Cray Wanderers 0-4 Ebbsfleet United - I want Moore trophies, says Daish

The Fleet showed their superior class and full-time fitness to beat a depleted Cray Wanderers side that were without seven important first team players for this Hayes Lane miss-match.

This Cup Final was held back from the end of last season, due to both club’s extended campaigns.

The Wands were sadly beaten 1-0 at Tooting & Mitcham United in the Ryman League Division One South play-off final.But The Fleet made everyone in Kent proud when on May 10^th, Paul McCarthy held the heavy FA Carlsberg Trophy aloft at Wembley Stadium.

The Stonebridge Road club brought the silverware and placed it proudly in the bar, situated at the back of the main stand at Hayes Lane, and Daish fielded seven of his Wembley heroes today in sultry Bromley.

Unfortunately, two players that scored and created THAT goal against Torquay United didn’t feature.

Goalscorer Chris McPhee opted for a summer move to Blue Square Premier rivals Weymouth and the club are expected to make an announcement concerning John Akinde, who wasn’t in today’s sixteen-man squad, this week.

But Fleet were by far the better team throughout this game, against a side that play three divisions below them in the football pyramid.

They only had one goal for their first half efforts, despite creating ten openings and almost found themselves a goal down when Tony Dolby, 34, who managed both Tonbridge Angels and Hastings United last season, struck the top of the far post.

Dolby curled a free-kick, with his dangerous left-foot, out on the far touchline, some 40-yards from goal, and looked on in despair as the ball sailed over a stranded Lance Cronin and bounced off the top of the far post.

Had the ball found the back of Cronin’s net, it would have been totally against the run of play, as Daish’s side were in control throughout.

But they had to wait until the 35^th minute to break the deadlock, as striker Luke Moore scored the first of his two goals.




NEW HAIRSTYLE - NEW TROPHY:  Ebbbsfleet United's left-back, Frenchman, Sacha Opinel holds aloft the Kent Senior Cup.
Photograph courtesy of www.dingspages.me.uk

New signing Ricky Shakes was impressive down the right-hand side and his cross rebounded of Cray’s second choice goalkeeper Grant Hall and Moore pounced on the error by hooking a right-footed volley into the net from eight-yards.

Wands striker Shaun Beveney, meanwhile, impressed during the first half with his willing running and he produced their second and last chance of the game just before the break.

His strike partner Tom Whitnall exchanged a one-two with his powerful and quick partner but could only roll a left-footed shot wide of the far-post, too far ahead of Beveney, who had made a run into the box.

Hall prevented Ebbsfleet doubling their lead on the stroke of half-time, making a low save from Moore after Michael Gash, a striker who signed from Cambridge City, knocked down a far post cross from former Gillingham ace Craig Stone.

Gash almost opened his account for his new club during the early parts of the second half but his low shot was saved by Hall, after Shakes’ low centre from the right.

Fleet skipper James Smith looped a header wide from ten-yards after Stacy Long corner sailed into the penalty area after 65 minutes.

But Cray Wanderers’ legs went after Ebbsfleet United doubled the lead after 72 minutes.

Despite naming five players on their substitutes bench, Wands manager Ian Jenkins’ options were non-existent as those players weren’t risked through injury.

A slick passing move just outside the Wands penalty area from Moore, Stone and substitute Kezie Ibe resulted in Long curling a low shot from inside the penalty area past the rooted Hall to find the bottom far corner.

Moore had a goal ruled out for a offside and then he sent Shakes’ centre agonisingly over the bar from inside the six-yard box.

Cray Wanderers were now wilting in the heat and two goals in the last ten minutes polished off a fine Fleet performance.

Scott Kinch, a summer signing from Tonbridge Angels, was one of three players booked, when he tripped Long just inside the penalty area after the midfielder burst past him when he latched onto a pass from Ibe, a player who helped Chelmsford City win the Ryman Premier League title last season.

Moore found the bottom left-hand corner with his right-footed penalty, sending Hall the wrong way.

Moore, this time, turned provider, as Ebbsfleet added a fourth within a minute as his low cross was turned in by substitute George Purcell.

Hall then denied Long and Peter Hawkins adding further goals in the last three minutes and it was Smith who received the club’s second piece of silverware out on the Hayes Lane pitch, delighting boss Daish, whose side beat off the challenges from Ryman Leaguers Ramsgate, Dartford and Margate to get here.

