There's no reason to panic, says happy-go-lucky Jenkins

Monday 21st September 2009

IAN JENKINS says he is not concerned with his side’s league position after just eight games into the season, writes Stephen McCartney.

The Cray Wanderers boss saw his side slide down to the bottom three in the Ryman Premier League table, following their 2-0 defeat at Hendon yesterday.

Hendon kicked off four minutes late as the Wands turned up at Wembley’s Vale Farm ground just twenty minutes before the scheduled one o’clock.

Jenkins, who was speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk following the game, which they lost courtesy of strikes from Yacine Hamada and Jamie Busby, said that his side left the Conservative Club, Oxford Road, Sidcup at 10:35, having met five minutes earlier.

Although assistant manager Joe Francis (who lives in Ashford) arrived at Vale Farm after 12 o’clock by going around the M25, Jenkins and all but five off his players arrived with just twenty minutes before the kick-off as they battled their way through central London traffic to get to Wembley.

Bad planning on the Wands part, especially considering an organised bike ride in central London on the day of the game.

Despite their horrendous travel nightmare and their 2-0 defeat, Jenkins certainly had plenty of positives to take out of the game and had Ross Lover not blazed over after Tommy Tyne’s effort was parried, and Leigh Bremner not skied a shot when put clean through during the first half, then they would have comfortably won the game.

But Hamada’s 43rd minute strike changed the complexion of the game and when Busby cracked a stunning goal eleven minutes later the game was lost.

Jenkins did, however, throw three strikers up front for the final 15 minutes and one of them, Lewis Wood smacked the angle of near post and crossbar late on.

“We’ve got to look at positives out of the game and there were loads today.” said an upbeat Jenkins.

Cray Wanderers supporters will be hoping Jenkins and his side face no travel chaos for the trip to AFC Hornchurch tomorrow night.

“We’ve got to go there Tuesday, another away game, we play well away, and if we play like we did today, put our chances away, we’ll get something out of the game,” said Jenkins.

“There’s no panic at our club, it’s one of them really. We’re enjoying it really, it’s happy-go-lucky at the end of the day. That’s what we’re all about so hopefully results will change for us. If we carry on like that, we’ll be alright!”

With his side currently in the relegation zone after eight league games, Jenkins refused to panic and insisted there’s plenty more football still to be played before the panic button is pressed.

“Its early, it’s September at the end of the day,” he said.

“The table never lies but we’ve been in games, every game we’ve played in, other than the Tonbridge one. We’ve been in them and we’ve had chances to do better.

“There’s no panic! Drop zone? Don’t worry about the drop zone until May. If you’re in the bottom four in the first week of May you go down. Simple!

“If we’re sitting there, we go down. I’m not even looking at the league table at the end of the day. It’s stupid when you do that!”

Meanwhile, The Wands are without a game on Saturday due to Waltham Abbey’s FA Cup commitments.

Club officials wanted to move tomorrow’s game against the Urchins from tomorrow night to Saturday - but the Essex side have switched their away game at Margate to this weekend instead.

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

AFC Hornchurch v Cray Wanderers

Ryman Premier League

Tuesday 22nd September 2009

Kick Off 3:00pm

At The Stadium, Bridge Avenue, Upminster, Essex RM14 2LX