Cray Wanderers rounded off the year 2017 in great fashion as they made it 18 league games unbeaten and stayed 2nd in the Bostik South table after a tremendous Kent derby victory against Faversham Town at Hayes Lane. 

In a match that was full of quality and chances the game was very even for the first half hour

with both sides coming close to scoring.

Faversham had the first real chance just before the quarter of an hour mark when Harry Stannard headed wide from Danny Walder’s right wing corner.  For Cray, Michael Freiter curled a free kick just wide of goal and Brandon Scott was denied by a one handed save by Simon Overland.  For the visitors Liam King and Stannard tested Nick Blue with shots from just outside the area.

A goal had to come and did so after 31 minutes when Cray won a corner down the right.  Freiter who swings in a great corner did so again to the far edge of the six yard box where Lea Dawson reacted quickest to power home a header for his second goal in consecutive games with his head.

In the 35th minute Cray got the comfort of a second goal when Brandon Scott found Ben Mundele down the right who put a good cross into the box which Walder failed to clear and Michael Power got the slightest flick amongst defenders to divert the ball to Aaron Rhule who from seven yards emphatically crashed a shot high into the net to make it 2-0 at half time.

The second half was action packed and Cray scored a cracking third goal after 47 minutes.  The ball was worked to Scott who ran on and was held up by a couple of defenders but the ball wasn’t cleared and Freiter picked the ball up and from twenty yards hit a fine shot which gave Overland no chance hitting the bottom left corner of the net.

It was all Cray at this point and Rhule, Jay Leader and Dawson were denied by goals by good saves from the overworked Overland.

In the 60th minute, it was 4-0 when Freiter’s left wing corner was net emphatically by the head of Mitchell Nelson who got to the ball before Overland to steer the ball into the net for his fifth goal of the season.

Faversham though are a tough outfit and never know when to quit and got themselves back into the game with a rather soft penalty award after 64 minutes when Stannard’s ball across found Ashley Miller who was nudged inside the area and the referee gave a spot kick which was converted by Walder.

Cray almost went 5-1 up when Scott found Power who played a clever flick through to Freiter who from 12 yards was prevented a goal by a brilliant one handed save by Overland.

Faversham then threatened a major fightback in the 71st minute when they scored a second goal when the ball was worked down the left and the ball was played in to Daniel Carrington who flicked the ball onto Stannard whose first shot was saved by Blue but reacted quickest to bundle the ball into the net to make it 4-2.

Cray were thwarted from further goals through Overland’s saves whilst Nick Blue made a great save to deny Luke Griffiths a goal for Faversham but Cray held out to make it a great end to 2017.  Cray are three points behind leaders Lewes with a game in hand.

The Wands will next be in action on New Years Day at Greenwich Borough, 3pm kick off.

Cray Wanderers: Nick Blue, Ben Mundele, Barney Williams (Dean Carpenter, 65), Jay Leader, Mitchell Nelson, Lea Dawson (Capt.), Zak Henry, Michael Freiter, Michael Power (Freddie Parker, 79), Aaron Rhule, Brandon Scott (Jerome Federico, 75):  Subs:  Karl Dent, Marcus Evans.

Att: 164