Margate 0-2 Cray Wanderers - We should be higher up the league, admits Margate boss Iain O'Connell

Cray boss Ian Jenkins was delighted with his side’s victory when he spoke to www.kentishfootball.co.uk after the game. “We just want to keep the run going and stay in the top five and it was a good hard performance from us today – we dug deep and deserved the win,” he said. 

"Margate did to us today what a lot of teams have done recently – they worked hard at shutting us down early on and stop us playing. But we’re finding that a lot of teams cant keep it up for 90 minutes and it happened again today – we knew we’d get opportunities and thankfully when we got the we took them!”

For Margate boss Iain O’Connell there was nothing short of frustration. 

He told www.kentishfootball.co.uk : “They took their chances and we didn’t take ours that’s all there is too it although second half I thought we had a lot more of the ball. 

“We missed three good chances but didn’t really make Charlie (Mitten) work for his money today! Their defence got better as the game went on – they won a lot as the game wore on but what annoyed me more was that they’re a small side yet won seventy five percent of everything in the air today!

“I’m not going to use the excuse that we haven’t played to explain why we were so slow early on – maybe there was a bit of lack of sharpness – maybe our decision making wasn’t right, I just don’t know. I’m just so disappointed that I didn’t think we deserved to lose the game but full credit to them.”

The first half was instantly forgettable for the hardly soles who braced a bitter Hartsdown Park afternoon, with the best chance of the half falling to Dan Stubs, who shot wide from the edge of the Cray box after Curtis Robinson’s cross had only been half cleared. 

That came after 16 minutes whilst the next incident of any note came on 39 when home full back Kane Harrington shot straight at Mitten after a good run. 

Cray’s first real chance came on the stroke of half time and really they should have been in front at the break as a stretching Liam Bellamy should have done better with a low driven cross from Danny Phillips. Bellamy was never favourite to get the ball as it ballooned over the bar.

The second half though was, fortunately, a much better spectacle, and within sixty seconds of the restart Robinson cleared Willy’s header off the line from Ross Lover’s in swinging corner. 

That was a warning that the home side failed too heed. 

But at the other end on 59 minutes only an amazing clearance from Aaron Day kept the scoreline blank, as James Rogers cut inform the tight onto his favoured left foot before drilling in a shot that somehow Day got in behind Mitten to head over the bar. 

Now if it was meant then you have to applaud world class defending, whilst if it was just a question of being in the right place at the right time, then his overall display probably just about deserved the luck.

Then came the 90 seconds that won Cray the game.

On 62 minutes, another Lover corner was met by a low brave header from Willy who stooped to powerfully head his side into the lead. 

Gate keeper Jamie Turner was furious with his defence at allowing the headers which was to be Willy’s last action of the game as shortly afterwards he hobbled off. 

If Turner was annoyed with the first goal he was positively livid with the send just 60 seconds later! Phillips again sprinted clear down the right and he cross wasn’t cleared by the Gate defence and Hamici arriving late at the back post gleefully volleyed home his fourteenth League goal of the season – his nineteenth in total so far this season! 

Naturally the two managers had different takes on the two goals. A jubilant Jenkins said: “First goal straight of the training ground though the celebration wasn’t as Wilo (Mark Willy) has hurt his knee though Laurent (Hamici) – his goal you could see why he’s the league top scorer. 

“Just look at our two strikers today? You’ve got Leigh Bremner who runs and runs and works his socks off which is his game through and through even if he doesn’t get the goals that he deserves whereas Laurent is a natural goal scorer!” 

O’Connell, who remember was a defender of some repute himself, not surprisingly saw the goals a little differently. 

He said: “The first one as a set piece should never have gone in at the height it went in – it went in a waist height – but we just went missing from the second. And all of a sudden you’re two nil down with 20 minutes left. 

“We changed the formation to 4-3-3 (from five three two) but unfortunately it didn’t work – it nearly did but that wasn’t enough!”

Stung into life, the home side threatened on a couple of occasions as they chased the game. Robinson, now pushed forward into attack almost prodded the ball past Mitten but the veteran keeper was able to block the effort, whilst Stubbs driven cross eluded everyone in blue as it fizzed across the box.

Yet after all their pressure Cray could have made it three nil, at the death had Bellamy’s follow up from the edge of the box had had enough legs not to just hit the post and flop into Turners grateful arms. 

So Cray remain the counties highest placed side in the division and are currently enjoying success never before seen by the club. 

But Jenkins is a shrewd enough manager to take nothing for granted – starting on New Years Day with the visit of Hastings United to Hayes Lane. 

“We haven’t been playing that well so far at home so it will be nice if we can get a decent gate and three points on Saturday (New Years Day). But we know that Hastings will be tough as their players will be looking to impress as they’ve just got a new manager in. So you have to say that we’re in for another tough game – that said though tell me a game that isn’t in this League?”

For O’Connell though his focus must be on getting the points that take his side closer to the top rather than facing a bleak winter battling relegation. 

“I look at the players we’ve got and I think we should be higher up the league. But it’s a results business and if we don’t start getting them soon we’re going to be battling at the wrong end of the table. 

“We go to Maidstone next Monday (January 3rd) and we know that we’re in for a really strong battle as they’ve signed some good strong players. We’ve got to keep our heads up and make sure that we’re confident in our own abilities especially now that we’re so many games coming up so quickly in the New Year…”

Margate: Jamie Turner, Kane Harrington, Curtis Robinson, Sam Groombridge, Craig Cloke, Laurence Ball, Dan Stubbs, Wayne Wilson, Shaun Welford, Dean Grant (Tommy Osbourne 46), James Rogers.
Subs: Aaron Lacy, Josh Winchcombe, Anthony Woodward, Alex Krunic.

Booked: Wayne Wilson 28, Craig Close 78, James Rogers 90.

Cray Wanderers: Charlie Mitten, Adam Cottrell, Alex Bentley, Liam Bellamy, Mark Willy (Steve Lozano 63), John Guest, Ross Lover (Allan Macleod 78), Aaron Day, Laurent Hamici, Danny Phillips, Leigh Bremner.
Subs: Tyrone Sterling, Ebenezar Masade, Mark Hammond.

Goals: Mark Willy 62, Laurent Hamici 63

Booked:  John Guest 69, Danny Phillips 75

Attendance: 371
Referee: Mr Tony Mason (Sidcup)
Assistants: Mr Keith Stone (Manston) & Mr Nicholas Harnett (Ramsgate)