Wingate held by bottom-side Cray
Wingate & Finchley missed the chance to extend the gap at the bottom, as they led twice, but were held to a draw at bottom side Cray, writes Paul Lerner.
Ryman Premier League
Cray Wanderers 2 Wingate & Finchley 2
Sunday, 23 March, 2014
Wingate started brightly and forced Cray backwards, eventually opening the scoring in the 18th minute. Spencer McCall nutmegged his marker down the left wing. He crossed low to Marc Weatherstone who scuffed his shot and Adam Bolle was on hand to tap home.
Cray should have been level on the half-hour mark as Bobby Smith was beaten on the edge of the box, but Weatherstone was well-positioned to block the resulting Moses Ashikode shot on the goal line. Ashikode had another enhance when he broke away into the left side of the area, but pulled his shot across the face of goal. For Wingate, Tommy Tejan-Sie tried a shot from the edge of the box, but it was straight at comfortable keeper Behcet.
Three minutes after the break Ashikode finally scored his goal, curling a free-kick into the top right corner, after Rifat was harshly adjudged to have handled on the edge of the box. Adrian Stone skimmed a header wide from a lofted free kick as the league’s basement side looked dangerous.
Midway through the half Wingate stepped up their game. Tejan-Sie drove forward into the box and fired across goal, but saw the ball hit the inside of the post, roll across the line and go out for a goal kick on the other side.
Shortly afterwards Bolle found the side netting with a low shot, though will feel he was fouled in the process – but the referee disagreed.
With nine minutes remaining Wingate took the lead again, as Spencer McCall crossed from the right and debutant Craig Davies powered home a bullet header. However, Alex Stavrinou equalised for the home side just three minutes later, after some slack defending allowed him a free volley from close range at the far post.
The Blues go to Lowestoft on Tuesday, and then host Hornchurch on Saturday where entry is quite literally ‘Pay What You Want’.
Daniel Nielsen said: “It was good to get another point on the board, although we know that we can produce a better performance overall. The disappointing part was being 2-1 up with 5 minutes to go. I felt the back four and Bobby were solid once again, Dean Smith was excellent as a screen in front of them and I’m delighted with the way Craig Davies took his goal on his debut. Adding another point to our total can only be positive and we are looking forward to going to Lowestoft on Tuesday and getting another positive result.”
Wingate & Finchley Line-up:
Smith, Wright, Street, Smith D, Weatherstone, Rifat, Kennet (Craig Davies 63), McCall, Bolle, McGonigle, Tejan-Sie. Subs: Fredericks, Read, Sharpe, Aisien.
Attendance:
166
Referee:
M Webb
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