Choices of games on Saturday afternoon were bleak even on Friday, games falling by the wayside as expected and even those on 3G/4G weren’t safe either, Saturday morning was a frantic wait to see where my destination was going to be.
The problem with games being called off is it left me with little choice to see sides in action for the first time this season leaving me with Dean Cox’s first game in charge of Lancing, Horsham who I saw a few weeks ago and after passing a pitch inspection Cray against Billericay.
Now the latter of those three won the day, for a few reasons, namely the picture above where those guys cleared the pitch of snow so we had something to watch, a tremendous effort from the volunteers and CEO Sam Wright, I felt that needed repaying with my attendance.
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Despite temperatures being a little higher than during the week it was still cold enough for a few layers and for a change I went for a seat in the impressive Glyn Beverley stand behind the top goal, a very decent view from there although I much prefer standing on a terrace to watch a game.
From the beginning it was clear Billericay were going to pass their way through the game for the most part and Cray were content to let them pass the ball around their back four and keep the pressure coming from their own half.
Cray though were the early side more direct on shooting, Dan Bassett shooting wide before the same player was fouled in the box cutting in from the left hand side and as at Bognor a couple of games ago Anthony Cook fired home from the penalty spot after 12 minutes.
Both sides had some great chances to score throughout the half, ex Cray frontman Chris Dickson fired over and wide twice when you expected a man of his calibre to find the net while Wands Sam Wood went close at the other end, possession stakes clearly had Ricay in front but nothing to show for that and a half time lead for the home side.
The second half began in a similar fashion, although a tweak in Cray’s formation from Neil Smith saw Nyron Clunis move from right wing to the striking role with Yahaya Bamba moving the opposite way.
Ricay certainly looked the better of the two sides going forward and could well have been level before the hour mark but Cray held firm and increased their lead on 69 minutes which appeared to seal the game. Bassett picked up the ball some 25-30 yards out and skipped past a few challenges before shooting, the ball taking a huge deflection to wrong foot Harry Seaden and double the Wands lead.
Now we all well know you’re at your most vulnerable just after you score and two minutes later Billericay were back in the game, a sweet strike from all of 20 yards from the impressive Bradley Stevenson gave the visiting fans something to cheer about at last.
And it got even sweeter for those fans nine minutes from time, Jephte Tanga with a clumsy challenge on Stevenson just inside the box, the same player netting his and Billericay’s second from the penalty spot for an unlikely leveller as it was about ten minutes earlier.
Just when I thought I was settling for another 2-2 Cray Wanderers draw, oh no this game wasn’t finished! Cook now out on the left wing checked back and swung a cross over into the box, substitute Tom Derry timing his run between two defenders perfectly and heading past Seaden to put Cray back into the lead with seven minutes to play and surely now the winner.
Those who watched Cray last season and again this year know their games do contain a lot of goals and this one wasn’t done just yet. Three minutes left on the clock and with the Wands defence under pressure, Ricay came back for a third time, Marvel Ekpiteta slotting home and the draw was on again, seemingly two points dropped for the home side and a relief point for the visitors.
A late change from the home side, Sam Skeffington on for the tireless Mitch Chapman, six minutes of injury time on the board, a twist in the tale? Well, Billericay thought they had completed the most remarkable comeback but Matthew Price’s effort couldn’t find a way past Shaun Rowley.
A head injury to Wands debutant Matt Weaire saw stoppage time extended to a point where most were ready to head home and back to the warmth, but there was one final attack to witness.
As the clock ticked down, Cray came again, Bamba having been a menace down the right wing all second half crossed for Derry only for the ball to fall to Skeffington and the midfielder rifled the ball home for his second goal in the last three games, cue some celebrations amongst the 313 present.
The game had just enough time to kick off before the whistle blew, elation for one side, very close but not quite enough for the other. A truly remarkable game of football to witness, it had almost everything, a mad, mad, finish!
The result lifted Cray into the play off places and despite having played more games than the sides around them the points are in the bag. Just four defeats for Neil Smith’s side in the league this season, the best in the club’s history for a first half of the season and he’s still not there yet with a full settled squad.
As always great to see Smudge before and after the game and Tim O’Shea too, can’t underestimate the influence Tosh has as well, a good partnership going on there.
Couple of stand out’s, Mitch Chapman I feel is one who goes under the radar, very tidy, good positioning, and alongside that experience of Cook and Wood he compliments nicely. Skeffers of course I love as a player and great to see him score twice in the matter of a few games, there’s a really good player in there for me, I’ve seen that and I hope second half of the season he pushes on, he’s too good for Step 3, he knows it, Smudge knows it, down to him to prove it consistently.
Good to catch up with our Premier Non League podcast friends Chris Dickson and Lawrie Wilson, Dicko having a great game bar finding the net and Lawrie having a fantastic growth period off the pitch with his relatively new insurance company.
Have to mention ex-Bee Danny Brown the manager at Billericay, during his playing days at Underhill I never saw him as one to go into management or coaching but seems to be stabilising Billericay in the post-Tamplin years, a young squad there that are nicely in mid-table and while they may not trouble the play-off’s this year a solid base is a good start, they certainly play football the right way.
Can’t finish without mentioning ground staff who got games off the ground yesterday, been a testing week and more in that respect and some debatable late pitch inspections around, no doubt everyone’s going to enjoy the festive games that little more.
If you’ve enjoyed reading the blogs over the year why not pass on the Xmas and New Year offer below to fellow non-league fans, ideal for a late present or different idea to give someone:
