Cray Wanderers 1-2 Dartford - Lets try to get to the second round this year, says Tony Burman

CRAY WANDERERS  1-2  DARTFORD
The FA Cup with Budweiser Third Qualifying Round
Saturday 15^th October 2011
Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane

DARTFORD boss Tony Burman says he wants his side to reach the second round of this season’s FA Cup - after they narrowly avoided a giant-killing at the hands of their Kent neighbours Cray Wanderers to progress through to the final qualifying round.

There will be no more Kent interest in this season’s competition for Ryman League clubs as Cray Wanderers threw away a 47^th minute lead through striker Tommy Whitnell’s tenth goal of the season, before Dartford fought back through Ryan Hayes’ curling free-kick from 40-yards and substitute Danny Harris’ deflected effort in the final twenty minutes.

Dartford will be joined by their Blue Square Bet South rivals Bromley (who fought back from 2-0 down at the break to beat Margate 3-2 at Hartsdown Park) and Dover Athletic, whilst Ebbsfleet United start their FA Cup campaign at this next stage.

“We’ve gone a goal down, but having said that you have to match these teams for their battling and they were up for the game and they’re full of running and you have to try to match that,” said Burman afterwards.

“Unfortunately we went a goal down inside ten minutes in the second half, but fair play, we’ve come back and gone through.

“We knew it was going to be a battle, which it was, and we were just saying at half-time, the good players (we have), a little bit of quality comes out.  We’ve done that battle and people get tired and there’s a little bit more space.

“We were a little bit fortunate with the free-kick that’s gone straight in from Hayes’ free-kick but after that we felt we was in control of the game.  It opened up and we played with a little bit more intelligence when it was one-all and we managed to get another goal as well.”

Cray Wanderers boss Ian Jenkins felt “gutted” as his club’s FA Cup heartbreak continues.

“We played alright to be honest with you, just disappointing, obviously with the result,” said the long-serving boss.

“A couple of decisions went against us to be honest with you.  I wasn’t happy with the officials, but that’s the way things go in the FA Cup.  You get your luck, you get away with a bit of luck and Dartford had theirs today!”

Dartford’s visit attracted the Wands’ largest crowd of the season as 690 flocked through the turnstiles and it was the home side that started on the front foot during a first half that lacked goalmouth action.

An effort from left-winger Jack Clark sailed over the Dartford crossbar before a testing in-swinging free-kick from right-back Sam Long forced visiting keeper Andrew Young into palming the ball around his post from underneath his crossbar after five minutes.

The long-serving Aaron Day teed up the ball for striker Lewis Perkins, whose right-footed drive from 25-yards rolled into the Dartford keeper’s gloves, but despite being the better side during the opening 15 minutes, Cray Wanderers couldn’t score.

Dartford, however, weathered the early storm, but although they created only one half chance midway through the half which Tom Champion didn’t take, the first half was disappointing.

Richard Graham floated a cross into the penalty area from the left and an unmarked Champion, who started the move, glanced a header comfortably into Andy Walker’s gloves.

The remainder of the first half was a midfield dual.  Cray Wanderers skipper, Mark Willy, had Dartford’s 12-goal striker, Charlie Sheringham in his pocket.

Burman confirmed that the club has accepted a bid from Npower League One club AFC Bournemouth for Sheringham, who is set to follow winger Dave Martin and striker Cody McDonald into the professional ranks since the club moved to Princes Park.

When asked whether an article published in a Tabloid newspaper today saying that Bournemouth have put in a bid for the 23-year-old striker was true, Burman replied, “Yes!  We’ve had a bid for Charlie Sheringham come in from Bournemouth, yes!

“Charlie has been informed all the way along in the situation and he’ll be talking to them after today’s game and over the weekend.  They’ve made a bid, how can I say, we’ve accepted.”

Burman explained that Bournemouth can sign the player outside of the transfer window.

He said: “You (clubs at Conference Premier level and above) are now allowed to sign a player lower than the Conference (outside of the transfer window), being offered full-time work.”

The game desperately needed a goal to spark it into life, and in truth it had to come from underdogs Cray Wanderers to wake Dartford up from their first half snooze.

Jenkins said: “It was a bit dour first half.  Our ability on the ball first half, although we had good opportunities to pass the ball, was poor.  But I thought we was in the game, they were in it, it was one of them.

“It’s a FA Cup game with a lot at stake, two local teams fighting it out.”

