Cray Wanderers 0-5 Maidstone United - A 5-0 defeat doesn't look good, admits Paul Blade

CRAY WANDERERS  0-5  MAIDSTONE UNITED
Ryman Premier League
Wednesday 11^th September 2013
Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane

MAIDSTONE UNITED manager Jay Saunders says he wasn’t pleased with some parts of his side’s performance despite romping to the Ryman Premier League summit after inflicting more pain on struggling Cray Wanderers.

The Stones leapfrogged over four teams to reach top spot with 20 points from nine league games, whilst Ian Jenkins’ side remain rooted to the bottom of the table on four points, having leaked 31 goals from their opening eight league games and on their current form will be favourites to suffer the club’s first ever relegation.

Frannie Collin netted his first hat-trick for Maidstone United following his summer move from their Conference South neighbours Tonbridge Angels and other goals were scored by former Margate striker Zac Attwood and a stunning late strike from winger Alex Flisher.

“It’s pleasing,” said Saunders after his side’s sixth league win of the season.

“I’m not getting overly excited, it’s nine games in. I suppose if you’re anywhere it’s nice to be at the top.

“I wasn’t pleased to be fair.  First half we weren’t at it.  I suppose what pleased me the most were Frannie’s goals and it’s nice for him to get his first hat-trick for the club and they were three great goals.

“All the goals we scored we’re good tonight but I thought first half we were quite disappointing. We never really got to grips with them. I thought up front they were causing us problems but we settled into it. It wasn’t really until we got the third goal that we settled down and started playing some decent stuff.”

Cray Wanderers stopped a run of four straight defeats by being held to a dire goal-less draw at home to Carshalton Athletic last Saturday – but assistant manager Paul Blade admitted missed chances cost them dear.

He said: “It’s really tough. We’re struggling at the minute. We’re making mistakes and we’re getting punished and that is the nature of football at the minute.

“I would say up until the first goal we was the only team that was in it and we still played quite well.

“Two-nil down just before half-time, Brems (Leigh Bremner) is one-on-one with the goalkeeper and if you go in 2-1 there’s a different atmosphere in the dressing room. You go in upbeat, you go uplifted, you’ve got something to go for and it puts a different aspect on the game.  You’re team-talk is different so it’s all different things and you come out second half.

“If you get a goal back what happens we made a terrible mistake and they get a third and that kills you and that seems to be our problem at the minute. We just need to nullify the basic mistakes that we’re making, capitalising when we are doing well and when we are on top and if we get that clean sheet.”

Blade, who took over media duties from boss Jenkins tonight, added: “We played better tonight than we did Saturday against Carshalton and that was 0-0 so therefore when you look at it we played better tonight and lost 5-0!

“We didn’t play well at all Saturday and drew 0-0!  You scratch your head and ask yourself questions and you wonder what you did and what you didn’t do and everything else.

“Football is a cruel position to be in sometimes when you are getting beat every week and you try to keep upbeat and try to keep positive and try to keep the players uplifted.  They’re down and they’re disappointed as much as myself and you hope at one point you turn that corner and you get a bit of luck if need be and you go and win a game 1-0 or 2-0 and hopefully that lifts everyone but you can’t get away from a 5-0 defeat. It doesn’t look good.”

Maidstone United opened the scoring inside the opening 12 minutes when Collin was at his absolute clinical best.

Right-winger Orlando Smith, who helped Erith & Belvedere clinch the Kent League double last season, played a delightful pass with the outside of his right boot to release Collin down the right. The striker skipped past Ben Frempah’s sliding tackle before racing on and stroking his right-footed drive across the keeper and the ball went in off the foot of the far post and nestled into the opposite bottom corner.

Saunders said: “Great finish to be fair. That’s what I said at half-time. I think first half when we weren’t at it, we could have been 2-0 down at half-time but Frannie’s scored two great goals. If you give him a half a chance he finds those corners. He has a hell of a strike on him.”

Blade added: “The first goal was just a mistake.  Chris Saunders tried to take a quick free-kick but we wasn’t set. It got cut out and they went up the other end, a miss-timed tackle and it’s gone off the post and it’s a great strike.”

Smith almost embarrassed former Maidstone United keeper Andy Walker when he hit a speculative right-footed chip from 40-yards – after the home side lost possession from the kick-off – but Walker caught the dipping ball to his left.

Attwood was then released down the right before cutting into the penalty area and his low left-footed angled drive was parried by Walker low down to his left before the keeper gathered the ball.

Former Maidstone United midfielder Ben Davisson drilled a rising right-footed free-kick over the crossbar for the home side, who came within inches of equalising in the 28^th minute.

Davisson released striker Leigh Bremner down the left channel and visiting keeper Lee Worgan advanced out of his penalty area but the former Tonbridge Angels stopper failed to clear the ball and Bremner nipped in and steered a low right-footed drive towards the bottom near corner from 30-yards but he was denied a goal when Steve Watt managed to get back and slide the ball off the line and behind for a corner.

Blade admitted Bremner should have scored on more than one occasion tonight.

