Cray Valley 2-3 South Park - It could have gone either way, says Cray Valley boss Steve Chapman

CRAY VALLEY (PAPER MILLS)  2-3  SOUTH PARK
The FA Carlsberg Vase Second Round Replay
Wednesday 20^th November 2013
Stephen McCartney reports from Middle Park Avenue

CRAY VALLEY manager Steve Chapman says he is feeling disappointed after their FA Carlsberg Vase run ended after his side committed suicide in the final six minutes to lose this Second Round Replay.

The Millers were 2-1 up with little over six minutes remaining, before South Park substitute Kieran Lavery was to be the Reigate outfit’s hero with two goals in 136 seconds to seal a home tie against Sussex County League Division Two leaders Eastbourne United in the last 64 on 7 December.

Chapman made one change to his team that came away from Surrey with a 1-1 draw after 120 minutes of football on Saturday.

Adam Gross returned following a hernia operation to slot in at left-back due to Joe Matthews picking up a cut to his head in the first game.

Cray Valley were without star-striker Laurent Hamici, who is serving a suspension and Adam Marsh completed his return to Corinthian after the game.

South Park, who are seven points clear of Camberley Town at the top of the Combined Counties League top-fight, deservedly opened the scoring when former Bedfont Sports striker Joe Jackson poked home the only goal of the first half.

The Millers should have been level five minutes before the break but ten-goal striker Lewis Wood skied his penalty over the crossbar.

But Gross levelled for Cray Valley nine minutes into the second half with a deflected 30-yard free-kick, before Michael McKenna blasted home their second ten minutes later.

South Park manager Joe McElligott brought on substitute Lavery with fifteen minutes left and he converted a penalty in the 84^th minute, before sweeping home the winner with three minutes remaining.

Cray Valley finished the game with ten-men after central defender Gary Cook was given a straight red-card for a two-footed lunge at the death.

“Very disappointed.  I thought when we went 2-1 up we won the game but I knew they were a resilient team,” said Chapman after his side’s eleven-match unbeaten run was ended.

“I think it was a daft penalty to give away. We didn’t look like we would concede again, but we can now focus on other things.”

Chapman added: “I think we’re just unfortunate to draw a very good team in this round. I expect them to go on and certainly win the next round and be there or there abouts when we get to the quarter-final stage.”

South Park started well in the rain and right-sided midfielder Dale Burgess went on a 30-yard run before his attempted left-footed curler was powered high and wide of the left-hand post from 25-yards inside the opening eight minutes.

Both goalkeepers then made a string of smart saves in a frenetic four minute period.

Michael Smith linked up well with David Smith before cutting inside and curling a right-footed angled drive from 25-yards, which forced Cray Valley keeper Matt Bailey to tip the ball over with his outstretched left hand, high to his left.

The Millers keeper pulled off his second fine save when he pushed over Dale Burgess’ resulting in-swinging corner from the right, which was heading towards the centre of the goal.

But Cray Valley were to be denied by South Park goalkeeper James Wastell, 36, who was clearly the man-of-the-match.

Lewis Wood drilled a right-footed shot from 25-yards, which was blocked by a defender and the ball fell to McKenna whose 16-yard right-footed drive forced Wastell to dive to his right to parry the ball away to safety.

Gross then whipped in a telling left-footed free-kick from the right channel which Wastell patted down before gathering at the second attempt.

But the South Park stopper made his best save of the night when a long ball forward by Matthews fell to striker Joe Nwoko and his right-footed shot on the turn was brilliantly saved by Wastell, producing a brilliant one handed save low to his right.

“If I had to give a man-of-the-match for both sides, I’ve got to give it to their keeper,” admitted Chapman.

“He played superb tonight. He was just unlucky with our first goal, a wicked deflection, but he pulled off a series of good saves.

“We knew he didn’t play in last Saturday’s game. We knew he was back tonight and we know his reputation as well but we just couldn’t get the ball past him!”

