Cray Wanderers 1-0 Maidstone United - Wands confirm Kinch release following Wealdstone shocker

Tuesday 24th November 2009

CRAY WANDERERS 1-0 MAIDSTONE UNITED
Ryman Premier League
Tuesday 24th November 2009
Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane

A BRIEF firework display set off by chairman Gary Hillman on the open terracing celebrated Cray Wanderers’ first home win of the season as they won an uninspiring battle at a blustery Hayes Lane.

Without any win in nine games, the Wands were in desperate need for some much needed good fortune - and it arrived after 28 minutes of this disappointing Kent derby.

Colin Luckett swung in a corner from the right and Stones keeper, Richard Knell, who was making his league debut in the absence of Jamie Turner (family commitments), palmed the ball back onto the bar and watched it drop over Nathan Paul on the line and into the net to end the Wands miserable home record.

“We deserved a bit of luck! We haven’t had any f*****g luck all season, excuse my language, but you make your own luck and I thought we worked our b*****ks off tonight!” said Cray Wanderers’ assistant manager Joe Francis, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk after his side won at the ninth attempt at home.

Francis added: “Apart from two games all season, we’ve been in every single game and let’s hope that’s the start of a little run. We need to put a little run together.”

The Wands, who went into the game in the bottom three, have changed personnel leading up to this game.

Out have gone striker, Shawn Beveney and midfielders Rob Hughes and Scott Kinch and coming in recently have been central defender, John Guest (who has made his loan spell from Dartford into a permanent move last night), central midfielder, Jerome Maledon and striker Delano Sam-Yorke, who have both come in on a one-month loan deal from Blue Square South full-time side Woking.

The club have also signed striker Shane Graham from league rivals Horsham.

As Guest has now officially signed for the struggling Wands, this enables both Jerome Maledon and Delano Sam-Yorke, who have both arrived on a month’s loan spell from Blue Square South side Woking, to feature tonight.

Club officials had confirmed tonight that former Tonbridge Angels midfielder Kinch had been released following an disgusting spitting incident during the unlucky 3-2 defeat at Wealdstone seven days ago.

And Francis added: “He got sent off last week down at Wealdstone and I think by his own admission it was something out of character.

“We had to release him, it’s a shame because Scott was a big part of the club.”

But explaining about the shake-up with the squad, Francis explained: “We needed to freshen it up a little bit. We’ve had some injuries so you have to have strength-in-depth and I think Jerome, who made his debut Saturday, and again tonight in very difficult conditions, showed his quality.

“Delano, it’s very difficult up there with the wind blowing around your ear holes, but he worked hard as well and we posed a threat, even when Shane went on, posed a threat.”

Francis is pleased that Guest has opted to sign for the club, knowing that opportunities at Dartford are limited.

“Great lad John, an established defender and him and Mark (Willy) will forge a good central pairing,” he added.

Both sides struggled to battle against the elements as a strong wind made playing football difficult and a poor crowd of 211 opted to support their sides rather than staying at home watching Champions League football.

Maidstone United, who had dumped Blue Square South side Bromley out of the FA Carlsberg Trophy here at Hayes Lane at the weekend, created their only shot on target as early as the ninth minute.

A move involving Jermaine Darlington and Tom Parkinson found Shannon O’Donnovan and Saturday’s goalscoring hero drove a left-footed shot from the edge of the D, which brought the very best out of Jack Smelt, who dived to his right to beat away the goal bound effort.

The dubious goal panel came into force when the only goal of the game was scored in the 28th minute, although veteran left-back Luckett will be trying to claim his third goal of the season, although the young goalkeeper clearly helped the ball into the net.

A run from Maidstone United’s left-back, Darlington, saw him beat a couple of defenders only to crack a left-footed drive from 30-yards, which flashed past the diving Smelt but also past the post.

Luckett did try his luck again with another corner from the right in the 39th minute but Jay Saunders rescued Knell by heading the ball off the line from underneath the crossbar before George Porter curled an effort past the far post.