He said: “We created chances and you have to put them away. At this level of football, where you’re playing now you play against some good sides every week and you’ve got to put your chances away.

“At the moment we’re not able to hold onto clean sheets and periods of the game and we’re always chasing it and when you’re always chasing games it’s really hard.

“It’s the mindset of the players. It will be nice to go 1-0 or 2-0 up and something to build on and something to hold onto, instead of being one or two down and we’re chasing the game.”

Saunders admitted: “On another day we could have easily gone 2-0 down at half-time and I said that to the lads.

“It’s no disrespect to Cray, I think when they’re bottom of the league players’ turn up and think we’ll turn up and roll them over because they’ve conceded a few goals.

“But they came out and gave it a real good go at us. In Tommy Whitnell and Leigh Bremner they’ve got two lads that do put you under a lot of pressure. They’re good players and on another day they could have had a couple of goals.

“It was pleasing really to not to have conceded at half-time.”

Cray Wanderers were playing well during the first half and Davisson floated a cross into the penalty area and Bremner knocked the ball down at the far post but Chris Saunders didn’t apply the finish as he hooked his shot wide of the right-hand post.

Clinical Maidstone United doubled their lead in the 35^th minute when Collin picked the ball up and drilled a low right-footed drive from 25-yards, which zipped off the wet lush playing surface beyond the diving Walker and the ball nestled inside the bottom left-hand corner.

Saunders said: “Again, on a surface like this when it’s wet and zippy you want your forwards to take shots.  To be fair to Frannie, if he gets half a chance anywhere in and around the box he’ll let loose and he did that and it was a great strike.”

Blade added: “If you look at the game, I thought we done ok and it wasn’t a 5-0 performance, except their clinical finishing and that’s the difference.  Frannie Collin is a very good player but we’ll train tomorrow night and we’ll get everyone in again and we’ll keep going and that’s the only thing we can do.”

The ever-hardworking Bremner was to be denied again five minutes later when Jack Clark clipped the ball over the top from left-back to put the striker through on goal but his right-footed drive was blocked by Worgan’s right leg at the near post.

Saunders said: “Worgs has been good since we’ve brought him in. He’s been very good for us and he’s made some great saves tonight.”

Maidstone United were almost gifted a third goal just before the break.

Right-back Richard Davies threw the ball to Smith, who was given time and space on the right to whip in a cross towards the far post and Cray central midfielder Alex Stavrinou was relieved to see his volleyed clearance from eight-yards fly just over his own crossbar.

And at the other end, Bremner latched onto Clark’s pass before he cut inside and curled a right-footed shot sailing just over the top of the far post.

Maidstone United killed the game off inside the opening eight minutes of the second half when Attwood scored his fifth goal of the season (three of them were for Margate before his move across Kent).

Flisher floated over a right-footed cross from the right touchline and Attwood was given space inside the box to plant his downward header into the bottom right-hand corner from eight-yards.

Saunders said: “I’ve been pleased with Zac.  We’ve brought him in, sometimes it takes players time to settle. He was fantastic.  Boothy (Paul Booth) and Frannie have been good together but Boothy was away at a wedding on Saturday so Zac came straight in and scored and done well and again the pair of them linked up well again tonight. There were some nice touches.

“Flish has been persistent down the right hand side, put in a good cross with his right foot and Zac found the corner, so two goals in two games.  I’m sure he’ll take that.”

Blade felt his left-back Clark should have done better.

He said: “Again, we didn’t clear our lines. It got played out, we got set for the full-back to clear our lines. He never cleared it and their fella crossed it and the centre forward has headed it in so it’s another mistake.

“Other teams don’t seem to be make as many as we do I’m afraid at the minute. It’s just one of those things. Just trying if there’s any positives? We did play slightly better than we did on Saturday and got beat and that’s the only thing that we can take out of the game.”

Saunders admitted it was game over at that point and added: “Once we got to 3-0 we actually started passing the ball, which was disappointing because I thought we should have done it earlier on a nice pitch but once the third goal went in we did keep it better and we got better as it went on.”

Collin sealed his hat-trick in the 61^st minute when he latched onto Attwood’s precise through ball, which split open Chris Sessegnon (a right-back on loan from Ebbsfleet United) and central defender Danny Young and the striker placed his right-footed shot across Walker to find the bottom far corner from 12-yards.

Saunders said: “Great ball by Zac.  Funnily enough Wardy said at half-time this pitch there’s a chance to slide people in because it’s so slick. Zac put a great little ball through and once Frannie went through you always fancied him to be honest.”

Saunders explained why he took off the striker with nineteen minutes left.

“At 2-0 I wanted to bring him off just to give him a rest,” he said.  “He’s played 90 minutes in every game and I thought I’d give him a rest for Saturday and I thought he’d probably have the hump wanting his hat-trick, so when he got that third one I thought lovely we can give him a rest now.”

Blade added: “Again, cleared our lines, he’s got picked out, threaded it through but a great finish, very good finish, perfect hat-trick.”

Cray Wanderers rallied and their best player Bremner went close to pulling a goal back halfway through the half.

