Cray Wanderers 0-1 Crystal Palace - We are down to the bare bones again, says Joe Francis

CRAY WANDERERS 0-1   CRYSTAL PALACE
Pre-Season Friendly
Wednesday 1^st August 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane

CONCERNED Cray Wanderers’ assistant manager Joe Francis says he has to get on the phone to try and bring in another striker before their Ryman Premier League campaign kicks off in eighteen days’ time.
 


The Wands suffered a double injury blow following news that striker Laurent Hamici (suspected dislocated shoulder) and defender Danny Young (suspected broken arm) could be ruled out for between 6-8 weeks, according to Francis, following their 1-0 defeat to a youthful Crystal Palace side.

Crystal Palace snatched victory courtesy of a controversial penalty decision after Young won the ball as he challenged striker Ibra Sekajja inside the box, but Bromley based referee Mr Constantine Hatzidakis pointed to the spot.

Kwesi Appiah – who scored 45 goals for Margate last season before his move to Selhurst Park – saw his penalty blocked by Cray Wanderers keeper Andy Walker, but the 21-year-old tucked home the rebound to win the game for the Eagles in the 25^th minute.

Cray Wanderers went down to a disappointing 2-0 defeat away to Ryman League Division One South side Chipstead just 24 hours earlier and Francis said: “We needed that tonight.  We needed that for a little bit of collective belief that we are a good side and that we can play.”

Watched by a lower-than-expected turn-out of 551 supporters, the Championship club created the first chance of the game inside the opening four minutes, but winger Kieran Cadogan swept his right-footed shot past the left post from 25-yards.

A slick passing move involving Ibra Sekajja, Appiah and Andy Dorman saw the ball played out to the left channel and Cadogan’s cross picked out the unmarked Bayen Fenwick, but his right-footed volley from inside the box ballooned high over Walker’s bar.

But Wands striker Hamici, who has returned to the club following his one-season away at Ryman Premier League rivals Carshalton Athletic, could have got on the scoresheet before his injury.

Louis Sprossen swung in a corner from the right towards the far post and the Frenchman powered his header across visiting keeper Ros Fitzsimons and the ball sailed past the far post from eight-yards.

And Hamici slid a low right-footed drive towards goal from 18-yards, which forced Fitzsimons into making a low save to his right after a move involving talented midfielder Danny Phillips and Alex Stavrinou.

Francis added: “Lol (Hamici) and Bremns (Bremner), we asked them to do certain things. I thought they were a threat. They occupied their two centre halves and they allowed our midfield to join in and we can play!”

Crystal Palace created another chance through slick football in the 20^th minute when Fenwick played the ball into Appiah’s feet, who flicked the ball to Sekajja, who cut the ball back to Fenwick, who teed up midfielder Dorman, who flashed his left-footed angled drive past the post from 25-yards.

But Crystal Palace needed a controversial decision to win the game against impressive Cray Wanderers.

Dorman played the ball over the top of the Cray Wanderers defence and Sekajja appeared to be offside when he latched onto the pass and Young appeared to have won the ball fairly, but the striker went to ground.

The 30-year-old goalkeeper dived to his right to block Appiah’s resulting right-footed penalty, but Appiah reacted swiftly to pounce on the spinning ball and tucked home the rebound with the same foot from three-yards.

Francis said: “We was unlucky first of all because we pressed the ball quite high up and it just spun out and Danny by his own admission said he was a little bit too far off initially and that allowed the centre forward to run in but I think he made a great recovery tackle.”

When asked whether he thought it was a penalty, Francis replied, “No! Not in my eyes!”

The Cray faithful looked on in agony as Walker made a fine block, and Francis feels Walker is back to his best.

He said: “Walks has had a good pre-season. He’s been excellent.  I think we defended really well.”

The versatile Tyrone Sterling, who started the game at left-back arguably played his best game in a Cray Wanderers shirt as he terrorised Eagles’ right-back Alex Wynter at every opportunity.

Francis said: “I thought Tyrone and Aaron Day were excellent and I thought Phillio (Danny Phillips) was excellent, even when he went to left-back, he was different class.

“I thought our midfield was excellent. I thought young Louis (Sprossen), which was not his natural position, proved to himself that he can play there. I thought Stavs (Stavrinou) was excellent and Chris (Saunders) worked as a pair so all over the pitch I thought we did really well.”

