Wingate & Finchley 1-0 Cray Wanderers - Our remit this season was to stay up and the earlier we can stay up, then we can relax but it's been the toughest time in management, admits Cray Wanderers boss Neil Smith

Wingate & Finchley 1 – 0 Cray Wanderers
Location	Summers Lane, Finchley, London N12 0PD
Kickoff	28/01/2025 19:45

WINGATE & FINCHLEY  1-0  CRAY WANDERERS
Isthmian League Premier Division
Tuesday 28 January 2025
Stephen McCartney reports from Summers Lane

CRAY WANDERERS manager Neil Smith says this season has been his toughest time in management because he has no money to increase his current 16-man squad.

The Wands remain in eleventh-place in the Isthmian League Premier Division table with 38 points (11 wins, five draws and 12 defeats) after losing a poor game on a cold, windy night in North London.

Ahmet Rifat’s side went into this game on an 11 match winless run but a clinical first-time injury-time strike ensured Wingate & Finchley picked up their first win since winning 2-0 at Whitehawk on 16 November.

Wingate & Finchley are now in 13^th place in this seventh-tier division, having picked up 35 points (10 wins, five draws and 12 defeats), thanks to holding midfielder Watt’s first goal of the season.

The crowd of 138 inside Summers Lane were subjected to a game between two direct sides, lacking in quality, until Watt’s match winning strike proved to be the difference.

“I don’t think we deserved the win. I’m not saying we deserved to win. I don’t think we deserved to lose,” said a disappointed Smith, who has only eight players left of the squad that won 1-0 here in The FA Cup Second Qualifying Round Replay back in September.

“Last five minutes we just lost our shape and lose to a sucker-punch but we had a warning.  I’ve just said in there, when you have a warning like that and it gets called offside last minute, don’t make it happen again and it ends up happening exactly the same.

“Are we too naive? I don’t think we are. Are we too lazy? Maybe. Do we care? I think we do care.

“I had a go at them in there because I thought we tried to play football on a very bad evening and I think second half we were a lot better and yet we’ve let a goal in.”

After losing 2-1 at Dartford on Boxing Day, Cray Wanderers picked up four wins (three of them by a single goal) but have now picked up back-to-back defeats following their 2-0 defeat in Brighton to Whitehawk at the weekend.

“It wasn’t good, it wasn’t good. We played on a bad pitch and bad conditions on Saturday and I was hoping that we learn,” said Smith.

“First half it wasn’t a good game, scrappy but we’ve done enough to give ourselves a chance and we’re getting into the right areas and not creating.”

Wingate & Finchley started the game on the front foot and lacked conviction when they created their first opening after 142 seconds.

Toby Bryon – who plays on the left of a three man defence – threw the ball down the line, the ball was flicked on by attacking midfielder Andronicos Georgiou and left-wing-back Camilo Restrepo picked the pocket of sloppy Cray Wanderers right-back Ikechukwu Orji – who was the away side’s weak link in their back four.

Restrepo cut along the by-line and towards the edge of the six-yard box but his weak rolling shot was comfortably gathered by visiting goalkeeper Shaun Rowley.

Clear-cut goalscoring chances were at a premium, as both sides struggled with the conditions.

A quickly taken free-kick from Cray Wanderers striker Nathan Jeche released winger Nyren Clunis but his speculative cross-come-shot from the right was comfortably gathered by untroubled Queens Park Rangers loanee Matteo Salamon.

Jeche and central midfielder Ezechukwu Ebuzoeme linked up inside the Wingate & Finchley half before Frankie Raymond switched the play and found left-back Darion Dowrich making a run but his left-footed drive from 30-yards rolled into the gloves of the 20-year-old home goalkeeper in the 25^th minute.

“They were a threat on the left.  I thought in the first half we were a threat on the left with Joshua (Williams) and Darion (Dorwich).  I thought Darion was outstanding again," said Smith.

"I thought Eze (Ebuzoeme), who played centre midfield was outstanding. I thought Frankie Raymond was outstanding. I can’t have a go at many players but that last little bit, whether it was so many subs because the boys played on a heavy pitch with bad conditions and another bad pitch tonight and it just got to them, I don’t know.

“But we’re better than that. We’ve been better than that all season and I just don’t want it to just fizzle out.”

Wingate & Finchley produced a well-worked move when Restrepo countered down the middle before recalled 22-goal striker Ogochukwu Obi dropped deep before playing the ball inside to Georgiou, whose left-footed drive deflected off a pressing Raymond and was comfortably gathered by Rowley, stepping to his left.

Cray Wanderers called Salamon into making a diving save in the 39^th minute when Jeche pinged a long diagonal over to the left for left-winger Joshua Williams, who cut inside right-wing-back Rhamar Garrett-Douglas and onto his left-foot and his 18-yard drive forced Salamon to dive to his left and use a strong left-hand to push towards safety.

Smith said: “I don’t think it was going in but he’s probably made it a better save than what it was.  I thought the young keeper done well and I thought he mopped up around them but we didn’t put him under any real pressure to really test him.

