Cray Wanderers advanced to the 3rd Qualifying Round of the FA Cup for the second straight season after a powerful attacking display saw the Wands score six to win at Moneyfields with Joe Taylor scoring a hat-trick.

Goals from Freddie Parker, Jay Leader and Charlie Allen helped Cray through to Monday's 3rd Qualifying Round draw with Moneyfields replying twice through Steve Hutchings.

Cray who are unbeaten in 2020 and without defeat in 17 games got off to a flyer against their Southern League Division One South opponents. After eight minutes Cray opened the scoring with a fast paced goal with Tom Phipp playing the ball through to Jerome Federico down the left who outpaced the full back and cut to the byline and put over an inviting cross to Joe Taylor who crashed the ball into the net from nine yards.

Moneyfields looked to come back into it and Steve Hutchings down the right of the area fired a shot just past the right post.

However straight after that, Cray scored a second in the 13th minute when the ball was worked from the back to Charlie Allen who hoisted a great ball over the top to Taylor down the right and from just outside the area coolly lifted the ball over keeper Jake Hallett and into the net.

There were further shooting opportunites go just wide from Federico and Taylor before the Wands in the 32nd minute put clear daylight between the teams with a third goal when Phipp found Taylor who interchanged passes superbly with Freddie Parker and played a defence splitting ball through to Parker who was on onside and rolled the ball confidently into the net from the edge of the area.

Parker then was unlucky to see his strike pushed behind by Hallett but from the resulting corner in the 35th minute, Rhys Murrell-Williamson’s cross from the right to the far post was met imperiously by Jay Leader who rose highest to divert his header into the net.

To Moneyfields credit they scored a well worked goal in first half stoppage time.  Conor Bailey and Alex Lefleur combined well down the left and Ed Sanders whipped over a cross which was turned into the net from 10 yards by Hutchings.

After a Hutchings free kick was pushed over by Lewis Carey, Cray just upped the gears in the 56th minute to score a classy fifth goal. From Carey out to Nelson, the ball came to Murrell-Williamson who slipped a pass through to Allen inside the area who controlled the ball and with a clever hooked volley swept his shot past Hallett with power for his second goal in two games. 

However, Moneyfields looked to score again and Lefleur down the left saw a near post cross-shot blocked and put behind by Carey. From the corner in the 71st minute the ball from Kieran Roberts was played into the heart of the penalty area and Hutchings did well to plant his header into the net to make it 5-2.

Finally into the last minute and a great way to end for Cray with a sixth goal worked down the left and Tom Carlse found Herson Rodrigues Alves who played a short pass to Parker who in turn found Allen in the box and his shot was pushed out by Hallett but ever the predator Taylor was on hand to head the ball into the net for his hat-trick, the second season in a row in the 2nd Qualifying Round he has done so.

Cray are playing with great confidence and this was their eighth win a row in all competitions in 2020 and seventeen without defeat. They take this record to Potters Bar Town on Tuesday in the Isthmian Premier, 7.45pm.

Cray Wanderers: Lewis Carey, Ben Mundele (Barney Williams, 76), Jay Leader (Martin Onoabaghbe, 67), Mitchell Nelson, Tom Carlse, Jerome Federico, Tom Phipp, Charlie Allen, Rhys Murrell-Williamson (Herson Rodriguez Alves, 81), Freddie Parker, Joe Taylor: Subs:  Lee Lewis, Emanuel Oduguwa, Roman Hall

 

Att: 194