The second half, however, was just as poor as the opening half, with Cray Wanderers creating the only two chances as their defence remained resilient, leaving former Chelmsford City prolific striker, Danny Hockton frustrated and without a sniff at goal all night.

Aaron Day and Tommy Tyne combined well down the right to slide the ball through to George Porter, who rolled a shot towards goal, which Knell dived to his right to make a confidence boosting save, despite the ball destined to go past the far post.

But he made a better save in the final three minutes, when the home side forced a corner on the left.

Leaving bodies back to protect what they had, substitute Tyrone Sterling over-hit a corner and this was retrieved by Tyne, who slipped in Porter, but the impressive striker was thwarted by the advancing Knell at the near post.

Both camps agreed that the wind spoilt the game.

“There’s nothing that spoils a game like the wind,” said Francis, who was without Leigh Bremner (backside), Ross Lover (pulled calf) and Steve Aris (ankle) tonight.

“But you’ve got to deal with it as a footballer. Good footballers can play in any conditions.”

For Maidstone United joint-manager, Lloyd Hume, he was just puzzled as to why his side can stun higher-league Bromley at the weekend, yet lose to their tenants in the league tonight.

“The team talk and everything we discussed was about the right attitude,” Hume told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“I said openly in the press on Saturday, after the game I sat everyone down and talked about Cray rather than talk about how well they done.

“I told them how important tonight was and tonight was more important for me than Saturday but the lads didn’t perform and if you’ve got eleven people not achieving on a football pitch, you’re not going to win a game of football.

Hume has experienced two different emotions as he walked down the players tunnel here at Hayes Lane this week.

But he was very disappointed with his side’s display.

“I thought up until we gave them a goal, which was just down to a mistake, we looked like we were in control of the game and we were battling against the elements but we still looked like we were playing the football,” explained Hume.

But things changed following Cray’s winner.

“From that moment onwards we just didn’t play,” bemoaned Hume. “We didn’t get the ball down; we didn’t pass the ball well; we didn’t defend properly; we didn’t control anything in midfield and we didn’t keep anything up front.

“I just said in the dressing room, when I walked off here three days ago, everyone done everything they could in terms of quality and effort to win a game of football.

“Tonight, I thought we were rubbish, if I’m completely honest! I’m struggling to pick out a performance out of eleven people who was somebody who actually did well!

“I’m not saying they didn’t try or saying there’s a lack of effort, but there was a lack of quality tonight and that’s let us down as I don’t think anyone came off the pitch and showed us what they can do.”

Hume added: “When you look at the lads in the dressing room, they worked tirelessly, they worked hard, they battled hard, they didn’t stop.

“We didn’t get the ball out wide in the second half so we decided to put four up front. With respect to Luckett he’s as old as I am but we’ve got Gabriel (Odunaike) whose 22-years-of-age and he’s as quick as a road runner but we didn’t bring the ball out to him at all and that was part of our game plan.

“We just didn’t do anything well tonight at all!”

Cray Wanderers: Jack Smelt, Aaron Day, Colin Luckett, Jerome Maledon, Mark Willy, John Guest, Rob Quinn, Tommy Tyne, Delano Sam-Yorke (Shane Graham 74), George Porter, Jamie Wood (Tyrone Sterling 83).
Subs: Lewis Wood, Davinder Singh, Ross Lover.

Goal: Richard Knell 28 (OG)

Maidstone United: Richard Knell, Nathan Paul, Jermaine Darlington, Shannon O’Donnovan (Lynden Rowland 68), Peter Hawkins, Tom Parkinson, Ant Bodle (Gabriel Odunaike 68), Jay Saunders, James Pinnock, Danny Hockton, Nick Barnes.
Subs Keelan Mooney, Steve Elliott.

Booked: Peter Hawkins 81

Attendance: 211
Referee: Mr Ashvin Degnarain (Islington, London N5)
Assistants: Mr Michael Cottee (Hornchurch, Essex) & Mr Nick Groate (Upminster, Essex)