There was late drama as Isthmian Premier League football returned to Hayes Lane after a five year absence as Folkestone Invicta came from behind in the last ten minutes to grab a stoppage time winner as Johan Ter Horst’s well hit shot made it two wins out of two for Invicta and defeat for Cray Wanderers.

On a very wet and soggy mid-August evening Folkestone came out of the traps quickest and went in front after three minutes when Jerson Dos Santos finished clinically and it looked like a difficult evening for Tony Russell’s side but Cray levelled through a classy Andre Coker strike four minutes before the break.  Cray took control of the game after half time and Coker scored his second five minutes into the second half with a near post shot before Folkestone who were always a threat levelled on 81 minutes with a stunning strike from Dos Santos.  The game looked to be heading for a draw when in the second minute of injury time, a header was flicked on from a throw in and Ter Horst was quickest to react to shoot low into the bottom right corner of the net and too late for Cray to come back.     

On a very murky and grey night it needed something to lift the unseasonal gloom and both teams set out at a good pace but it was Folkestone who started the more impressive and after three minutes took the lead when Joe Taylor played a ball back towards goal but the lively Dos Santos latched onto the pass, strode on down the right of the area and buried a low shot into the bottom left corner giving Lewis Carey no chance to save.

Folkestone were impressive in those early minutes and almost grabbed a second in the 12th minute when from a corner down the left, Scott Heard’s ball into the area was met with a free header by Josh Vincent and would have scored but for a fine Tom Carlse clearance off the line.

Cray slowly got into the game and Bradley Pritchard played a neat pass to Freddie Parker down the right who broke into the area and his low shot was gathered by Tim Roberts.  This was followed shortly after on 24 minutes when Cray were unlucky not to level after some neat passing, Taylor played the ball to Jerome Federico down the right and his ball into the box found Pritchard who saw his shot come back off the crossbar.

Just before the half hour, Heard tested Carey with a shot from 20 yards and almost scored a second when Dos Santos who was causing problems with his switching of play put a fine ball through to Kieron McCann who burst through but Carey did well to come off his line and McCann put the ball just wide.  Then Johan Ter Horst found McCann again down the left and drove a shot just over the angle of post and bar and McCann once again came close with a curling shot just over from Michael Everitt’s pass.

Invicta appeared to be in control but four minutes half time Cray drew level after a patient passing build up the ball came to Federico whose ball across was not well dealt with by the Folkestone defence and came to Coker who took a touch, found space and rifled a superb finish wide of Roberts into the bottom right

This gave Cray some late first half impetus and Coker became provider with a neat ball into the area and Pritchard’s header went just over the top. 

Cray carried on where they left off at the end of the first half with a storming start to the second and five minutes after the restart went ahead.  Pritchard played a superb pass out to Coker down the left who took on a defender, raced into the box and his near post shot took perhaps a slight deflection which wrong-footed Roberts and Cray had turned things around in style.

Cray came close to a third when Allen stole into the area from Mitchell Nelson’s throw in down the right and his header bounced off the top of the bar from 10 yards.

Then Cray were unlucky when from a free kick fully 30 yards out, Parker stepped up to shoot and his cannonball of a shot crashed back off the crossbar and back out well into play.  Then from another free kick, out on the right, Parker’s ball into the box was helped on by Nelson and Tom Phipp nudged a header towards goal which was held by Roberts.

However, with nine minutes left Folkestone drew level with a stunning strike from Dos Santos who picked up a pass from Heard out on the left out to the right and he cut inside and from just outside the area curled a beauty into the top left corner giving Carey no chance to save.

Two minutes later it should really have been 3-2 to Folkestone this time with Dos Santos the provider again down the right of the area and with a hat-trick beckoning unselfishly laid the ball to McCann who with the goal seemingly at his mercy saw his shot pushed superbly over the crossbar by Carey.

The game was just entering injury time when Coker went down with an injury but Cray took a quick free kick and the ball pinged back up the other end for a throw-in.  After some treatment for Coker, in the second minute of stoppage time from the throw-in the ball was flicked on by McCann and reacting quickest, Ter Horst rifled home a low shot from 12 yards into the bottom right and Folkestone had like Cray had earlier turned the game around.

There wasn’t enough time for Cray to stage another fightback and Folkestone saw out the remaining minutes to make it two wins out of two while Cray try again on Saturday at home to Corinthian Casuals for their first win.

   

Cray Wanderers: Lewis Carey, Barney Williams (Capt.), Tom Carlse, Mitchell Nelson, Tom Phipp, Lee Lewis (Charlie Allen, H/T), Bradley Pritchard, Freddie Parker (Karl Dent, 77), Jerome Federico (Tom Murphy, 74), Andre Coker, Joe Taylor  Subs:  Charles Etumnu, Joe Vines

 

Att: 240