Cray Wanderers 1-1 Canvey Island - It was a good point against a team in fifth, says Ian Jenkins

CRAY WANDERERS  1-1 CANVEY ISLAND
Ryman Premier League
Tuesday 19^th March 2013
Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane

CRAY WANDERERS boss Ian Jenkins says he was happy with the point that saw his side edge eight points clear of the relegation zone with nine league games remaining.

The Wands leapfrogged over Harrow Borough into sixteenth-place in the Ryman Premier League table on 34 points, eight points clear of second-from-bottom Hastings United, who have four games in hand.

Cray Wanderers dominated the entire first half and Paul Booth’s fourth goal for the club gave them the advantage that their football deserved.

But fifth-placed Canvey Island levelled early in the second half, courtesy of a chip from former Dartford striker Bradley Woods-Garness.

”I thought it was a fair result on the two halves really,” admitted Jenkins, who will be running the London Marathon for the second year running on 21 April in aid of Breast Cancer Campaign.

”We battered them first half, played some lovely football, could’ve gone in two or three up but the final ball really let us down first half.

”The second half they came at us really strong and we defended really well so I’m quite happy with a point.

”You know what our record is down here (two home wins and three draws before tonight) so to play a team in the play-offs and get a point is good, but we’re always looking to win games here, but to get a point is good.”

Cray Wanderers set the tone straight from kick-off and visiting goalkeeper Ashley Jones made a comfortable save to deny Danny Phillips, whose scuffed left-footed shot from 25-yards rolled into the goalkeepers gloves with only sixteen seconds on the clock.

”I’ve spoken to Danny in the week and we met and had a good chat about his performances and he understands he hasn’t been doing enough for us going forward,” revealed Jenkins.

”He did brilliant. He gone out there, beat a couple of players and had a shot. It set us up for that half I think. We was all on the front foot. Our good players all like getting on the ball and going forward.

”We looked good. It was probably one of the best first half performances of the season.”

Dominant Cray Wanderers linked up well in midfield with Jack Clark (who was later forced off with an ankle injury), Chris Saunders and Mark Willy leaving Canvey Island chasing shadows, before Phillips laid the ball off to the onrushing Sam Long, whose right-footed angled drive flashed wide of the far post.

The home side should have opened the scoring inside the opening eleven minutes when Phillips’ precise ball down the line was picked up by Leigh Bremner, who cut in before whipping a cross towards the far post for the unmarked Booth to nod straight at Jones from sixteen-yards.

”I thought he could’ve done better. He thought that himself. He was unlucky,” added Jenkins.

Canvey Island took nearly twenty minutes to create their first chance of the night.  Woods-Garness effort from outside of the box was blocked and the ball rolled over to supporting right-back Ashley Miller (not the Gillingham striker currently on loan at Tonbridge Angels) and his first time right-footed drive from 25-yards sailed harmlessly wide of the far post.

But Cray Wanderers deservedly opened the scoring with 23 minutes on the clock, courtesy of a quality finish from Booth.

Alex Stavrinou opted to play the ball back to Willy, who clipped the ball forward towards Booth, who cut inside and cracked a right-footed shot from 25-yards, which curled over the goalkeeper to find the top far corner.

Jenkins and the rest of the crowd hailed a brilliant strike from the 36-year-old, who is on loan from Ryman League Division One South leaders Maidstone United until the end of the month.

”Brilliant!  That’s what he’s about. He’s done that against us before!  You saw him on the edge of the box, where I was sitting you think he’s going to try and hit this and he’s hit it and curled it into the top corner. A fantastic goal!

”It’s nice to score when you’re having a good spell.  It’s a shame it took us that long to score. It’s disappointing we didn’t go from there first half and get a few more.”

The home side needed a second goal to ensure that their dominance was rewarded and a free-kick from right-back Matt Pooley was met by Willy’s looping header which was dropped by keeper Jones beside his near post before he gathered at the second attempt.

Canvey Island’s second attempt on goal came on the half-hour mark with a slick three-man move.

Skipper Rob King stroked the ball forward, which was hooked inside by Tom Kavanagh, but Woods-Garness’ finish was woeful, his right-footed drive sailing wide of the far post.

Clark was forced off the pitch following a challenge on him by Dean Mason and during this time playing with ten-men, Woods-Garness’ speculative over-head kick bounced harmlessly across goal and spectator Andy Walker in the Cray Wanderers goal easily gathered.

When asked what he told his players during the interval, Jenkins replied: “Really if we can carry on with that standard and pace of our game and carry on with it, but don’t go gung-ho. If we go two-up don’t leave gaps at the back for them to score. Try to keep it tight if we can. A clean sheet wins the game for us.”

But Jenkins added: ”But obviously they came out and changed their game a little bit and put a bit of pressure on us.”

As expected, Canvey Island upped their game for the second half and the Essex side called Walker into making a comfortable catch from Harrison Chatting’s angled drive after Ashley Dumas drove a free-kick into the unmarked winger early in the second half.

Cray Wanderers could have doubled their lead, but leading goalscorer Leigh Bremner failed to take the chance, instead Canvey Island equalised just 67 seconds later.

Phillips swung in a corner from the right towards Bremner at the near post, who sent his free header agonisingly over from six-yards.

Jenkins briefly said: “He was unlucky. He got in front of the player and just headed over.”

