Molesey 2-0 Cray Wanderers (Aban.75 mins) We bring the best out of Power, says Francis - EXCLUSIVE

MOLESEY 2-0 CRAY WANDERERS
(Match abandoned after 75 minutes - waterlogged pitch)
Tuesday 13^th February 2007
Ryman League Division One South
Stephen McCartney reports from the Herds Renault Stadium

Referee Mr Constantine Hatzidakis made the “brave” decision to abandon this Ryman League Division One South fixture between two very good sides with just fifteen minutes remaining, according to Cray Wanderers’ assistant manager Joe Francis.

Despite a dry day in Surrey, the rain started falling, and didn’t stop, an hour and a half before kick-off and when the floodlights finally came on, puddles had surfaced on the playing surface.

This caused concern between both sets of players, but after initially passing the game fit at 6:30pm, the referee finally gave the all-clear twenty minutes later.

Molesey’s players were already warming up when the match was officially confirmed as being on and the ball was zipping off the playing surface without getting stuck in the mud.

Molesey, however, got off to a dream start, taking the lead after just 81 seconds.

James Rose played Youssef Metwali in behind the Wands’ three man defence and whipped in a delightful cross from the right channel and Steve Brown powered his header past Grant Hall, who was rooted to the spot, towards the corner from eight-yards.

Francis explained EXCLUSIVELY to www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards why their reserve team goalkeeper had come into the side leaving Steve Northwood on the bench.

“Steve has been suffering with a lack of confidence with his distribution and Grant has earned his right to play,” he said.

“Steve is a good clubman and that he has supported Grant, you saw him on the bench, and we take it forward from there.

“I thought Grant made three or four really decent saves and had a good game himself.”

But it was Molesey’s much-travelled goalkeeper, Chuck Martini, that kept the hosts in the game with a string of fine saves to thwart the dominating Kent side.

After being played in by Julian Curnow, midfielder Jamie Kempster dragged his shot past the far post and Lewis Wood cut in from the right only to see his near post shot turned around the post by the Moroccan.

Colin Luckett, a former team mate of Martini at Bromley, drilled a low cross towards the far post from the left, and the ball fell nicely to Kempster, whose drive was comfortably saved.

But Molesey doubled their lead, against the run of play, after 22 minutes when Rose thought he had netted his tenth goal of the season. The only thing that counts in abandoned games are cards picked up by players.

Brown’s free-kick was flicked on by skipper Aaron Nawachi and Rose’s looping header dropped into the bottom right hand corner, once again leaving Hall stranded.

Highly-rated striker, Phil Ruggles was given the opportunity to run at the Wands back-three, but after unleashing a right-footed shot from twenty-yards Hall was relived to see the ball fly just over his bar.

Then Steve Gibson’s free-kick from 28-yards bounced off the Cray Wanderers’ wall and dropped over the bar for a corner.

Their next free-kick, with eleven first half minutes remaining, had Hall making a fine diving save when he parried Metwali’s right-footed drilled effort from 35-yards out.

Martini kept his eyes on the ball when Ross Lover tried his luck with a long range effort, the ball zipping off the soaked turf and into his grateful arms.

Welsh striker, Andy Martin, met Luckett’s whipped in cross from the left, but the former Tonbridge Angels’ striker nodded just over the near post from six-yards.

The two sides came out for the second half with soaked and muddy shirts but the ball still moved and to their credit, both sides still tried to play slick football on the quagmire.

Hall made a fine save from Rose’s downward header, which was heading for the back of the net, nine minutes into the second half.

As Brown was about to send over a free-kick in the 58^th minute, the assistant on the stand and dug-out side, waved furiously for the referee’s attention.

After speaking to his assistant, Mr Hatidakis put his arm around Cray Wanderers’ manager Ian Jenkins’ back and asked him to vacate his technical area.

“Well, he was trying to chat to the assistant referee and it esculated out of nothing but he took his punishment,” said Francis

After losing their manager, they were soon to lose their centre forward, when Lewis Wood was shown a straight red card in the 63^rd minute following a 21-man melee.

Francis added: “I didn’t see too much of it to be honest. It was a bit of a melee and Lewis has got to not raise his hands. As soon as you raise your hands you’re off, aren’t you?”

Hall made another fine save when he parried Brown’s right-footed long-range shot and the Rose blasted the follow-up wide, although the flag was raised for offside.

The Wands created just one second half chance and that came from substitute Adam Young, whose left-footed shot from 20-yards brought another fine low save from Martini.

Molesey’s Paul Caughter escaped with just a booking for a poor challenge on Gareth Graham and maybe that decided in the referee’s mind that the conditions were too poor to continue.

Molesey player-manager Steve Beeks was about to replace Richard Brightwell but before he could cross the white-line the referee had abandoned the game, much to the amazement of the disgruntled 90 supporters.

“Well, he had to give it a go,” said Francis. “I thought he was brave to call it off when he did. It was getting really treacherous.”

Despite trailing by two goals to nil when the game came to an early finish, Francis, however, admitted he was pleased with the performance of the team.

He said: “I thought we played the best football that we’ve played in a long time in the first half.

“They’re dangerous up front. Their front two is possibly the best pairing in the league and always looked dangerous, always look like they’ve got goals in them.

“But we passed it around really well. I thought we were unfortunate to go in 2-0 down. We couldn’t believe that we were 2-0 down.

“I think it will do both teams a bit more justice when we come back and the surface is playable.”

Francis revealed that returning striker Michael Power will be out of action for up to four weeks as he recovers from his ligament injury.

“Hopefully Shaggy will only be three or four weeks and for us it’s a blessing because tonight again we’ve been disrupted after signing Shaggy,” he said.

“It was a huge boost for us, totally changes the look of the side and again we were without him tonight.

“We had him for two and a half years - he’s quality. He should never had gone - he knows it.

“He loved the club and he’s back now and all the boys love him and he’s got all his mates here, not as that’s important, but he developed under us as a player and he’ll continue to develop now he’s back.”

Power was played on the right hand side by Tony Dolby whilst at Tonbridge Angels, and Francis added: “He was playing out of position and I think we know what he’s best position is and that’s as an out-and-out centre forward or just behind the front two and he can really hurt teams.”

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