Cray Wanderers 0-2 Ashford Town (MATCH ABANDONED AT HALF TIME)

CRAY WANDERERS 0-2 ASHFORD TOWN
(Match Abandoned at half time due to a waterlogged pitch)
Ryman League Division One South
Saturday 6^th January 2007
Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane

A ten minute heavy deluge seconds after the half-time whistle blew, forced Chipstead referee Mr Nigel Lugg to abandon the game before the second half could get underway.

Ashford Town, who arrived at Hayes Lane with a three match unbeaten run under their belts but still in the bottom three, fully deserved their two goal lead against an out of form Cray Wanderers side.

Matt Carruthers and Walid Matata scored inside the opening 12 minutes to give the Nuts & Bolts a fully deserved lead going into the break.

Cray Wanderers, under achieving in fifteenth place, presented tiny striker Jamie Wood an award, for scoring his 100^th goal for the club at Tooting & Mitcham United seven days ago, but he was withdrawn after 27 minutes through injury.

Ian Jenkins, Cray’s long-serving manager, handed Andy Martin, who has signed from Ryman Premier League side Tonbridge Angels, his debut having lost six-goal striker, Leigh Bremner, 23, to promotion chasers Dulwich Hamlet yesterday.

And Welshman Martin missed the home side’s best chance of the game, when he shot wide of the near post, eight minutes before the abandonment.

But it was John Cumberbatch’s side, who have collected five points in the five completed games since he has taken sole charge of the side, that showed signs of climbing the table.

Everybody were commenting on the excellent playing surface at Hayes Lane. Dartford boss Tony Burman, whose game at Molesey fell victim to a morning postponement, and Tommy Sampson, whose achieved miracles on a tiny budget at Horsham YMCA, were watching from the stand.

Assistant boss Sampson welcomes Cray Wanderers to Gorings Mead in seven days time before travelling to Ashford’s Homelands ground three days later.

Matata, whose played for Kent sides Dover Athletic and Folkestone Invicta, made the trip from his Tottenham home worthwhile as Ashford opened the scoring after seven minutes and 44 seconds.

The foul on the quick 25-year-old striker, just two yards from the edge of the penalty area, by Julian Curnow, presented Carruthers with his goalscoring chance.

With a poorly built three man wall in front of him, Carruthers’ right-footed free-kick was pure class as he stroked the ball past the wall and just inside the near corner, despite goalkeeper Steve Northwood’s attempts to keep the ball out.

And with eleven minutes and thirty nine seconds on the clock, Matata showed the 180 crowd at Hayes Lane that he is such a talented front man.

Picking the ball up, Matata ran unchallenged towards goal and with his right-foot, from 25-yards, drilled a shot across Northwood and the ball nestled inside the bottom far corner.

The two-goal cushion gave the visitors the confidence, which with such quality players like Anthony Allman, Simon Glover, Carruthers, Matata and 13-goal striker George Fenwick, there will be a change of fortunes for the Homelands club for the remainder of this season.

Slick passing on an excellent playing surface, well for the first half anyway, presented Ashford with another chance three minutes after their second goal.

Matata played the ball to Kenny Jarrett-Elliott, who slipped the ball to Fenwick, who in turn found Luke Coleman on the right hand side of the box.

But the 18-year-old’s attempted lob dropped agonisingly over the top of the far post.

Curnow’s appeals against his second foul on Matata fell on deaf ears after 21 minutes and from 21 yards, Carruthers’ free-kick drifted across goal and Cray survived.

Another fine passing move from Ashford gave them another golden chance after 37 minutes.

Jarrett-Elliott cut the ball back to Fenwick, whose 25-yard drive flew just over Northwood’s fingertips and the crossbar.

But lacklustre Cray finally got behind Ashford’s defence but Martin’s shot flew past the near post.

But as soon as the soaked players left the field down came a heavy downpour from the grey Bromley skies.

The three match officials surfaced from the sanctuary of the warm dressing room and rolled, bounced and kicked a football to inspect the pitch, which had several puddles which were not evident during the first 45 minutes.

After consulting both managers, one delighted, and one distraught, Mr Lugg called a halt to proceedings and we have to do it all over again on another date.

Cray Wanderers will be hoping for a much better performance when these two sides meet again.