East Thurrock United 1 - 3 Cray Wanderers

Cray who started the season with two home wins in the league against Kingstonian and the FA Cup vs Fisher travelled to the first of four consecutive away games to face a new look East Thurrock United side. A first half brace of goals from Joe Taylor taking his tally to the season so far to four either side of the half hour and Freddie Parker continued his fine start to the season with a third goal ten minutes after half time. East Thurrock who were somewhat depleted with injury  pulled a goal back two minutes from time courtesy of a Jon Nzengo strike.

The game started with Cray dominating the possession and East Thurrock didn’t really see the ball in the early stages.  The best early opportunity for Cray came w Charlie Allen who found Jason Banton who fired over the bar from 20 yards.  Cray continued to press and push for a goal and Allen hit a shot from just outside the area wide of the right post.

East Thurrock though were beginning to grow with the game a fine slaloming run from Ayo Olukoga from midfield took him to the edge of the area but perhaps lacked a little composure and his shot wide of the left post.  This was followed by another opportunity for East Thurrock when again down the left of the area Aileru found Jordan Peart who was unlucky to see his shot go across goal and wide.

It was Cray though that went in front on 29 minutes with a well worked goal starting from the left with Banton and into midfield to Allen who then found Freddie Parker who played the ball through to Joe Taylor who was onside and who from the edge of the area simply stroked the ball past Arthur Janata for a confident piece of finishing.

Cray now had a spring in their step and scored a second in the 37th minute.  Again worked down the left from Tom Carlse who found the lively Banton who showed great pace to speed close to the left byline, turn a defender and as Janata came to meet him squared the ball superbly to Taylor who from five yards tapped into the net for his 49th goal for Cray Wanderers.

The second half began with a bright start from the home side and Aileru saw a header deflected onto the crossbar and over the top.  East Thurrock were then unlucky not to score when Zenon Stylianides down the left hooked the ball towards the far post and was fired over the top by Callum Taylor.

Cray though weathered that early storm and broke out to score a third goal in the 55th minute when the ball came to Taylor who from down the left of the area fired the ball goalwards and appeared to get a touch from Janata which pushed the ball towards goal and Khaya Gregory on the goal line could only half clear the ball as far as Parker who fired in from 4 yards for his third goal in three matches.

East Thurrock looked to reduce the arrears and Aileru down the left looked certain to score when he went round Lewis Carey but his shot was cleared off the line by Mitchell Nelson and then the follow up from Callum Taylor was also cleared off the line by Jay Leader and the follow up blocked.

Cray almost scored a fourth goal when Taylor down the right looking for a hat-trick  put over a fine ball to the far post to Murrell-Williamson who turned the ball wide under pressure from Dan Cossington.

With a couple of minutes to go and the game drifting to its conclusion, East Thurrock pulled a goal back when the lively Nzengo brought the ball forward down the right and fired in a crisp angled drive past Carey into the bottom left to make it 3-1.

Cray though had done enough to win the game in very cold conditions and are 2nd in the early Isthmian Premier table with two wins out of two, their best ever start to a Premier season. Cray next travel to Folkestone Invicta on Tuesday evening, 7.45pm ko.

Cray Wanderers: Lewis Carey, Barney Williams (Capt.), Jay Leader, Mitchell Nelson, Tom Carlse, Rhys Murrell-Williamson (Ben Mundele, 79), Lee Lewis, Charlie Allen (Tom Phipp, 76), Jason Banton (Jerome Federico, 57), Freddie Parker, Joe Taylor: Subs:  Ehizojie Onoabagbe, Roman Hall

Att: 319