I want distance between us and the Stones, says Jenkins

Thursday 11th March 2010

CRAY WANDERERS boss Ian Jenkins says his side must come away from Maidstone United at the weekend with all three points in the bag, writes Stephen McCartney.

With ten league games remaining, the Wands travel to Homelands Stadium sitting just one place above the Stones in the Ryman Premier League table.

The Wands have won 11 and drawn 5 of their 32 league games and are one point better off than their Kent rivals, who are four points ahead of fourth-from-bottom side Carshalton Athletic.

“We need to stay in that division,” Jenkins told www.kentishfootball.co.uk after being knocked out of the London Senior Cup by Kent League strugglers Fisher last Monday.

“We need to go away to Ashford and play Maidstone on Saturday confident and try and get three points.

“If we get three points it puts a bit of distance between them and us so we’ll be looking for three points on Saturday.”

Jenkins handed youth-teamer Gio Fulloni his debut in last Monday’s London Senior Cup tie at Fisher, and his strong side dominated all but five of the 120 minutes on the Champion Hill mud.

Fisher goalkeeper Adam Lisney pulled off a string of fine saves during the game, but extra-time goals from Leigh Bremner and substitute George Porter appeared to have earned a home-tie against Croydon Athletic in the last eight.

But Fisher piled forward in an attempt to save the game and Mark Willy put through his own net before the south Londoners grabbed a late leveller through Lloyd Boateng.

Colin Luckett (who had a penalty saved by Lisney during extra time), Bremner and Willy all scored from the penalty spot during the shoot out, but Lisney saved Tommy Tyne’s spot-kick and Lewis Wood looped his effort over the bar as Fisher won 4-3 after nine penalties.

“I want to win a Cup,” said Jenkins. “If we stay in the division were in, which we should do, we’d have a Cup at the end of it and now we’re obviously out of that so I want to win the Kent Senior Cup.”

Cray Wanderers, who reached the Kent Senior Cup final for the first ever time a couple of season’s ago, are the first side to book their place in this season’s semi-finals, following home wins over Ryman League Division One South strugglers Whitstable Town and Ashford Town.

Jenkins added: “We’re in the semi-finals, there’s some big clubs (still) in it. There’s also some clubs around us or above us.

“You’re in the semi-final and you want to go and win it. There’s a final at the end of it.”

Visit Cray Wanderers’ website: www.craywands.co.uk

Maidstone United v Cray Wanderers
Ryman Premier League
Saturday 13^th March 2010
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Homelands Stadium, Ashford Road, Kingsnorth, Ashford, Kent TN26 1NJ