Burman added: “You have to match the enthusiasm because Cray have got nothing to lose and they want to take a scalp of a team in a higher league.

“We have to match them for their work rate and we can do that and unfortunately when you do it sometimes the quality of the play suffers a little bit.

“It was a little bit too much in the air for our liking first half but you have to get on with it and it’s happened.  At the end of the day we’ve come to a difficult place and we’ve gone through to the next round.”

Clark, who received an ear bashing from Cray Wanderers manager Jenkins during the interval, sparked the game into life by racing forward into the penalty area and his initial effort was blocked, but the ball fell nicely for Whitnell, who swept a low right-footed shot to beat Young at his near post from 12-yards, to break the stalemate after just 99 seconds into the half.

Jenkins said: “Second half, when we scored, it was different class!  It was a great goal.  Tommy Whitnell, a great finish and you’re thinking, you look to go on.

“Jack Clark had a bit of a poor first half, he knows that!  We told him in the dressing room that he’s got to get better second half.  Two minutes (after the break) he’s beaten three or four players and he’s got himself in the box.  It would’ve been nice for him to bury that himself, a good finish from Tommy.”

Burman added: “Alright, we’re a little bit fortunate but that happens.  We’ve done our bit.  I just think we have controlled the game, they’ve had one shot really and they’ve scored.  It’s the build up to that goal that’s disappointed me.  Having said that, listen to come back from a goal down at Cray in the FA Cup, I’m delighted for the players and everyone involved in the club.”

Hayes squandered an easy chance to restore parity just 83 seconds after their set-back.

Dartford left-back Adam Green’s low drive from 25-yards was parried by Walker, who swiftly dived low to his left to prevent the ball sliding into the corner, but the ball fell at Hayes’ feet, who slammed his shot across goal and past the far post from only two-yards out.

A corner from Graham was nodded over the crossbar by a towering Dartford skipper Elliot Bradbrook, but Cray Wanderers will regret not taking a decent chance in the 58^th minute.

Clark floated in a cross from the left but Whitnell lost an aerial challenge to Dartford’s central defender Paul Goodacre and the ball dropped to Perkins, whose left-footed drive from 20-yards was saved by Young, low to his left.

Another chance fell Cray’s way in the 66^th minute when Danny Phillips slipped the ball through to Whitnell down the inside right channel and his whipped in cross found its way to an unmarked Clark, who scuffed a poor left-footed shot straight to Young.

However, Jenkins felt his keeper Walker was fouled, as Hayes levelled with only eighteen minutes remaining.

The winger, who is one of the most talented semi-professional footballers in Kent football, whipped up plenty of pace with a curling left-footed free-kick from 40-yards, which curled around a crowded penalty area and bounced into the top far corner.

Jenkins fumed: “If that ain’t a foul on Walker, then I don’t know what is because nine times out of ten in any league in the world, on television, you see a ball going in like that and the keeper comes for it, feels he can get it and don’t get it. It ain’t a mistake, I don’t think. Walks said to me he got elbowed.

“If it goes straight in and he’s made a mistake he holds his hands up but it’s gone straight in when he’s been fouled.  It’s so gutting mate, it shouldn’t had been a goal!”

Burman praised the former Thamesmead Town and Slade Green winger.

He said: “It’s a free-kick we’ve asked him to do.  He puts it into the area, if it goes past the goalkeeper it goes in the next, simple as that and if it misses everyone it goes in the net.  The ones that annoy me are the ones that go over for a goal-kick so he’s put it in.   I thought he’s done ok!”

That goal took the stuffing out of Cray Wanderers, as Dartford upped their game and went for the kill.

Dartford substitute Lee Noble was denied by a fine block from inside the penalty area by Walker, after Sheringham laid the ball into his path after a slick pass from central midfielder Champion.

Dartford’s winning goal arrived in the 81^st minute and Jenkins felt it should have been disallowed through offside and was told to leave the dug-out by referee Nigel Lugg for protesting.

Sheringham flicked the ball into Harris, who passed the ball to Hayes, who cut the ball to Harris, who drilled a right-footed shot from just outside the penalty area and a deflection deceived Walker and nestled into the corner of the net.

Jenkins said: “My take on it is I’m in a better position than the linesman.  All our bench, all the crowd on the right hand side, all our bench, Dartford supporters, all of them, all said that was offside!  He’s got it wrong!

