Cray Wanderers 3-3 Carshalton Athletic - We're too good to go down, insists Jenkins

Sunday 25th October 2009

CRAY WANDERERS 3-3 CARSHALTON ATHLETIC
Ryman Premier League
Sunday 25th October 2009
Stephen McCartney reports from Hayes Lane

IAN JENKINS says he will not face the sack if his side show the same amount of character that they did against Carshalton Athletic today for the rest of the season.

Although the Wands are still searching for their first home win (this was their eighth home game at this level), and remain fourth-from-bottom in the Ryman Premier League after 13 games, what pleased the long-serving Jenkins was the way that his side showed character against a workmanlike Carshalton side.

John Guest (who is on a seven game loan from Dartford, having enjoyed a loan spell at Ashford Town as opportunities at league leaders Dartford are limited), made his Cray Wanderers debut - but was stunned as his new side were 2-0 down within the opening seven minutes.

But a Tyrone Sterling inspired fight-back clawed the home side on level terms after just 17 minutes, with two goals within two minutes, before a thunderous Jamie Wood gave the Wands the lead for the first time eleven minutes before the break.

Carshalton striker, Craig Faulconbridge, meanwhile, finished off an excellent slick move to earn the visitors a point scoring just before the hour. Both sides created openings to win the game but Jenkins says his side gained a point today.

“I mean, we’d take anything at the moment,” Jenkins told www.kentishfootball.co.uk, after he kindly spoke about the game, despite enjoying his post-match meal.

“It’s a bit of a struggle down at the bottom. We were 2-0 down after seven minutes, anything that you get out of the game, after seven minutes, is a bonus and we got something out of it.”

After his side meekly exited the FA Carlsberg Trophy by lower-league side Burgess Hill Town just seven days earlier, Jenkins was disappointed as his side faced an uphill struggle as clinical Carshalton punished poor defending to race into a 2-0 lead.

The first goal, timed at just 94 seconds, stunned Jenkins’ players that were looking to win their first home game of the season.

Former Ebbsfleet United and Farnborough midfielder, Danny Slatter’s corner from the right was headed back to him by Cray skipper, Mark Willy, and Slatter had time and space to deliver a cross towards the far post and central defender Jon Munday leapt at the far post to head across Jack Smelt to find the far corner.

Things got worse when prolific Carshalton striker, Richard Jolly, accepted a gift from Willy.

Jolly picked up the ball in midfield and sprayed the ball to the unmarked Rashid Kamara and the impressive left-winger was allowed to continue his run up field as right-back Steve Aris didn’t make a challenge.

Kamara slid a through ball through the heart of the Cray area and Willy failed to cut out the ball to Jolly and the striker drove a low right-footed drive across Smelt to find the bottom far corner.

But whilst the home faithful were fearing the worst, Cray Wanderers fought back and two goals in 112 seconds levelled the game.

In the 15th minute, left-back, Colin Luckett’s hanging cross was met at the far post by Ross Lover, whose header was blocked by Carshalton keeper Nick Hamann, but Lover had a second bite of the cherry to loop the ball to Sterling, who from close range headed past the former Chelsea youth team goalkeeper.

Cray immediately levelled when Sterling, in a striker’s position, latched onto a ball up field and unleashed a stunning left-footed volley from the edge of the box, which flew past Hamann to crash into the top left-hand corner.

The winger almost grabbed a hat-trick in the 20th minute when, after Smelt’s long ball forward, he out jumped the keeper but his headed effort, which was bouncing towards goal, was cleared off the line by defender Justin Roberts.

Cray took the lead in a dominant spell, for the very first time in the 34th minute.

Credit must go to Lover, whose jinking run towards the heart of the visitors defence was ended by a foul.

With the ball on the edge of the D, in a central position, 22-yards from goal, Luckett shaped up to take the free-kick, but Jamie Wood took the kick instead and it was the right choice as his left-footed rising drive crashed past the rooted Hamann and flew into the net.

With nine minutes before the break, Rob Quinn went within inches from increasing the lead further, but his 30-yard drive crashed off the underside of the crossbar, as Carshalton were rocked.

As half-time loomed, a fine Luckett pass found Lover in space and his cross was agonisingly flicked wide by hard-working forward, Leigh Bremner, at the near post.

The half-time whistle came at the wrong time for Jenkins and his side - but he certainly praised the character of his struggling team.

“I know the players have got that in them,” he said. “You don’t expect any team to be 2-0 down and come back to be winning 3-2 at half-time, no matter how good the team is.

“Poor defending for the first two goals and you’re sitting on the bench thinking all what you said before the game goes out of the window as a manager, so great character shown and some really good goals.”