Sessegnon picked the ball up inside Maidstone United’s half and went on a run before cutting inside and threading the ball through to Tommy Whitnell (who had a quiet game), who slipped the ball through to Bremner who turned and curled a right-footed shot agonisingly wide of the far post from 12-yards.

Stavrinou then released Sessegnon down the right, who whipped in a cross towards the near post, which Whitnell acrobatically volleyed the ball past the near post from the edge of the six-yard box.

Saunders said afterwards that he was pleased with Academy prospect Charley Robertson’s performance and he nearly scored when he swept a right-footed shot towards goal, which deflected past the post.

He said: “Charley is a great player.  He done really well for us pre-season. He’s really impressed me.  I would have loved him to score there.  I think he’s got a big future. I like his attitude; like him as a player and he done well when he came on.”

Maidstone United were denied by Walker when Flisher whipped in a corner from the left towards the far post which was headed back across goal by Robertson and Watt’s header was tipped over the bar by Walker, high to his right.

But Flisher scored the goal of the night with two minutes remaining when he drilled a stunning left-footed curler from 25-yards, which screamed into the top far corner of the net.

Saunders said: “He’s got that in his locker!  I think he did it last season, a very similar one against Salisbury at home. He got that opportunity and as soon as it left his foot, we sat there and it was a great strike!

“I’m pleased for him.  He’s got better as the season’s gone on.  The first five games he wasn’t at it, but these last two games he’s been good.”

Blade said: “He hit it. He’s got a sweet foot. He put in some good deliveries in over the 90 minutes, set-pieces, corners and he was a threat and he ticked it off with a real good goal. But that’s the sort of thing for their club and players to glory over. We’re just disappointed that we couldn’t stop it and do better to prevent that.”

It proved to be a frustrating night for Bremner as Davisson clipped a free-kick into the Maidstone United penalty area from the halfway line and Bremner’s header brought a smart low save from Worgan to prevent the ball dropping into the bottom right-hand corner.

Saunders added: “Brems is a good player and Tommy Whitnell, they’re both threats. It doesn’t help when your two centre halves (Watt and Graeme Andrews) were both being sick in the toilets so we weren’t sure if they were going to carry on but they both wanted to.

“I thought there was something not right because they looked a bit rough. That’s not taking anything away from Brems and Whitnell because I think they’re great players.”

Saunders admitted his side are the team to beat in the Ryman Premier League this season – after clinching promotion along with champions Dulwich Hamlet after beating Folkestone Invicta and Faversham Town in home play-offs.

“It’s a bit strange really especially when you’re coming up as a new team,” said Saunders.

“I think with the ground and everything, I just said to the lads you’ve probably not helped your cause by going top of the league and now everyone wants to beat you even more.

“Obviously with the fans that we take everywhere, we seem to be the team that everyone wants to beat but I’m not getting excited.  We had this last year. We was top of the league.  Look, we just have to get on with it. We’re in a new league, we’re enjoying it. We’re going to new grounds, we’re going to better grounds than we were going to last season and the boys are enjoying it.”

The Cray Wanderers’ management team face a battle to keep the club in the division on a much reduced playing budget from last season.

“All these clubs that have come into the league this year have got more money than us and have got a bigger wage bill than us,” explained Blade.

“It’s a fact that you’re at a level of football where a wage bill does matter on the quality of players that you can bring in so if you’re bringing in quality you can play quality and that’s no disrespect to the boys that we have got because we have got quality in the side but we have to deal with what we’ve got and that’s the fact of it.”

Cray Wanderers are clearly missing influential defender and club captain Mark Willy, who may not play again due to injury.

When asked how his side will stop the flow of goals going in, Blade replied: “Apart from building a brick wall in front of goal, I don’t know.

“We’ll just keep going, just keep drilling into players, keep working on things, just believing in the players like we have done and just talk to people and try and get them through it and keep positive and then hopefully we can get a win under our belt and hopefully that will lift everyone.”

Cray Wanderers: Andy Walker, Chris Sessegnon, Jack Clark (James Fray 60), Alex Stavrinou, Danny Young, Ben Frempah, Tommy Whitnell, Ben Davisson, Leigh Bremner, Aaron Day (Tijani Eshilokun 78), Chris Saunders (Gary Cook 60).
Subs: Jo Jo Ogunbiyi, Marcus Ekeh

Booked: Ben Davisson 32, Leigh Bremner 63

Maidstone United: Lee Worgan, Richard Davies, Tom Mills, Steve Watt, Graeme Andrews, Michael Phillips (Danny Lye 76), Orlando Smith, Alex Brown, Zac Attwood (Charley Robertson 80), Frannie Collin (Paul Booth 71), Alex Flisher.
Subs: Jack Sullivan, Jerrome Sobers

Goals: Frannie Collin 12, 35, 61, Zac Attwood 53, Alex Flisher 88

Attendance: 521
Referee: Mr Matt Foley (Palmers Green, London N13)
Assistants: Mr Michael Barnes (Stoke Newington, London N16) & Mr Mark Tweed (Islington, London N1)