And Crystal Palace almost doubled their lead just before half-time when Appiah appeared yards offside when he latched onto another long ball over the top but his right-footed chip sailed over Walker’s crossbar.

Cray Wanderers created an opening too, when Phillips’ swung in a corner from the right and after a couple of headers inside the area the ball dropped to Sprossen, who cracked a fierce right-footed drive from inside the box which screamed over the crossbar.

Fenwick’s fine diagonal pass played in Appiah in behind Cray Wanderers’ right-back Billy Burgess (who was forced off with a suspected shoulder injury later on) but Appiah was thwarted by Walker, who smothered the ball at the striker’s feet.

Both sides didn’t make any changes at the interval, but Walker twice flicked over two long range efforts from Fenwick from the right flank early in the second half.

Cray Wanderers called Fitzsimons into action in the 68^th minute when three of their substitutions combined to create their best chance of the game.

Michael Power cut the ball back to Tommy Youle, who had time and space to whip in a first time hanging cross from the right, which sailed over the keeper’s head.  Tamer Tuna, however, retrieved the over hit cross and cut the ball back to Stavrinou, who cracked a right-footed drive from 30-yards, which stung the visiting keeper’s fingers.

And with fifteen minutes remaining, the immense Sterling feed Tuna down the left and he cut the ball back to Chris Saunders, whose right-footed drive from similar range sailed over.

Cray Wanderers came within inches of grabbing a deserved equaliser at the death, but Youle’s right-footed drive deflected wide of the far post from 30-yards.

When asked about the injuries, which also saw defender Dan Parkinson withdrawn from the starting line-up through a pre-match injury, Francis replied, “Billy’s ok.  Danny’s broken his arm and Lol’s dislocated his shoulder so we’ll wait for an assessment. You’re looking at six to eight weeks for the pair of them possibly but we’ll be ok. We’ll be able to cover it.

“We’ll get on the phone. That will be the purpose over the next week or so. We’re fortunate that our game at Leatherhead has been cancelled on Saturday. Fortunate because we are down to bare bones again.

“We need various positions covering.  You’ll have to wait and see what happens.”

But other than the injury set-backs, Francis can take plenty of positives out of the game and relay them back to manager Ian Jenkins who is on holiday in Turkey.

Francis said: “After last night’s performance we said to the team the mark of a good side is to bounce back.

“It’s always difficult to play two games in 24 hours because players are conscience if they do start in the game before are they going to be picked for the next game.   But you have to play the game that’s in front of you and the positives are that we played well tonight. We played really good tonight.”

Francis felt his side gave Crystal Palace a good work-out at Hayes Lane.

He said: “It’s a different test. We’re really appreciative on Crystal Palace sending their side here and I think they’ve had a good experience. It’s a lovely surface to play on and it also provides a test for them. Speaking to their manager he relishes the opportunity to play against men. 

“Most of our players have been in or come through Academy football so they’ve had to play non-league football for a number of years. It’s a different test for them also.  It’s almost like the realities of football really.”

Meanwhile, Cray Wanderers are searching for a new physio following Terry Groom’s departure to Ryman League Division One North outfit Chatham Town.

Cray Wanderers: Andy Walker, Billy Burgess (Williams Peauroux 51), Tyrone Sterling, Danny Young (Tamer Tuna 58), Aaron Day, Alex Stavrinou, Louis Sprossen (Tommy Youle 66), Chris Saunders, Leigh Bremner (Michael Power 66), Laurent Hamici (Shawn Beveney 33), Danny Phillips.
Subs: Ryan Martin, Dan Parkinson, Grant Hall.

Crystal Palace: Ros Fitzsimons, Alex Wynter (Michael Chambers 77), Kadel Daniel, Andy Dorman, Jack Holland, Quade Taylor (Aaron Akuruka 77), Bayen Fenwick, Gus Sow (Newman Carney 64), Ibra Sekajja, Kwesi Appiah, Kieran Cadogan.
Sub: Tom King

Goal:  Kwesi Appiah 25

Attendance: 551
Referee: Mr Constantine Hatzidakis (Bromley)
Assistants: Mr Freddie Collins (Beckenham) & Mr Aji Ajibola (Erith)