Cray Valley skipper Jamie Wood linked up well with his brother Lewis to release Nwoko down the left who drove in his low centre, which bounced off defender Nathan Miles at the near post and Wastell blocked the ball was his legs.

South Park hit Cray Valley on the break when Burgess released Jack Stafford down the right to whip in a cross into the middle where Jackson rose with central defender Steve Springett, only to see his header sail harmlessly wide of the left-hand post.

Chapman admitted afterwards that his defenders thought Jackson’s 31^st minute opener was offside.

Burgess floated in a cross from the right in behind the Cray Valley back four and Jackson ghosted in and poked his first time shot past Bailey to score from 12-yards.

“Speaking to the defenders at half-time they thought he was in an offside position when he poked the ball in,” claimed Chapman.

“He obviously finished it well but I teach the defenders that they make sure they picked up and ignore the referee’s whistle to make sure their marking so it was a disappointing goal to concede from our behalf.”

South Park created a couple of more chances to score during a dominant spell.

Jackson’s shot on the turn was blocked and the ball came out to David Smith, who lacked composure and lashed his right-footed shot wide of the near post.

Stafford then whipped in a right-footed free-kick from the right channel but a looping header from central midfielder Jack Higgins dropped safely on to the top of the roof of the net.

Cray Valley squandered an excellent chance to equalise when Cook made a run into the South Park half of the pitch before drilling a right-footed shot from 35-yards, which was beaten out by Wastell and Jamie Wood was fouled by Higgins close to the line as he was about to pull the trigger.

Lewis Wood stepped up and skied his right-footed penalty over the crossbar, over the netting behind the goal and into the Eltham sky.

“Lew took a penalty the other week and put it in the bottom corner,” said Chapman.

“We spoke about it very briefly at half-time and he just said he leaned back. 

“He’s lost the penalty taking to Adam Gross –that’s the penalty for missing a penalty!”

When asked what he told his troops at the half-time interval, Chapman said: “I like to get in at half-time in a position where we can still win the game. One-nil is a good position. We just went over what we did before the game. We knew their weaknesses and we tried to expose their weaknesses and I think when we came out for the second half we were again the better team for large proportions of the second half.”

The heavens opened during the early stages of the second half and Cray Valley equalised through Gross’s fourth goal of the season.

The former Leatherhead left-back whipped in a curling free-kick with his left-foot, which took a deflection as it skidded off the wet turf.  Wastell dived to his left, did well to get his left hand to the ball but couldn’t prevent the ball nestling into the bottom far corner.

Chapman said: “Although it was a good free-kick, it took a massive deflection and that took it via the goalkeeper.  It’s Grossie’s goal! He deserved it. He’s just come back from a hernia operation, he’s still a little bit away from fitness but he’s certainly an asset to our team.”

Cray Valley were denied a third when Matthews released Harrison Carnegie down the right and his deep cross hung in the wind and Lewis Wood’s downward header was saved by Wastell, low to his left.

The Millers took the lead in the 64^th minute, courtesy of McKenna’s sixth-goal of the season.

Matthews came up from right-back to launch a long throw which was powerfully flicked on towards the far post and Lewis Wood was left in acres of space to drive the ball across goal.  The ball deflected into the path of McKenna, who smashed his right-footed shot into the bottom right-hand corner from eight-yards.

Chapman said: “It was a well-worked goal.  Allan Matthews has got a good throw in. We don’t use it all the time but when we do use it it’s normally to good effect and Macca found a space in the box and it was a good finish.”

When asked whether he thought the game was won at that point, Chapman replied: “No! We’ve watched South Park, we’ve played them in the last game. They’re a very tough team. They go to the final whistle.

“I made the substitution. I brought Ben Healy on just to shore things up a little bit because I knew they would come at us a little bit in the last 10-15 minutes.”

South Park were denied an equaliser in the 72^nd minute when David Smith sprinted past Cook down the left to cut into the penalty area but he was denied by Bailey, who rushed off his line, made himself big and made the block.

Matthews played the ball forward to Nwoko, who fed Lewis Wood, who was denied by another fine save from the busy South Park stopper.  Wastell produced a full-length save to his left to push the shot around the post.

