Cray Wanderers v Chesham United (Isuzu FA Trophy 1st Round Proper)

Recap

Chesham went out of the FA Trophy on penalties after a draw with Isthmian League side Cray Wanderers. Without a number of first-team regulars Chesham were second best through most of the game, but fought back after twice being behind although it was ultimately in vain. There were five changes to the starting eleven from last Tuesday’s win over Hendon. Ogo Obi was missing as Maidstone did not want him cup-tied, Jack Connors was unavailable and Kieran Murphy, Harry Rush and Ricardo German rested. They were replaced by Lesley Duru, Eoin Casey, Bruno Andrade, Scott Shulton and Jordan Edwards. Connor Roberts was ill so Chesham only named five substitutes including 30 year old striker Rhys Murrell-Williamson who signed earlier in the week.

The game was played on the artificial pitch at Bromley where Cray groundshare, and after a quiet opening ten minutes the home started to take control of the game. Ellis Brown crossed from the home left to Nyren Clunis who chipped his effort high and wide, then Yahya Bamba’s shot was just off target. Cray took the lead on 18 minutes, when a long clearance was laid off to Ellis Brown who shot past Zaki Oualah. Four minutes later Gary Lockyer took advantage of a defensive mix-up to roll home a second. Chesham were still struggling to find a way back into the game, and the home side had another chance when Clunis shot over the bar after Chesham’s defence cleared a corner. Chesham’s only moment of note in the half came when Avan Jones pulled the ball back from the by-line and Lucas Sinclair shot over. The half ended with Cray’s Yahya Bamba firing in a shot that Zaki Oualah saved comfortably.

The second half continued in the same vein with Clunis firing high and wide from Bamba’s lay-off, then Jack Holland and Cameron Black both had free headers which were off target. Shortly before the hour mark Rhys Murrell-Williamson came on, and shortly afterwards Bruno Andrade worked a shooting chance but fired over. Within three minutes of his introduction Murrell-Williamson was on the scoresheet after cutting in from the right and shooting left-footed into the far corner of the net. The game was now much more open and Gary Lockyer wasted a good chance to make it 3-1 when he shot over the bar from a good position. On 74 minutes Bruno Andrade broke clear down the left but home keeper Shaun Rowley came out to block, but Chesham continued to press and eventually Zak Joseph found the net with a low drive past Rowley from the edge of the area. Chances came and went at both ends with Zaki Oualah saving a deflected shot from Yahya Bamba, then at the other end Bruno Andrade’s shot just cleared the bar. Cray looked to have scored the winner on 81 minutes when Frankie Raymond’s 30-yard free kick curled round the defensive wall and in off the near post. However in the last minute of normal time Bruno Andrade took a corner short, T’Sharne Gallimore’s shot was blocked and Rhys Murrell-Williamson netted with a deflected shot to level things up again.

Chesham brought on Ricardo German for the penalty shoot-out, and he converted his kick but Cray scored all their five spot-kicks so when Rowley saved from Rhys Murrell-Williamson it was to prove decisive.

Penalty shoot-out sequence (Cray first): Cook scored 1-0, Andrade scored 1-1, Brown scored 2-1, Edwards scored 2-2, Raymond scored 3-2, German scored 3-3, Lockyer scored 4-3, Murrell-Williamson saved 4-3, Bamba scored 5-3