“Neither team did (create any real clear-cut goalscoring chances), neither team did.  They tried to play a little bit first half, like we did in the second half.

“Maybe going downhill gave you a little bit and with the wind behind you. We knew it was going to be a tough old game but I was hoping the game on Saturday gave us the sort of practice for it.

“I thought a nil-nil was a fair result tonight. I don’t think any team deserved to win today.

“I thought they had their moments, we had our moments but as I say when the conditions are as they are and it’s a poor pitch because of the weather and everything else, it’s going to be a scrap and then it’s about not making any mistakes in the wrong areas and I thought at times we did that.”

Wingate & Finchley bossed the corner-count by seven-to-three and Georgiou swung the ball in from the right towards a crowd of players at the near post and Restrepo flicked his shot across Rowley and past the far post with 40:40 on the clock.

When asked what were the home side’s threats tonight, Smith replied: “None really. Their corners, their set-plays, they had a little bit of invention, but I thought we dealt with it well.

“But we were happy with how we were first half. We weren’t good. We had to have a go at them and liven them up a bit because we wasn’t good enough.

“Second half, I thought we looked a little bit sharper.  Josh (Williams) didn’t get in the game as much as he did in the first half.

“Nathan (Jeche) needs to do a little bit more but he’s still learning and we had a young kid (Oliver Rawlins) who’s learning at Dorking. That’s what we’re having to deal with at the moment.

“We’ve got two trialists out there (Ebuzoeme and 57^th minute sub Dario Sesay De Luca) and I think Eze’s looking to try to sign for us but whether I’ve got any money, I don’t know.”

Cray Wanderers failed to register a single shot at goal during the second half as familiar face, Wingate & Finchley centre-half Ben Frempah closed the gate firmly shut.

Smith said: “Listen, we’ve got the wind behind us, we’ve got to be better! Can we pass it more? We were going long and we’ve not been doing that in the last few weeks.

“Can we throw it out to our full-backs? Can we get the midfield (into the game)? I thought Frankie and Eze were outstanding today, I really do.

“I thought Nyren Clunis coming in there, his legs looked a little bit heavy but being on that heavy pitch (at Whitehawk) on Saturday probably took it out of them a little bit.”

Wingate & Finchley created their first opening on the hour mark when substitute Ayobhall Tanimowo charged down the left and put in a cross towards the near-post which was met by Georgiou’s flicked shot, which looped over Rowley’s head and dropped over for a goal-kick.

Obi and Georgiou linked up in the final third and teed up Watt, who drilled his first-time right-footed drive high over the crossbar and into Summers Lane from 30-yards just 41 seconds later.

Wingate & Finchley produced a good move when Garrett-Douglas was on the half-way line and played the ball down the line in behind Dowrich for right-winger Ore Bello, who put in a cross towards the near post where Georgiou’s poor touch inside the six-yard box ensured the ball flashed wide of the right-post.

Wingate & Finchley called Rowley into making a diving save in the 69^th minute when Restrepo cut onto his right-foot to drill his shot towards the bottom far corner, forcing the 28-year-old to dive to his left to push around the post.

“Listen, Shaun’s done brilliant this season, so many clean-sheets and probably if I was him, I’ll be having a go at the players for not having another one added to his tally for this season,” added Smith.

Both sides made a double change late on in this drab game and it was left-winger Cain Keller who caught the eye for Wingate & Finchley, as Orji put in a poor performance as the home side were a threat down the left.

Drakes-Thomas was in oceans of space down the left and he put in a cross with his left-foot which a stretching Rowley did well to palm the ball away as the ball dipped towards the far corner.

Frempah picked up the loose ball close to the by-line on the right and Georgiou shot into the ground from 16-yards from goal and the ball looped past the right-hand post as the game entered the final 10 minutes.

Wingate & Finchley looked the more likely team to go on and win this awful game of football.

Substitute striker Zack Newton dropped to the half-way line to ping the ball out to the impressive Keller, who played the ball back to Newton, who unleashed a right-footed drive flashing past the foot of the far post from 30-yards.

Keller fed fellow substitute Ryan Lowe on the overlapping run and his cross was turned in at the near-post by Garrett-Douglas, but assistant referee Nigel Freelove had raised his offside flag (43:29).

“It had 0-0 (written all over it).  We would’ve moved on and it would’ve been a little stop after the loss because we’ve done so well. I think that was our first loss (since Dartford away on Boxing Day) and we had a run before that as well, so we know we can do it but I just wanted to stop the rot straight away,” said Smith.

“The flag went up and that’s what I’m saying. Right, that’s your warning! Don’t be stretched, keep your shape! If we go away from home and we draw nil-nil, it’s a good result.”

Wingate & Finchley grabbed the victory with a clinical strike with 45 minutes and 44 seconds on the clock, when both of Cray Wanderers’ centre-halves Tom Bonner and Remi Sutton both went missing in the middle after Orji opened the gate once more.