South Park’s left-winger David Smith cut the ball back to Stafford, who cracked a right-footed dipping shot which screamed wide of the near post.

Cray Valley just couldn’t find the way past Wastell for a third time.

Nwoko – who had vanished for large chunks of the second half - and he was the only outfield player wearing gloves on a cold night – cut inside and drilled a right-footed shot from 22-yards, which Wastell dived to his right to push around the post.

But things started to go drastically downhill for the home side in the final six minutes.

David Smith reached the by-line before dancing his way past two defenders along the line before he cut the ball back to Lavery, who was fouled by Jimmy Rogers and diminutive referee Peter Georgiou pointed to the spot for a second time.

Lavery stepped up and stroked his right-footed penalty into the bottom left-hand corner, sliding the ball underneath the diving goalkeeper.

“It’s very disappointing,” said Chapman.  “If it was Jimmy that gave away the penalty – I couldn’t see – but Jimmy had a fantastic game tonight. It looked a very poor penalty to concede.”

Chapman felt extra-time was on the cards.

He said: “Yes, I thought extra-time, as Saturday.  If it’s extra-time it could have gone any way. Both teams looked like they were suffering due to two competitive games – so it was really opening up at the end.”

But South Park had other ideas and won it with three minutes left.

They broke down the right through Jackson who swept a low centre across the penalty area. Cook failed to cut the ball out and David Smith took a touch before his low shot was blocked by Bailey and Lavery arrived to sweep the ball into the net from 12-yards.

Chapman added: “Again, a poor goal to give away. Gary Cook has had some superb games for us. Both Jimmy Rogers and Gary Cook, since they’ve come in have not lost a game so it’s their first one they’ve lost tonight.”

Cray Valley finished the game with ten-men when Cook was shown a deserved red-card for his two-footed lunge on South Park left-back Matthew Ward inside the opposing half as time was ticking out.

Chapman said: “Cookie’s disappointed with himself. I think it’s just through frustration at the end of the game. We’re pushing up, pushed him up to get the equaliser. He’s not normally in that area of the pitch, but no complaints. He did go in two-footed and unfortunately we’ll probably lose him for three games.”

When asked what going out of The FA Vase means to the club, the Cray Valley boss replied: “Financially it doesn’t mean too much because we’ve won three games in The FA Vase and a match in The FA Cup so I’d like to think we’ve done our bit this season to bring some revenue into the club.

“It would have been nice tonight another £1,200 (in prize money) but at the end of the day that wasn’t to be.”

Cray Valley have banked £3,800 from prize money collected from The FA Vase and The FA Cup this season.

When asked whether he felt the best team over the two games progressed, Chapman replied: “Difficult to say. I thought they were two evenly matched teams. Two different styles of play. To the fact that it went down to the last ten minutes in the second game proved that they were evenly matched and it could have gone either way.”

Cray Valley (Paper Mills): Matt Bailey, Allan Matthews, Adam Gross, Jimmy Rogers, Gary Cook, Steve Springett, Harrison Carnegie (Ben Healy 76), Jamie Wood, Joe Nwoko (Paul Gross 82), Lewis Wood, Michael McKenna.
Subs: Tom Cotterall, Mehmet Piro, Bobby Sturgeon

Goals: Adam Gross 54, Michael McKenna 64

Sent Off: Gary Cook 90

South Park: James Wastell, James Young, Matthew Ward, Nathan Miles, Daniel Guscott, Jack Higgins, David Smith, Michael Smith, Joe Jackson, Dale Burgess (Kieran Lavery 75), Jack Stafford.
Subs: Nathan Jupp, Alec Brown, Chris Smith

Goals: Joe Jackson 31, Kieran Lavery 84 (penalty), 87

Booked: Nathan Jupp 61

Attendance: 72
Referee:  Mr Peter Georgiou (London SW17)
Assistants: Mr Joe Kasper (Gravesend) & Mr Tom Marshall (Etham, London SE9)