Cray Wanderers 1-1 Lowestoft Town - I think our position is perfect, says Ian Jenkins

CRAY WANDERERS  1-1  LOWESTOFT TOWN
Ryman Premier League
Wednesday 5^th December 2012
Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane

CRAY WANDERERS boss Ian Jenkins says he is happy being in the top nine in the Ryman Premier League after grabbing a point against a Lowestoft Town side one place above them in the pecking order.

The Suffolk side felt they had secured all three points when substitute Dale Cockrill converted a penalty eleven minutes from time, but Cray Wanderers grabbed an equaliser just 85 seconds later when Joe Vines steered the ball into the net when the Kent side received a lucky break from a corner.

“In the end I thought a fair result was a draw,” said Jenkins, 45, when he faced the questions from within the warmth of the reception area on a bitterly cold night in Bromley.

“I thought they came at us first ten minutes.  It was majority all them. We were a bit sluggish. We haven’t played for 15 days then we got to grips with it first half.  Second half they were at us a little bit more.”

This was Cray Wanderers’ first game in fifteen days since their goal-less draw at Hendon and Jenkins kept faith with the same starting eleven and decided to leave his influential leader Mark Willy on the bench.

He said: “I couldn’t quite put him in because I thought the defence has been doing pretty well but we’ll be looking to get him back as soon as we can.”

Lowestoft started the game on the front foot and created three chances inside the opening ten minutes.

Danny Cunningham, who was later forced off through injury, drove in a corner from the left and the ball was headed out and the ball dropped to Curtley Williams, who crossed to the far post and the impressive Chris Henderson struck a right-footed volley just over from 12-yards.

A ball up field from Lowestoft left-back Robert Eagle was hooked across the face of the penalty area by target-man Jack Defty for central midfielder Scott Mitchell to flash his right-footed drive comfortably wide from 25-yards.

Lowestoft should have taken the lead when a poor back-pass intended for his goalkeeper by right-back Billy Burgess was latched on to by Mitchell, who whipped in a cross towards the far post but the unmarked Defty looped his header just over the crossbar from eight-yards.

Jenkins said: “I don’t think that they created the chances.  We was sluggish. We weren’t getting the ball. They didn’t create too many chances first half.” 

Cray Wanderers then got into their stride and their first chance arrived in the 17^th minute.

Lowestoft central defender Curtley Williams slid in to foul Danny Phillips beside the touchline and Jack Clark whipped in an excellent low free-kick towards the near post and Paul Vines nipped in front of his marker at the near post to hook a first time shot over from four-yards.

“I think Paul Vines had a good opportunity with a cross from the left.  He got his foot on it. He should have done better,” added Jenkins.

Lowestoft’s first attempt on target, however, arrived in the 21^st minute when Henderson played the ball into Defty’s feet and he laid the ball back to Henderson, whose low right-footed shot from sixteen-yards rolled comfortably into Andy Walker’s gloves.

But Cray Wanderers squandered their best chance when leading goalscorer Leigh Bremner was thwarted four minutes later as the home side almost grabbed the lead against the run of play.

Paul Vines clipped an excellent through ball inbetween Lowestoft’s two central defenders to release the eleven-goal striker, who delayed his shot but visiting keeper Andrew Plummer made a smart low save to his right, sticking out a strong right hand to turn Bremner’s right-footed shot around the post.

Jenkins said: “Leigh’s disappointed in there. He knows he should have done better. The ball’s got caught up under his foot. He’s tried to slot it but didn’t get a good connection.”

Plummer made his second save just 55 seconds later when he plucked the ball out of the air high above his head after Phillips’ right-footed shot on the turn.

Bremner then latched onto another ball over the top, this time by Phillips, but a poor touch inside the box let off the Lowestoft keeper, who gathered the ball.

Jenkins added: “Also Leigh went one-on-one and it came off his knee and bounced through to the keeper so we had three chances those sort of players should have put away in the first half.”

Lowestoft Town came within inches of taking the lead just before the break when Cunningham’s last action was to swing in a corner from the right, which was headed away at the near post by Tyrone Sterling and Erkan Okay cracked a first time right-footed volley from 20-yards, which only just sailed wide of the post.

But Cray Wanderers worked hard to go into the interval on level terms and when asked what he told his players’ inside the home dressing room, Jenkins said: “I just said keep doing what you’re doing. We’re creating a lot of good chances. I honestly thought the game was out there for the taking.

“I didn’t think Lowestoft were particularly a good side in the first half apart from the first ten minutes.  I thought we were the better side.

“I said just do what we’re carrying on doing and the goals would come, but fair play to them they upped their game second half and put a bit of pressure on us and created chances themselves.”

Lowestoft were denied by Walker in the 53^rd minute when striker Michael Frew cracked a right-footed volley straight at the keeper after arrowing in a shot from the right-hand side of the penalty area.

The Suffolk outfit then turned the screw and they really should have scored when a brilliant through ball from Frew put Henderson through on goal but the winger dragged his right-footed shot across the face of goal with only Walker to beat and rolled past the far post.

But Walker produced an excellent double save to deny Lowestoft taking a deserved 59^th minute lead.

Okay cracked a shot from 20-yards which screamed towards goal and Walker parried the ball straight to Eagle, who was destined to score from six-yards, but Walker dived to his left to claw the ball away.

