A Late Comeback Earns The Points

AFC went into the game on a five match winning and six match unbeaten run and after the visitors went in front it seemed that the run might come to an end. The Kent side did not factor in the fighting spirit of David Batch’s Suffolk side who fought to the end and extended that run with two good goals, helped by a great goalkeeping display by Marcus Garnham (pictured).

There were a couple of changes to the side that won in midweek with Correy Davidson, Ayrton Coley and Jack Guyton on the bench and Scott Kemp, Lee Flynn and Kris Newby back in the starting line-up.

The rain had been falling on the King’s Marsh pitch, but thanks to the efforts of groundsman Danny Crosbie and the very liberal sprinkling of 40 tonne of sand the pitch was heavy but perfectly playable.

AFC started the game well and were on the attack from the first few minutes with Ben Robinson having plenty of space on the right side, something that would be very advantageous later in the game.

Jack Wilkinson playing wide on the left got in a fierce shot on thirteen minutes that Bechet in the visitors’ goal saved. Flynn then took a quick free kick that found Kemp and his low cross was deflected for a corner. Wilkinson then made a great tackle to deny Hill as he went goal wards, the Cray man stayed down and had to be eventually stretchered of with a leg injury. Kedze took over.

Garnham in the AFC had been a virtual spectator until he was called into action on eighteen minutes easily catching a header from Welford. Kemp then should have give Sudbury the lead when he accepted a cross from Wilkinson but was only able to side–foot into Bechet’s arms as he spread himself low down.

The visitors took a shock twenty-second minute lead when a defensive mistake on the right hand side left to the ball being crossed into the box and the burly Welford slotted home.

The goal seemingly deflated what had been a vibrant start from the home side.

Terry Rymer had a great chance to get his side level when put through but he was unable to cause Bechet in the Cray goal any problems.

AFC were kept in the game on thirty-three minutes when Garnham threw himself headlong to tip onto the bar a fierce rising shot. Had it have gone in it would have been a long way back.

Just before the break Ryan Henshaw had a header go over the bar, as did Rymer. Wanderers lost their centre half and captain Humphrey who went down in a heap with nobody with no one near him, Daly replaced him.

The man in the middle spoke to Ollie Berquez, and after that it appeared that Newby then said something and was yellow carded by the official.

Half Time; AFC Sudbury 0 Cray Wanderers 1

Two minutes after the break following a corner on the right, the ball fell to Newby on the far post but he shot wide of his near post. Robinson then found space on the right crossed and the ball rolled right across the front of the Cray goal without any AFC player getting near it.

Garnham was the called into action saving low down from Welford who had appeared to handle before firing in his shot. The AFC keeper then produced another fingertip save to deny Fakinos and keep his side still in the game.

There then came an incident when the referee asked Craig Pope to leave the field to have a cut to the top of his head treated. It was while play was stopped and the official no more than a yard away from him and he could have easily looked at it before restarting play and then calling him back on once play had restarted. For some reason he did not and kept the AFC man on the sidelines for some three minutes before coming all the way back from the far side of the pitch to check.

Welford was the booked for a foul on Flynn before Garnham was again the saviour tipping over an Isa shot.

Manager Batch decided to make a change on sixty-six minutes with Davidson taking over from Flynn. The normally flying winger was soon in the action bursting through the middle of four defenders and firing in a shot that went just wide of the post.

On seventy-two minutes there was probably the turning point of the match, with Garnham scrambling left across his goal and somehow scooping away the ball as it seemed it must go in for a second Cray goal. It would have been a long way back had it gone in.

Rymer showed some petulance and threw down the ball and was duly booked before Lawrence Yiga replaced Berquez. The big man soon had a shot that was on target but hit Scott Kemp to stop it go further towards the goal.

The breakthrough came on seventy-seven minutes, Robinson used the space on the right crossed and found Davidson who shot home into the middle of the goal. The crowd responded and it lifted all in the Wardale Williams Stadium, the few Cray supporters apart.

Jack Guyton took over from Kemp before the coupe de gras came and it was worth waiting for. The goal came from full back Ben Robinson who latched on to the ball some thirty yards out on the right and unleashed an unstoppable shot into the top far corner. It was goal worthy of any match-winning goal, in scoring it he became the club’s140th ever scorer.

The visitors who had been time wasting from the moment they scored their goal were now eager to get on with the game but AFC continued to deny them as time ran out, but not before Henshaw got himself booked for dissent.

So another victory, albeit a hard earned one, and three points for a side that are now seemingly working hard for each other.

Att 223

YNOT