Cray Wanderers 1-2 Haringey Borough

Cray Wanderers 1 – 2 Haringey Borough
Location	Hayes Lane, Bromley, Kent BR2 9EF
Kickoff	09/03/2022 19:45

CRAY WANDERERS  1-2  HARINGEY BOROUGH
Isthmian League Premier Division
Wednesday 9 March 2022
Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane

CRAY WANDERERS remain in a precarious position just above the Isthmian League Premier Division relegation zone after losing at home to Haringey Borough.

The Wands took the lead after only 130 seconds through left-winger Jamie Yila’s eleventh-goal of the season but Tom Loizou’s side scored twice in eight minutes through Andrinicos Georgiou and left-wing-back Michael O’Donoghue to seal the points to ease their relegation worries in fourteenth-place in the table with 38 points with nine games remaining.

Cray Wanderers interim manager Grant Basey didn’t make himself available for a post-match interview and his assistant manager Gary Alexander was not at the game, as their charges extended their winless run to six games.

However, the home side got off to a flying start when Samuel Cook, who plays on the left of a Haringey Borough three-man defence, gave the ball away to Cray Wanderers’ right-back Freddy Barton, who played Yila through on goal and he clinically drilled a right-footed shot past goalkeeper Alfie Marigliani from a central position from 16-yards.

Cray Wanderers were to be denied a second goal in the 21^st minute when striker Chris Dickson fell to the ground in midfield and Yila was inside his own half and drilled a sublime 40-yard diagonal pass to put in Sam Wood, who drilled a left-footed drive towards the bottom near corner from 22-yards, which was too hot to handle by the goalkeeper, who flicked the shot around his post.

Haringey Borough went close to equalising when Georgious Aresti split open Barton to release O’Donoghue, who whipped in a deep cross, which was retrieved by Olufemi within the right-channel and he cut the ball back for Jorge Djassi-Sambu, who took a touch before bending his low shot around the foot of the far post from just outside the corner of the penalty area.

Haringey Borough were in clinical mood when they equalised in the 27^th minute.

Winger Djassi-Sambu went in strong but fair to snatch the ball off the versatile Anthony Cook (tonight playing in midfield) before releasing striker Alfred Bawling down the right and he put it on a plate for attacking midfielder Georgiou, who placed a first-time shot across the keeper and into the bottom left-hand corner from 12-yards.

Cray Wanderers’ holding midfielder Cameron Brodie missed a sitter on the half-hour mark.

Wood cut in from the left into the Haringey Borough penalty area and put it on the plate for Brodie, who sliced a first-time right-footed shot past the far post from a central position on the 18-yard line.

The glaring miss proved costly as Haringey Borough sealed the deal in the 35^th minute.

The home side escaped some pinball inside their penalty area before O’Donoghue played a one-two with Aresti from the left by-line before O’Donoghue squeezed a left-footed shot from a very tight angle across keeper Joseph Wright, who stuck out his left hand and failed to stop the ball bouncing into the bottom far corner.

Olufemi has scored nine goals from right-wing-back for Haringey Borough this season and he stroked a right-footed free-kick towards the bottom left-hand corner from 30-yards, which forced Wright into diving low to his right and holding the ball into his midriff.

Profligate Cray Wanderers missed another good chance on the stroke of half-time, as getting in behind Haringey Borough’s wing-backs with diagonal passes proved to be a good method to get behind their three-man defence.

Anthony Cook pinged a diagonal pass from the middle of the pitch and left-back Kasim Aidoo raced towards the by-line before he lofted ball up into the centre of the goal where Dickson planted his header straight into the grateful arms of Marigliani.

Haringey Borough started the second half on the front foot and Aresti got in behind Barton to reach the by-line before cutting the ball back for Georgiou, whose shot was deflected behind for a corner.

O’Donoghue floated the resulting corner in from the left and Charne Lemba, who plays on the right of their three-man defence, rose to send his downward header into Wright’s hands to comfortably gather.

Haringey Borough were to be denied a third goal in the 49^th minute.

Bawling rode Anthony Cook’s challenge inside the Haringey Borough half before playing a sublime through ball along the deck to split open Aidoo to put Georgiou through on goal but his left-footed shot was saved by Wright, who came off his line and stuck out his left-leg to make the save.