“Whether he was affected by the way we spoke to him during the game, I don’t know, because he was getting a bit of banter, a bit of stick from all parties really.

“He’s got to stand up and make the right call and he didn’t!  He made the wrong call and they’ve scored and they’re in the next round with seven-and-a-half thousand pounds and us nothing, so he’s got to look at himself.”

Burman, meanwhile, was delighted that Harris came off the bench on the hour to score the winner.

“Danny is a little bit upset he wasn’t in the starting eleven, unfortunately that’s football,” said Burman.

“He’s a  great player for us to bring on because he’s very, very quick and he works hard, but he’s got to get better with balls that are played up to him and controlling it.  When he does that he can be one hell of a player.

“Having said that we’re playing a certain way, it’s not including Danny in that starting line-up at the moment, but he’s time will come and he will be back in the team and he’ll be doing things that he’s good at doing.”

Jenkins was apologetic for being sent to the stands in the 82^nd minute.

“It’s been a couple of years’ since I’ve got involved that much to be honest with you,” he said. 

“I thought I’ve calmed down a little bit.  It doesn’t take much really, an offside call that he’s two or three yards offside the fella going through one-on-one and the linesman didn’t put his flag up so I obviously told him what I thought about it and rightly so the referee sent me to the stand.  I’m not going to defend myself on that one, it was poor discipline but I was obviously involved in the game at the time.”

It was tough on Cray Wanderers, who deserved a second bite of the cherry, but Burman fancies his side to emulate last season when they went out to League Two side Port Vale in a first round replay last November, whilst the Wands’ must wait at least another 12 months for their first ever first round appearance.

Jenkins said: “After the first half performance, when we’re sitting in there nil-nil, you’re playing a team that’s second in their division, fair play to then, but you’re playing against them and you’re playing well.

“When we scored the goal and you start believing and I believed it anyway! They’ve got to come and beat us to be honest with you and they did, with a little bit of help.

“We had them watched, obviously they had us watched as well and done their homework on our better players.  I thought on another day we could’ve nicked the result and we’d be in the next round.

“It’s disappointing, but we knew they were beatable.  We watched them last week and they were well beatable.

“I’m a passionate fella, I like to win, hate losing.  I’m obviously gutted.  They haven’t played us off the pitch or nothing.  They’re second in the league above, they didn’t deserve to win the game.

“We’re good enough to go further.  It’s always the luck in the draw and it’s always luck in the Cup.  There’s always upsets.  Would it have been an upset? At the end of the day, I know we’re a division below them, we were looking to win the game.  We can compete in that (Blue Square Bet South) division, there’s no two ways about it.  Hopefully we can go up. We can compete against these sides.  We play the game the way it should be played, which is football.”

Like any other manager, Burman wants Dartford drawn at home in the final qualifying round and wants to go one further this time around.

Burman said: “That’s what you aim for, is a home draw.  I want to keep away from replay’s as much as I can. If we can get a home draw, all well and good.”

He added: “We’re trying to improve every year.  We’re in the hat on Monday morning but we’ve managed to get to the first round last year.  Let’s try and get to the second round this year, but it’s the luck of the draw.  You want to stay in it for as long as you can, but please no replay’s.

Cray Wanderers: Andy Walker, Sam Long, Tony Dolby (Rhema Obed 76), Aaron Day (Michael Power 85), Mark Willy, Tyrone Sterling, Tommy Whitnell, Chris Saunders, Lewis Perkins (Leigh Bremner 71), Danny Phillips, Jack Clark.
Subs: Luke Coleman, Billy Parkinson, Steve Lozano, Grant Hall

Goal: Tommy Whitnell 47

Booked: Mark Willy 42, Tyrone Sterling 68, Andy Walker 73

Sent Off: Ian Jenkins (manager) 82

Dartford: Andrew Young, Lee Burns, Adam Green, Tom Bonner, Paul Goodacre, Tom Champion, Ryan Hayes  (Lee Noble 85), James Rogers, Charlie Sheringham, Elliot Bradbrook, Richard Graham (Danny Harris 60).
Subs: Jack Pallen, Ryan Cooper, Deren Ibrahim.

Goals: Ryan Hayes 72, Danny Harris 81

Booked: Charlie Sheringham 65

Attendance: 690
Referee:  Mr Nigel Lugg (Chipstead, Surrey)
Assistants:  Mr Chris Phillips (Carshalton Beeches, Surrey) & Mr Peter Conn (Farnborough, Hampshire)