Jenkins wary of clinical rival strikers

Sunday 23rd August 2009

CRAY WANDERERS boss Ian Jenkins knows exactly where his side are going wrong this season - conceding all of their goals in the opening half-an-hour of games, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Wands have played three games in the Ryman Premier League so far, and Aveley, Tonbridge Angels and Billericay Town have scored all of their goals in the first 30 minutes of games.

Ruthless Jenkins, who dropped Colin Luckett, Tommy Osborne and Dean Standen for their last game against Billericay, appreciated that strikers in the Ryman Premier League are a lot more sharper in front of goal.

“The higher you go, any level, that’s what happens,” Jenkins told www.kentishfootball.co.uk, after his side were defeated 2-1 by Billericay Town at Dartford’s Princes Park last Friday night.

He added: “If you’re scoring goals, you’re going to go higher up the leagues. The higher you go, the better forwards you get and the more sharper they are. That’s football.”

Although Jenkins’ men performed better than the shambolic display against a Tonbridge Angels side that ripped through them during a first half shocker at Hayes Lane nearly a week ago, the long-serving boss knows his side must start picking up points, especially as they go into Tuesday night’s away game at Tooting & Mitcham United in the bottom three.

Cray Wanderers are not a team that’s used to mediocrity and three points at Imperial Fields is what’s needed to kick-start their campaign.

“That’s what we want to do,” added Jenkins. “If we don’t, as long as we’re playing well, we’re getting positives out the games like we did tonight (against Billericay), results will take care of themselves at the end of it.

“If we’re playing bad and we’re getting results you think “hold on a minute, are we happy with this, we want to do better!”

“Tooting’s a big game, a little bit of history with George (Wakeling), my old mucker and a few of the players we know.

“There’s always a bit of an edge over at Tooting.”

The Wands clinched promotion out of Ryman League Division One South with play-off wins over Worthing and Metropolitan Police at Hayes Lane, whilst 12 months earlier, the Terrors condemned Jenkins side to another season in that division as former Cray striker Paul Vines scored the only goal of the game to send Billy Smith and George Wakeling’s side up.

Jenkins played for boss Wakeling at Leyton-Wingate many years ago.

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

Tooting & Mitcham United v Cray Wanderers

Ryman Premier League

Tuesday 25th August 2009

Kick Off 7:45pm

At Imperial Fields, Bishopsford Road, Morden, Surrey, SM4 6BF