Cray Wanderers’ second striker Narcis-Florin Filip was often isolated and offered nothing in attack against his former side and was replaced by 18-year-old Soul Kader.

The home side won their fifth corner of the night in the nineteenth-minute which was floated in from the left by Barton towards the far stick where centre-half Denzel Williams rose to guide his header over the Haringey Borough crossbar from inside the six-yard box.

Basey handed striker Kader his debut in the 62^nd minute – a dual-registration signing from Bromley – and he had his moment shortly afterwards.

Barton fed Dickson in behind and the striker skipped past the advancing goalkeeper and kept composed to cut the ball back to the unmarked Kader, who drilled a first-time shot on the turn past the far post from 15-yards.

Aresti noticed Wright was off his line and tried to score with a speculative 45-yarder, which flashed past the left-hand post in a rare glimpse at goal by the away side.

It was only when Basey switched to three at the back (Aidoo/Williams and Nazir Bakrin) that the home side started to throw caution to the wind during a dominant final 20 minutes.

Haringey Borough were excellent at heading away corners and they had a chance at the other end from a set-piece of their own, which was floated into the box by O’Donoghue and Djassi-Sambu emerged from within a crowd of players to send his downward header bouncing into Wright’s hands for a comfortable save.

Kader had his second big chance of the night inside the final 15 minutes.

Barton floated a deep cross from the right, the ball was flicked on by Dickson just inside the penalty area in the middle and fell to Kader, who hooked a half-volley towards the bottom near corner from eight-yards, only for Samuel Cook to press him and Marigliani to make a vital block with his feet at his near post.

Substitute Jacob Munting floated in a cross from the right which was met by Dickson’s bullet header from six-yards which flew over the Haringey Borough crossbar, as another chance for the home side went begging.

Haringey Borough were to be denied a goal on the counter-attack when Geogriou played an intelligent ball down the line and substitute Sami Bessadi won a diagonal foot-race with Brodie as the ball tricked towards the corner flag.

However, a reverse pass played in Olufemi on the inside and he cut in towards the near post only for his drilled shot from a right angle to be blocked by Wright.

Cray Wanderers kept plugging away, however, and the crossbar was to deny Wood inside the final three minutes following their ninth corner.

Barton’s left-wing delivery was cleared out to the 35-year-old, who hooked a left-footed volley screaming towards the top far corner from 15-yards (over a crowd of players), only for the ball to kiss the top of the crossbar and bounce behind for a goal-kick.

Haringey Borough caught the home side on the counter-attack when Bessadi played the ball out to Olufemi, who played the ball back to Bessadi, whose left-footed drive flashed across Wright and past the far post from 22-yards.

Meanwhile, Leatherhead remain rooted to the foot of the table with 19 points from 33 games, while East Thurrock United have banked 21 points from their 32 games.

Brightlingsea Regent are third-from-bottom and are inside the points-per-game zone, with 28 points from 32 games.

Cray Wanderers remain in the bottom four with 29 points from 34 games and have eight games remaining, starting with a trip to eleventh-placed Bognor Regis Town on Saturday.

Bognor Regis Town go into the Nywood Lane clash on a four-match winless run, while Basey has won four of his 16 games in charge of the club (in all competitions) since taking over from Danny Kedwell.

Cray Wanderers: Joseph Wright, Freddy Barton, Kasim Aidoo, Cameron Brodie, Nazir Bakrin, Denzel Williams, Sam Wood, Anthony Cook (Jacob Munting 78), Chris Dickson, Narcis-Florin Filip (Soul Kader 62), Jamie Yila.
Subs: Richie Dunquah, Luca Albon, Tom Hanfrey

Goal: Jamie Yila 3

Haringey Borough: Alfie Marigliani, David Olufemi, Michael O’Donoghue, Scott Mitchell, Samuel Cook, Charne Lemba, Samuel Owusu, Georgios Aresti (Sami Bessadi 68), Alfred Bawling (Andre Odeku 79), Andronicos Georgiou (Nathan Kpemou 88), Jorge Djassi-Sambu.
Sub: Alexander Zamani

Goals: Andronicos Georgiou 27, Michael O’Donoghue 35

Booked: Georgious Aresti 58

Attendance: 209
Referee: Mr Karl Sear
Assistants: Mr Craig Charles & Mr Patrick Yates