“We worked very hard last year to get to the final and once you’re in the final, you want to win it,” he told www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“It was a good turn out from our fans and it’s nice to win as much as you can.

“Obviously the Kent Senior Cup final is, I’ve looked at the names on there, it’s got a real good history about it and it’s nice that we’re holding it now for next year.”

Daish knew his side’s superior fitness would tell, especially playing a side with only eleven fit players available to them.

“Difficult conditions, it was hot and they were quite dogged but we got our first goal, it took a bit of time to get our second,” he admitted.

“We were probably trying to over elaborate, we probably had too many touches here and there but we moved the ball quicker and some of our finishes were quality goals, were top notch.”

Daish knows exactly what he needs ahead of his side’s opening League fixture at home to relegated side Mansfield Town in just fourteen days time.

“I think I’m still, maybe, one or two short but I’ve got them in mind and it was a good opening start for Michael Gash today,” said the FA Trophy winning manager.

“He’s going to get better. He showed glimpses of what he’s about and if we can get a couple more additions, I think we’ll have a decent squad that can have a real good go of it this year.”

Two trophies in the cabinet - but Daish wants more.

“That’s what success does,” he said. “We’ve been successful over the last two years, our expectations ( have to) grow but I’ve got a group of players now who know what winning’s about, know what it’s like to win trophies.

“I can see that they’ve got that little bit of desire and youth and they’re driven to carrying on and they’ve got an appetite to do more so I think it’s a good blend at the moment.”

Cray Wanderers’ director of football, Paul Blade, the former first-team manager of Thamesmead Town during their Kent League days, admitted the timing of the match proved too much.

“Obviously they play a much higher level and we struggled without a full squad,” Blade told www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“We was disappointed that we didn’t allow ourselves to perform how we should have done or how we could do.

“We had a lot of players missing. Don’t take it away from them, they’re a good side but at the end of the day class told, but it would have been nice to have a full squad to pick from and hopefully provide a better game.”

Key defenders Steve Aris, Ryan Royston and Mark Willy were on holiday and Aaron Day, Jamie Kempster, Matt Lee and Danny Chapman were not risked through injury.

Kinch (who played in this competition for Tonbridge Angels last season) and Dean Standen (Margate) would have been ruled out during normal circumstances but were allowed to play as the Kent County Football Association bent the rules.

And Blade said: “We’ve got three people away on holiday and got four people injury, that’s seven players.

“You take seven players out of any team, especially good players, it does make you weakened and you can’t play weakened sides against teams like Ebbsfleet.

“No disrespect to them, they’re a good side and you’ve got to take your hat off, you expect that, to be a good side, the level of football they play at.

“But it would have been nice to have a stronger team out and put up a bigger or stronger performance.

“No disrespect to the boys who came in and played, it’s difficult, but players who have not done a pre-season who come in, players don’t really know our players or how we play.

“It’s not a Mickey Mouse game or anything else, but we didn’t really get a lot out of it so you’ve got to take it on the chin and get on with it.”

Cray Wanderers: Grant Hall, Dean Morris, Colin Luckett, Scott Kinch, Tony Dolby, Tyrone Sterling, Mark Hammond, Dean Standen, Shaun Beveney, Tommy Whitnall, Richard Dimmock.
Subs: Lewis Wood, Matt Lee, Danny Chapman, Jamie Kempster, Ian Jenkins.

Booked: Mark Hammond 10, Dean Standen 67, Scott Kinch 79

Ebbsfleet United: Lance Cronin, Peter Hawkins, Sacha Opinel (Mark Ricketts 81), Craig Stone, James Smith, Darius Charles, Ricky Shakes, Stacy Long, Michael Gash (Kezie Ibe 68), Luke Moore, Neil Barrett (George Purcell 76).
Subs: Kwesi Appiah, Sam Mott.

Goals: Luke Moore 35, 80 (pen), Stacy Long 72, George Purcell 81

Attendance: 648
Referee: Mr Philip Knight (Canterbury)
Assistants: Mr Ian Regan (Ashford) & Mr Constantine Hatzidakis (Eltham)
Fourth Official: Mr Daniel Wyatt (Orpington)