Cray skipper Jamie Kempster played his 200th game for the Wands in the play-off final when their promotion hopes were ended by Tooting & Mitcham 1-0.
Tooting & Mitcham United 1-0 Cray Wanderers
A DRAMATIC 79th minute goal by Paul Vines ensured that it will be Tooting and not Cray who will fill the second promotion place into the Ryman Premier along with the champions Dover Athletic.
On a bumpy and heavily-sanded pitch this was never a footballing classic in front of a 900-plus crowd that included a large following of Cray supporters. The final placings of second and third in the table had seen Tooting and Cray finish exactly level on points, and the even-matching of the teams was evident during 90 minutes of tense, cautious and scrappy play.
Cray 'keeper Glan Knight was alert and brave to come out of his goal and grab the ball as Tooting worked three early opportunities to get one of their forwards in behind the Cray defence.
Cray tightened their grip and Lewis Wood had a shot blocked in the goalmouth.
On 21 minutes Cray skipper Jamie Kempster, playing his 200th game for the Wands, saw his shot deflected to Lewis Wood who set up his brother Jamie who lashed the ball at goal but brought a blinding save from Dave King.
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That proved to be Cray's best and only clear-cut chance on goal all afternoon, as play became largely confined to midfield and the Wands' attacking moves frequently broke down on the poor surface against a fast-covering home defence.
To try and produce more threat up front, Cray pushed their big defender Ryan Royston upfield, and gambled by sending on striker Michael Power who has been out with injury.
In the early second half Royston ended a good run with a shot that was held by King, and Cray won a series of free-kicks near to the Tooting goal, but their momentum gradually faded and it was the home side, Vines in particular, who began to look the more likely to break the deadlock.
Sure enough on 79 minutes when Cray's battling defence conceded a corner-kick to break up a dangerous Tooting attack, the ball reached Vines at the far post and he hammered an unstoppable low shot into the far corner of the net.
At the end of an outstandingly successful season that included an unbeaten run of 28 games and high praise for the quality of their football, Cray were left thinking "so near and yet so far" as third place in the table and defeat in the play-off final will mean that they stay in Division One next year.
The Wands do have a cup final to look forward to, held over till the start of next season on a date to be anounced when they will play Ebbsfleet United in the Kent Senior Cup final.
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