Cray Wanderers 3 v 3 Tooting and Mitcham

Ryman Division One

TOOTING and their supporters must be heartily sick of Cray Wanderers this season, writes Peter Goringe.

In August the Wands overturned a three-goal deficit to win 4-3 and in the return at Hayes Lane on Monday, Cray somehow snatched a point despite being two goals down in the first half.

The visitors dominated for long periods - hitting the post twice - while all three Cray goals involved an element of good fortune.

After a scrappy opening Tooting began to show why they are the league's top scorers with 58 goals.

They attacked with pace and frequently had Wands defenders back-pedalling.

They almost took the lead on 24 minutes when full debutant Amodou Kouman received the ball from the dangerous John Hastings, turned and rapped his shot against the foot of the post.

Cray failed to heed the warning and five minutes later, they were two goals down.

First, Hastings rose unchallenged to head home a corner and then he took advantage of defensive confusion to net with a close-range shot.

The Wands had the proverbial mountain to climb but they got a leg up just a minute later when Tooting's Craig Tanner and his keeper Jonty Venter collapsed in a heap with Jon Main.

The referee pointed to the spot and Gary Abbott scored low to Venter's left.

Cray had a foothold but they had to cling on for dear life in the closing stages of the first-half as Tooting pressed really hard.

Steve Northwood saved well from Kouman and turned a Jason Pinnock shot round the post at full-stretch.

From the resulting corner, Jamie Wood cleared off the line.

Cray supporters were grateful to be going into the break just one goal behind as little had been seen of the Wands as an attacking force but this changed when Leigh Bremner replaced Wood in the second half.

His pace and direct style provided fresh problems for the solid Tooting rearguard.

But it was still against the run of play when Cray equalised after 63 minutes.

Abbott was fouled 30 yards from goal and, while Tooting's defence prepared to deal with a floated ball to the far post, Drew Watkins took them completely by surprise slamming a quick, swerving and powerful low shot into the bottom corner.

But within three minutes Tooting were back in front.

There was hesitancy in the Wands' defence as a chip into the box found substitute Scott Kinch in plenty of space to fire past Northwood.

And Cray would have been down and out if Kouman's shot shortly afterwards had gone in rather than striking the post.

But the Wands got back on terms 10 minutes from time with another unusual goal.

A corner was cleared back out to Watkins who whipped the ball into the box with pace.

Kinch's attempted headed clearance went backwards and brushed Main as it flew past Venter.

Both sides had chances to win this entertaining game in the closing moments.

Main headed a Kempster cross just wide while in the last action of the match, Tooting full back Ryan Gray brought another fingertip save out of the excellent Northwood.

Cray Wanderers: Northwood; Khan; Rawlings; Gray; Morris; Taylor; Watkins; Kempster; Abbott; Main; Wood (Bremner, 55).

Subs not used: Young; Hall; Woolf; Bower.

Att: 214.