Jones kicked the ball upfield and Mason clipped the ball forward and sloppy defending from Long and Aaron Day allowed Woods-Garness to nip in. Walker was slow off his line and the striker sent his right-footed chip sailing over the stranded keeper and the ball dropped into the empty goal for the equaliser in the 53^rd minute.
 
Jenkins said: “Teams play bad because you make them play bad. They don’t just go out there and they’re not that good! I just think we was at it first half. Even their manager said we battered them! It’s nothing to do with them not playing well, it was more to do with us playing well.

”Second half you expect a reaction because we have battered them so they’ve probably gone ‘let’s roll our sleeves up a little bit more and get a little bit closer’ to us, which they did do.  We retreated a little bit.

”The goal just came from a clearance from their goalkeeper. I thought it was offside from where I was sitting in the stand. I had a couple of subs who were warming up and they said it was two yards offside.  The linesman all night was pretty keen to get his flag up in the first half and second half he wasn’t as keen. I thought it was offside.”

The game then turned into a stalemate, before white-shirted Canvey Island created a couple of decent openings.

Miller’s rasping right-footed shot on the turn was caught by Walker, who excelled just 34 seconds later, diving swiftly low to his right to prevent Woods-Garness scoring with a right-footed drive when he only had the Cray Wanderers keeper to beat in the final eighteen minutes.

Jenkins said: “Key save again! I think I’ve said it to you every time I speak to you! He pulls off key saves in games.  Luckily enough that one today has helped us get a point.  He’s done it before but we’ve caved in a little bit and we’ve lost games. It was a key moment in the game.  Brilliant! He’s the best keeper in the league anyway.”

Cray Wanderers should have regained the lead when Long’s corner from the right sailed out to the edge of the box for Willy to send his bullet header straight at the grateful Jones, before King lashed a shot over the Cray Wanderers crossbar after Woods-Garness cut in from the right at the other end as the game opened up.

Canvey Island other striker, John Curran, looped a deflected shot over from inside the six-yard box after Dumas swept a deep free-kick into the penalty area.

The Canvey Island left-back swung in another free-kick towards the near post for the unmarked Woods-Garness to glance his header over.

Canvey Island got lucky when the ball looped over their crossbar off a defenders head after Bremner whipped in a telling cross after being released down the right.
 
And Cray Wanderers almost grabbed the victory deep into injury time when Long’s right-footed free-kick found Booth unmarked at the near post and his flicked shot was caught by blue-shirted Jones at his near post.

Jenkins said: “Boothy had one at the end when he should’ve gone with his head. He would’ve scored definitely scored if he gone with hiss head!

”We had some good chances towards the end. It would’ve been nice to nick one.  We haven’t had one like that all season, nicking one in the last minute, but you could see them getting another chance that was the thing.”

Jenkins takes his side to seventh-placed Bury Town on Saturday, before playing their only Kent rival in the league, Margate, at Hayes Lane on Easter Monday, 1 April.

They finish their campaign against Thurrock (home), Lowestoft Town (away), Wealdstone (away), East Thurrock United (home), Hampton & Richmond Borough (home), Lewes (home) before a trip to Wingate & Finchley on the last day of the season.

Jenkins cannot answer why his side have won only two league games at home in sixteen attempts this season.

”I don’t know. I just can’t understand it. There’s been games when we’ve battered teams like we did first half and there’s been games when we’ve let teams in and they’ve scored in the last minute, stoppage time.  That’s all it is, concentration, when you’ve had a run like that it affects you.”

But claiming a point against a team chasing a play-off spot pleased Jenkins tonight.

”That was a good point at the end of the day, we said it in there,” he said. ”It was a good point against a team in fifth-position so I’m well happy with that.  We’ve gone up a place so that’s even better.

”We’ve got a few youngsters who haven’t been in this situation before, but they’re good enough. We should be in the play-off situation, not where we are at the minute!

”The point is a massive, big positive for me, but it was a good performance.  We played football the way I want it to be played first half.  I want them to go out and enjoy it, forget where we are in the league and just express yourselves and get results.”

When asked how many points he needs to cement the club’s Ryman Premier League status, Jenkins replied: “Gary Hillman (the chairman) came up and he mentioned points and I said I don’t worry about points. I’m just looking at three tonight and that’s it.  We’ve gone up a place so I won’t look at the table until I get a programme next week!”

Last season, Leatherhead, who finished fourth-from-bottom, were relegated on 41 points.  This season only two club’s will go down so three more wins should be enough to avoid relegation.
 
Cray Wanderers: Andy Walker, Matt Pooley, Jack Clark (James Fray 48), Chris Saunders, Mark Willy, Aaron Day, Paul Booth, Alex Stavrinou, Leigh Bremner, Danny Phillips, Sam Long.
Subs: Michael Power, Barney Abbott, John Estrada, Danny Young

Goal: Paul Booth 23

Booked:  Mark Willy 34, Michael Power 56, Aaron Day 54

Canvey Island: Ashley Jones, Ashley Miller, Ashley Dumas, Rob King, Ellis Sands, Richard Orlu, Harrison Chatting, Tom Kavanagh, Bradley Woods-Garness, John Curran, Dean Mason.
Subs: Mitch Gilbey, Ronnie Winn, George Winn, Kemal Cetinay, George Cocklyn.

Goal: Bradley Woods-Garness 53

Booked:  Richard Orlu 29

Attendance: 124
Referee: Mr Chris Evans (Eailing, London W13)
Assistants: Amadou Jallow (Hounslow, Middlesex) & Mr Mark Tweed (Islington, London N1)