“Fantastic!  That’s what he’s all about!,” praised Jenkins, who added, “That’s why he’s the best keeper in this division, I think in  this league. That’s why we’ve got him at our club.”

Bremner almost fashioned himself a goal when he picked the ball up and unleashed a low left-footed curler from 20-yards, which forced Plummer into diving smartly to his right to push the ball away.

Jenkins said: “Leigh always works hard. He makes most of the chances himself. I thought their goalkeeper made a good save there.”

Cray Wanderers were then left off the hook after Defty won possession off Sterling on the edge of the penalty area and rolled the ball into Henderson’s path, who rounded Walker but clipped his right-footed shot from the right-hand side of the penalty area against the outside of the near post.

Jenkins added: “Good player, the seven, made runs all night light that. He was a good player. Other than that they didn’t really threaten us.”

Lowestoft Town, however, were awarded a penalty when Mitchell put Henderson through on goal and this time Walker came rushing off his line to bring down the winger as he was forced away from goal.

Referee Dave Bushell pointed to the spot and gave Walker a yellow card (the only card of the game) and substitute Cockrill stepped up and his left-footed penalty nestled into the bottom right-hand corner, despite Walker agonisingly close to keeping it out as he dived to his left.

When asked his thoughts on the penalty, Jenkins said: “I thought it was a pen from what I saw of it!  If I was a manager and it was our end and the ref didn’t give it I’d be going mad about it!

“Walks’ reckons he didn’t touch him.  The player was going away. The linesman our side said he thought it was a harsh penalty but where the ref was he’s seen contact and fair play to him.  I weren’t too much displeased about it. I thought it was a penalty.”

When asked whether Walker could have been red-carded, Jenkins replied, “Going away from goal, it’s a bit harsh goalkeeper’s getting sent off. I think if they’re outside the box and players are going one-on-one with them and they handball it or whatever or foul them and they’re going straight towards goal, yes, send them off, but when it’s like that and the ball’s going away from goal, the blokes had a heavy touch anyway.  Walks has brought him down.  I personally doing think the goalkeeper should be sent-off for that sort of thing. It just makes a mockery of the game.”

Jenkins quipped: “I said to him in there, you moaned about giving away the penalty, but you should’ve put your head together and saved it!”

However, to their credit, Cray Wanderers’ response was excellent and they were back on level terms after only 85 seconds of going behind.

Clark whipped in a corner from the right, which was cleared away by a man in a blue shirt and the ball came out to Paul Vines on the edge of the box.  The striker’s driven shot was destined to flash comfortably wide but his brother Joe, who was unmarked some eight-yards from goal, stuck out his right leg and diverted the ball across keeper Plummer and the ball nestled inside the  bottom far corner.

Jenkins said: “Joe saw the ball get cleared and he was thinking about going on his way back to defend and he just turned round and stayed in there and the ball came to him and he stuck a foot out and it went in!

“It’s good to see us score a scrappy goal. We don’t get many of them when the luck goes our way in the box and also good to see us reacting quickly when we’re still having a moan about conceding and all off a sudden we score and it’s game on then.”

Both sides could have won it after Joe Vines’ second goal of the season.

Mitchell played the ball inside to Eagle, who shot straight at the Cray Wanderers keeper Walker from 25-yards, before with the last kick of the game, Bremner bundled the ball agonisingly just past the foot of the right-hand post.

The home side broke down the middle with Alex Stavrinou, who played the ball over to substitute James Fray and the winger played a low cross towards the near post, but Bremner agonisingly missed the target and then the Tottenham based referee blew the final whistle with honours even.

Reflecting on their sixth league draw after fourteen games, Jenkins said: “Overall, I thought it was a fair result.

“I think our position is perfect to be honest with you,” said Jenkins, whose side remain in ninth-place on 21 points, four points behind fifth-placed Concord Rangers.

“We could be in the play-offs. I’m happy where we are. We’re playing well. We’ve only been beaten in eight or nine league games. We’ve got a great (unbeaten) away record, one of the best in the division.   There’s not much wrong with us at the minute.

“The squad may be a little bit low, weak, player wise. We’ve lost Steve Lozano, he’s not around at the minute, I don’t know where he is!

“I could do with a couple more players with us but it’s all about money so I’ve got to go with what we’ve got.

“We’ve got a budget and we have to stick with it.  I’m trying to get some money off other people so if I can generate some money then I’ll put it towards the team if I can.”

Cray Wanderers: Andy Walker, Billy Burgess, Jack Clark, Aaron Day, Joe Vines, Tyrone Sterling, Paul Vines, Alex Stavrinou, Leigh Bremner, Danny Phillips, Chris Saunders (James Fray 76).
Subs: Mark Willy, Michael Power, Williams Pearoux, Grant Hall

Goal: Joe Vines 80

Booked: Andy Walker 79

Lowestoft Town: Andrew Plummer, Blake Sakar, Robert Eagle, Erkan Okay, Curtley Williams, Sam Gaughran, Chris Henderson, Scott Mitchell, Jack Defty, Michael Frew (Sam Newson 74), Danny Cunningham (Dale Cockrill 43).
Subs: Andrew Fisk, Aaron Jones, Jake Gessop

Goal:  Dale Cockrill 79 (pen)

Attendance: 109
Referee: Mr Dave Bushell (Tottenham, London N17)
Assistants: Mr Craig Pullen (Ilford, Essex) & Mr Kirk English (Romford, Essex)