The second half flowed from end-to-end and both sides created half-chances to add to the scoreline.

A mazy run from Sterling saw him threat the ball through to Bremner, who was thwarted by the advancing Carshalton keeper inside the opening three minutes of the second half.

And intelligent play from Kamara found Faulconbridge in space down the inside right-channel and his cross was met by a downward header by Munday, but he couldn’t repeat his earlier feat, as the ball bounced past the far post.

The scoring was completed in the 57th minute, when Carshalton finished off a quality move.

Kamara slipped a ball for Jolly, to cut inside from the right and slid the ball to Faulconbridge, whose first-time stroked left-footed shot from just inside the box, slid past Smelt to find the bottom left-hand corner.

Cray called Hamann into action in the 65th minute when the Wood brothers combined for Lewis Wood’s near post flick to be turned around his near post by the diving keeper.

And Carshalton almost grabbed the three points in the final seven minutes when David Ray floated a cross towards the far post and this was met by the unmarked Jolly, who looped a header over Smelt but thankfully for the Kent side the ball bounced off the foot of the far post.

“I said to the boys in there, at three-all, they could’ve nicked one and we could’ve nicked one,” added Jenkins.

“It could have been 6-7, something like that. It was one of those games, it was entertaining. The (218) people that paid their money to get in here this afternoon have enjoyed it. Hopefully they’ll come back to watch us again!”

Last week, Jenkins decided to release former Dartford defender, Tommy Osborne (who started only five games), midfielder Stanley Muguo (who started seven) and striker, Richmond Kissi (who came off the bench on a couple of occasions).

“Tommy was unfortunate because he did do well for the last two games he played for us,” explained Jenkins.

“I needed to get some money off the (wage) bill and I wanted to get a centre forward in.”

That centre forward is Shawn Beveney, who was an unused substitute today, who returns following spells with Ashford Town, Godalming Town and Dulwich Hamlet.

“Stan (Muguo), I think we had enough players in that position. He had his chance, he took it in some games but he was another I had to release.

“Richmond is another kettle of fish. He’s one of those players where you see one week and you don’t see him for a couple more weeks. The dedication is now what you expect it to be.”

Re-signing Beveney raised a few eyebrows, but Jenkins has plenty of faith in the Guyana international, who has failed to cut it here in Kent so far.

“I’m expecting big things from Shawn,” said Jenkins. “He threatened to do it for us last year, earlier on in the season before his poor injury with his knee.

“He’s a great character to have about the dressing room and in training he’s full of beans.

“He seems like a type of player who really wants to play for this club, like they all do. Once he gets his fitness back again he’ll be alright for us - a big player.”

Jenkins, meanwhile, insisted that Cray Wanderers will not suffer relegation at the end of the season - and that he has the backing of his chairman, Gary Hillman.

“We’ve been in most of the games that we’ve lost this year,” he said. “I think the table, it doesn’t lie this early in the season, but you look at teams around u. We’ve beaten teams at the top there.

“I think we should be alright, no-one should be panicking at this club about getting relegated.

“You hear rumours about Jenko out, Joe (Francis) out, Blado (Paul Blade) out! What’s all that about? It’s so stupid for what we’ve done for the club, the loyalty here just shows you!

When asked if Mr Hillman would sack him, Jenkins openly replied, “I don’t know. It’s up to him at the end of the day! If the results don’t go that well you can understand why.

“If we put performances on like that today and show that much character you can’t get rid of any manager who puts a team out there and performs like that.

“No-one’s job is ever save. It’s a results game as we all know but I’ can guarantee that we won’t be getting relegated this year. I know that for a fact! We’re too good!

Cray Wanderers: Jack Smelt, Steve Aris, Colin Luckett, Jamie Wood, Mark Willy, John Guest, Ross Lover, Rob Quinn (Scott Kinch 73), Lewis Wood, Leigh Bremner, Tyrone Sterling (George Porter 79).
Subs: Aaron Day, Shawn Beveney, Tommy Tyne.

Goals: Tyrone Sterling 15, 17, Jamie Wood 34

Carshalton Athletic: Nick Hamann, David Graves, Rob Watkins, Jon Munday, Justin Roberts, Danny Slatter, David Ray, Karl Murray, Craig Faulconbridge, Richard Jolly, Rashid Kamara (Louis Bell 76).
Subs: Jones Awuah, Charlie Ide, Joe Dolan, Matt Read.

Goals: Jon Munday 2, Richard Jolly 7, Craig Faulconbridge 57

Booked: Rob Watkins 89

Attendance: 218
Referee: Mr Eric Mackrell (Petersfield, Hampshire)
Assistants: Mr Steve Conroy (Great Notley, Essex) & Mr James Pope (Braintree, Essex)