Keller cut the ball back from within the left-channel and no one had tracked Watt’s run and the 21-year-old drilled a first-time right-footed shot across a diving Rowley to find the bottom far corner from 20-yards.

Smith said: “Very good finish! Can’t moan about the finish but I could see it happening five minutes before it happened and if I can see it and I’m telling players what’s going to happen and I’m hoping they can see it and that’s my frustration that I can see it.

“I won’t put the blame on someone but we know where it was and we learnt the hard way today. We learnt the hard way on Saturday, played really good football, got told ‘we were the best team on the park’ and we lost 2-0 and today weren’t great, they weren’t great and we’ve lost again 1-0.

“What was missing there? A little bit of invention, a little bit of know-how and at the moment we’ve had the problem all season, but we’ve got no money!

“We’ve got two young strikers that are learning the game in our league. We had to let Kenny Coker go (to Cheshunt) and Nathan’s going to be a prospect but he’s learning and he’ll learn a lot this season. He’ll learn a hell of a lot more than if he was playing at under 21s.

“Nathan was released from Queens Park Rangers and then he played for Snodland and he wants his chance. That’s my job. I’m here to help him learn and he’s going to have some up and down days but what he has got, is a fantastic attitude.

“It’s been very tough this season. It’s been the toughest time in management I can say.

“We moved into a new ground, you’re playing against these teams with massive budgets and you’re having to compete with them, what you believe is an even kneel and certain things off the pitch as well as on it, circumstances are. I’ve got 12 of my own players.

“So you’ve got George Penn, on loan from (League Two side) Bromley. I’ve got Ollie Rawlins who’s on loan from (National League South) Dorking. I’ve got Eze who’s having a trial at the moment and I’ve got Dario (Sesay De Luca), that was his second game, he’s on trial and then there’s teams with 24 players and 18 players and it’s hard.

“It’s tough but what I will say is the boys have been brilliant. We put two good runs together and we want to put another one together, so we’ll be disappointed but we move forward.

“We really have got to really look after them when they’re not playing because they are playing every week.  No one’s inured, no one’s out. I’ve got 16 players in my squad and you’ve got the youth team and the under 23s and stuff like that but first team players and squad players, 16.

“Everyone that was down (on the team-sheet) tonight was exactly the same team on Saturday and it will probably be the same team on Saturday – I haven’t got any money.”

Cray Wanderers welcome bottom-of-the-table side Bognor Regis Town to Flamingo Park on Saturday.

Bognor Regis Town have extended their winless run to three games since their 4-3 win at Dulwich Hamlet on 4 January, which proved to be Hakan Hayrettin’s last game in charge at Champion Hill.

Bognor Regis Town have picked up 16 points (four wins, four draws, 19 defeats) and are at least 12 points adrift of safety going into February.

“They’ve invested in some players, they’ve gone and brought new players in, so we’re not expecting anything other than another tough game, a bit like tonight,” warned Smith.

“I was hearing we need ‘one more win to stay up.’  That’s where we’re playing at the moment and we need to do the same and Bognor need to do the same and Whitehawk needed to the same and then you’re playing the top teams who are all fighting for a play-off spot and promotion.

“It’s a fantastic league, by the way. It’s very competitive the league and it is fantastic but it’s been a tough season but listen, our whole thing this season was to stay up and the earlier we can stay up then we can relax.”

When asked what success for Cray Wanderers will be this season, Smith replied: “Stay up! That was the remit, can we just stay up and I think we’ve done more than that but also it was about creating a team and a club at our new ground.

“Supporters didn’t know anything about us. We’re getting away supporters now that we never used to have, they're noisy and that was the other thing, can we grow a club that can get these supporters every week?  I think we turned a corner by getting them in by winning games. Obviously it’s all about winning but now it’s sustaining them.”

Wingate & Finchley: Matteo Salamon, Rhamar Garrett-Douglas, Camilo Restrepo (Cian Keller 76), William Cracknell (Ayobhall Tanimowo 56), Ben Frempah, Toby Byron, Jaiden Drakes-Thomas, Ben Watt, Ogochukwu Obi (Zack Newton 76), Andronicos Georgiou (Ryan Lowe 85), Ore Bello.
Sub: Alex Solomon

Goal: Ben Watt 90

Booked: Camilo Restrepo 35, Ben Frempah 66, Ore Bello 84, Cain Keller 90

Cray Wanderers: Shaun Rowley, Ikechukwu Orji, Darion Dowrich, Frankie Raymond, Remi Sutton, Tom Bonner, Joshua Williams (Lateef Adaja 77), Ezechukwu Ebuzoeme, Nathan Jeche (Oliver Rawlins 63), George Penn (Dario Sesay De Luca 57), Nyren Clunis (Charlie Edwards 77).
Sub: Quade Taylor

Booked: Tom Bonner 9

Attendance: 138
Referee: Mr Lawrence Torz-Brown
Assistants: Mr Nigel Freelove & Mr Daryl Ann