ball nestled into the bottom far corner of the Haringey net to virtually kill the game off.

Francis said: “Brilliant second goal.  He did really well tonight, Richard.  He’s another one that has to adhere to non-league football because he’s got a lot of talent and he’s only a kid!

“Richard was in our reserve side and played in the first team last year at the end of the year and pre-season and he went on the missing list, like most of these young boys do.  They’ve got to learn to have some stickability and be in and around a squad and go and play reserve team football.  He’s got a lot of talent.”

With the game virtually won, the second half was comfortably played out by the streetwise Ryman Premier League hosts, as the partnership of Vines and Jordan Clarke at the heart of defence snuffed out any threat.

Vines almost marked his return to the club with a 53rd minute goal when he met Lover’s corner at the far post but headed the ball down and wide.

Four minutes later, Thurstans was called into action, palming over Lover’s tricky curling free-kick from 25-yards, before Haringey threw three men up top and started to press.

They almost pulled a goal back in the 63rd minute when Stratis teed up Akley on the corner of the D and the striker cracked a right-footed drive from 22-yards, which half-time substitute goalkeeper, sixteen-year-old George Howard tipped around the post.

Efforts from outside of the Cray penalty area from Charlambos and Nicou flashed wide, before Gibbs (who earlier struck a first time shot over following Whyte’s right-wing cross) wrapped up the comfortable win in the final minute.

With Woolf expressing himself in the middle of the park, showing some neat touches, Lover switched to right-back and his delightful ball over the top of the Haringey defence released Gibbs through on goal and the striker will gain confidence with a sweet right-footed finish, underneath the goalkeeper to roll the ball into the back of an empty net.

Francis hailed Lover’s contribution for the goal, saying, “Great ball, he’s got the ability to do that, you know that.  It’s nice for Carl to score a goal.  It doesn’t matter if it was the last minute or the standard of the opposition, it’s good for him to get a goal.”

Francis was pleased to see Woolf, 33, return to the fold.

He said: “We’ve been on to Matt for the last three years to get his boots  on and it’s taken three years of week in week out phone calls and it’s made my year to see him out there.”

With a trip to Wealdstone in the Ryman Premier League following on Saturday, Francis explained why the side took their foot of the gas after the break.

“We just kept the ball, kept it moving and try to conserve a bit of energy for those boys that we need on Saturday,” said Francis.

“The squad is stretched very thinly at the moment.  We’ve got some key players missing but it gives everybody else an opportunity, doesn’t it?”

Cray Wanderers join two other Kent clubs, Beckenham Town and Thamesmead Town, in the last eight of the London Senior Cup.

And looking ahead to their trip to Tooting & Mitcham United, Francis added, “Listen, you get to this stage in a Cup you want to go on and see if you can win it.

“But our priority is the league.  Simple as that!”  

Cray Wanderers: Pat Brannan (George Howard 46), Allan McLeod (Matt Woolf 68), Jack Clark, Richard Morgan (John Hooper 72), Joe Vines, Jordan Clarke, Ross Lover, Richard Whyte, Carl Gibbs, Jamie Wood, Ebenezer Masade.

Subs: Leigh Bremner, Royce Greenich.

Goals: Ronnie Bridges 1 (own goal), Richard Morgan 45, Carl Gibbs 89

Haringey Borough:  Greg Thurstans, Charles Douse, Ronnie Bridges, Rakim Richards, Nick Nicou, Edmund Arthur (Bosun Adebaki 81), Theo Charalambous, Marvin Walker (Miguel Martins 63), David Boal, Daniel Akley, Demetri Stratis (Jamie Brandon 71).

Subs: Jermaine Edwards, Hayden Edwards

Booked:  David Boal 72

Attendance: 70

Referee: Mr Mohammad Nazari (Wandsworth, London SW18)

Assistants: Mr Richardo Carridce (Peckham, London SE15) & Mr Piotr Zachwieja (Orpington)