Maybe we can get top spot if results go our way, says Cray Wanderers boss Ian Jenkins

CRAY WANDERERS boss Ian Jenkins says he will not give up on grabbing the Ryman Premier League title until it’s mathematically impossible to do so.



The Wands are playing their most attractive football for many years’ at Hayes Lane this season and have climbed up into fifth-place in the table, with 54 points from 31 games, and the long-serving boss is pleased with his side’s current form of one defeat in seven games.

“It’s going well. We’re up there in the form table and even the one we lost, it was one of those games we should have got something out of it. We’re playing well.  We’re playing good football as well,” said Jenkins.

Cray Wanderers’ only defeat in that run was their 3-1 away defeat to Billericay Town – the Essex side are now three points clear of AFC Hornchurch at the summit – and 12 points clear of the Kent side.

“It’s exactly where we want to be at the moment,” said Jenkins, who takes his side to Hornchurch on 17 March.

“The Billericay game was a massive disappointment for winning the league.  We can still do it mathematically but it’s looking harder than what it was.”

Jenkins takes his side to Aveley tomorrow, a side that are fighting for their lives and are second-from-bottom in the table, having won only one league game at home this season.

The Essex outfit came away from basement boys Horsham with a vital 3-1 victory in midweek.  Horsham had won their first home league game of the season last weekend with a 2-0 win over Tooting & Mitcham United in Simon Colbran’s first game in charge after the former Redhill boss took over from Hugo Langton, who has coached Gillingham Ladies, Rusthall, Holmesdale, Ashford United and Thamesmead Town.

“A big game at Aveley tomorrow, so we’ll look forward to that and we need to consolidate and get three points,” said Jenkins.

“It’s always difficult over there.  It weren’t a bad result away to Lowestoft, even though they lost, they weren’t  heavily beaten and they had a good result in midweek away to Horsham.

“It will be a tough one but if we apply ourselves the way we have been, then we’ll be alright.”

When asked how many points his side must claim in their last remaining eleven league games, Jenkins replied, “Funny enough, Joe (Francis) mentioned it last night to the players, have a little think about the points total.

“It’s still all the way down to tenth or eleventh, the teams who can get into the play-offs, so you don’t know.  We have to play the teams around us and the top teams as well so we’re still thinking maybe top spot if results go our way.  Maybe we can get there.

“I don’t like looking at points and all that.  It’s the old cliché, take each game as it comes.   We’re on a good run, so why don’t we just continue that. It’s one defeat in seven so if it’s one defeat in eighteen we’re going to be up there so that’s all we’re looking at.”

Jenkins could receive some excellent news over his influential skipper, central defender Mark Willy.

He said: “Mark Willy is going for a scan today to see if his broken collarbone is healed sufficiently enough to train properly – if he has he’ll be back in the squad, hopefully for next week.

“Aaron Day is still waiting for the result on his scan and Sam Long is serving one more game of his ban and he will be in contention definitely for next Saturday.”

Jenkins admitted he has missed Willy, but his replacement, Joe Vines, has done a great job at the heart of Cray Wanderers’ defence in his absence.

“We have definitely missed him,” said Jenkins.  “He’s our leader, he’s out skipper and you’re going to miss a player like that but fair play to Joe Vines, who has come in from a serious injury himself.  He’s come back straight in and been thrown in the deep end, but it’s not a disappointment when you have a player like that for Mark Willy.

“All those games he has played during that run, we’ve had one defeat in seven. He’s come in and done well for us but we’re going to miss a player like Mark Willy.   If you’ve got all of those four or five players back fit and playing, we’re going to be a force.”

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

Aveley  v  Cray Wanderers
Ryman Premier League
Saturday 10^th March 2012
Kick Off 3:00pm
at Mill Field, Mill Road, Aveley, Essex RM15 4SJ