Whitstable Town 1-4 Cray Wanderers - We've got a real chance to win title - Jenkins

WHITSTABLE TOWN 1-4 CRAY WANDERERS
Tuesday 9^th December 2008
Ryman League Division One South
Mike Green reports from KRBS Belmont Ground

CRAY WANDERERS’ relentless march to the Ryman One South summit showed no sign of abating at a chilly KRBS Belmont as Ian Jenkins’ side took full advantage of a disjointed Whitstable Town display to move into second place in the table.

Three goals inside the opening seventeen minutes set the foundations for Cray’s victory and not even a spirited second half display from the home side could halt the Wanderers’ march to within two points of leaders Kingstonian.

After the game, a delighted Jenkins (who was forced to watch the game from the stand as he currently serving a touch line ban), was naturally delighted.

“To come here on a cold night and come away with that result, we’ve got to be happy,” Jenkins told BBC Radio Kent.

“We knew we had to be quick out of the blocks tonight and we took full advantage and to score three in seventeen minutes really killed the game.”

Whitstable Town boss Marc Seager, on the other hand, was a disappointed man.

“After Saturday’s win, I tried not to get carried away but I’ve just told the players how disappointed I am. I can’t believe the same defence that were so good on Saturday could have been so poor tonight.”

And you have to feel for the Whitstable boss as his side were behind within two minutes - and it got worse from there!

Tyrone Sterling opened the scoring after Leigh Bremner and Scott Kinch had combined down the left and Kinch it was who doubled the advantage, making it two on twelve minutes, after a long ball from Colin Luckett caused mayhem in the Whitstable defence.

Yet Kinch had it all to do but as the ball dropped the former Tonbridge Angels midfielder turned expertly and drilled the ball into the roof of the net.

It was tough on Whitstable because shortly before Kinch scored Clint Gooding had seen a fine drive brilliantly saved by keeper Glen Knight low to his left and after the second Cray goal, Dave Cory broke down the left, rounded Knight, but his cut-back failed to find a red shirt.

And how the home side were made to pay for that mistake, as up the other end the visitors went and some more poor defending, this time from a Sterling cross, saw Bremner score from all off 12 inches.

A rousing local derby threatened to boil over on the half-hour as Kinch and Sam Denly clashed in the left-back position. From the other side of the pitch it appeared that Kinch was late on the Whitstable defender, yet referee David Buck, after consulting with his assistant, only produced a yellow card, much of the disgust of the home support and some of the Whitstable players.

And indeed, after an exchange of views with the bench, Whitstable assistant manager Simon Halsey was asked to leave the technical area.

An indication possibly that the officials may have not been firm enough in their decision was the immediate withdrawal of Kinch, playing wide on the right, by the Cray management team.

As tempers cooled as fast as the night air at The Belmont so the game reached half-time and without further incidents.

On 57 minutes Whitstable missed a golden opportunity to get back into the game as Ian Pulman missed a penalty.

A corner wasn’t properly cleared and Luckett was adjudged to have fouled Cory and Pulman stepped up to take the kick (although manager Seager later admitted that he expected skipper Liam Quinn to take the penalty).

The former Margate striker’s weak kick to the keeper's right proved embarrassingly comfortable for Glen Knight.

Gooding was then denied again by the former Dover Athletic goalkeeper after a dreadful backpass saw the Whitstable skipper clear in the box.

The home side finally got the goal that their efforts deserved on 79 minutes when Cory headed home after Gooding’s free-kick had been helped on by substitute Mark Munday.

If the home side hoped that this would be a springboard back into the game there joy was short lived as with five minutes remaining Cray sealed the victory.

Bremner was upended by Quinn and Luckett drove the spot kick into the corner of the net.

Both sides have big games coming up. For Whitstable boss Seager admitted that his focus was more on the next two games because as he put it, “We’ve got four games where I was looking for nine points. Saturday we beat Walton Casuals who are below us and we’ve got Croydon Athletic and Chipstead, sides immediately above us, on the next two Saturday’s.

“I would have been delighted to have got something tonight but defending like that,” shrugged the Whitstable boss, “what hope have we got!”

For Cray on the other hand, at the other end of the table, manager Jenkins had his sights set on Saturday’s home game with the Metropolitan Police.

“We’ve got a good record against them at our place, but we can’t be complacent, especially as they beat us 5-0 at their place.

“We really don’t want to go through the play-off’s again and with the Police on Saturday and Kingstonian over Christmas we’ve got a real chance to press on now.”

Whitstable Town: Kevin Fewell, Rob Thomas (Jack Tanner 62), Gary Sayer (Mark Munday 75), Liam Quinn, Marcos Perona, Sam Denly, Tom Parker, Clint Gooding, Ian Pulman, Dave Cory, Danny Tipple.
Subs: Dan Whisker, James Campbell, Dylan Macvicker.

Goals: Dave Cory 79

Booked: Tom Parker 22

Cray Wanderers: Glen Knight, Aaron Day, Colin Luckett, Danny Chapman, Mark Willy, Tommy Whitnell, Scott Kinch (Jamal McCann 31), Dean Morris, Steve Aris, Leigh Bremner, Tyrone Sterling (Andrew Williams 62).
Subs: Jamie Wood, Tony Dolby, Jack Bradshaw.

Goals: Tyrone Sterling 2, Scott Kinch 12, Leigh Bremner 17, Colin Luckett 85 (pen)

Booked: Scott Kinch 30

Attendance: 94
Referee: Mr David Buck (Istead Rise)
Assistants: Mr Harry Hill (Dartford) & Mr James Macey (Bexley)