Cray Wanderers extended their unbeaten league run to five matches with an excellent win at Hythe Town on Tuesday night to move back up to seventh place in the Ryman South league table.

In a high quality football match on a bitterly cold evening the Wands came close four times to scoring in the first twenty minutes before Hythe took the lead in the 39th minute.  Cray’s now famed resilience showed itself again when Danny Haynes levelled almost straight away.  In the second half after a short spell of Hythe dominance Brandon Scott netted his fifth goal of the season to put the Wands in front and then Karl Dent gave Cray some breathing space with a well taken third goal.  Hythe pulled a goal back through Frankie Sawyer with practically the last kick of the match but the Wands held on for a fine victory.   

The Wands got off to a rip-roaring start to the game and Sherwin Stanley shot wide from Ade Osifiuwa’s cross and then headed past the right post from a Brandon Scott cross. 

After nineteen minutes, Scott hit the post and Haynes following up saw his volley pushed away by Hythe keeper Joe Mant.  A minute later Stanley headed against the crossbar from Haynes left wing cross.

Hythe tested Cray keeper Sam Roach with shots from distance from Alfie May and Alex Mulrooney-Skinner and took the lead in the 39th minute when Ben Wilson’s free kick into the area was headed by Dave Cook which came back off the bar and in off the unfortunate Roach.

A minute later, Cray made it 1-1 when Haynes curled a fine strike wide of Mant for a goal the Wands deserved.

Cray took the lead in the 69th minute when Karl Dent’s fine through ball split the Hythe defence and Scott strode through to score.

The Wands put daylight between the teams in the 76th minute when Dent burst through to tuck home a tidy finish.

Hythe applied some late pressure and Sam Adams’s free kick came back off the crossbar and in the fourth minute of stoppage time pulled a goal back with a fine Frankie Sawyer.

The Wands are next in action on Sunday, 4th December with a game against bottom side, Godalming Town.       

Cray:   Sam Roach, Ade Osifuwa (Ben Mundele, 55), Jey Siva, Jay Leader, Sol Taiwo, Lea Dawson (Capt.), Sean Roberts, Karl Dent (Lee Prescott, 77), Danny Haynes (Dane Luchford, 85), Sherwin Stanley, Brandon Scott: Subs:  Timi Osidobu, Jai McKinlay

Attendance:   151