There was drama in stoppage time when Cray Valley (PM) and Punjab United shared the spoils in an Isthmian League South East Division battle.
At ninety minutes, the score was one apiece and the referee indicated an additional minimum of ten minutes was to be played. In the fourth minute of ‘injury’ time, Chris Dickson put the Millers back ahead. However, four minutes later Wayne Bushell scored his second equaliser of the evening. After thirteen minutes of time added on, the referee called time.
In truth, the match was pretty much a battle of attrition played at a fast pace on an excellent playing surface. The visitors missed the first opportunity when a Chris Edwards long throw was nodded on by Bushell and Roman Campbell headed over.
However, it was the hosts who went ahead in the eighteenth minute. Dickson chased a pass over the top. Although Jacob Russell made a brilliant save to keep him out, Ade Shokunbi was first to the rebound and he finished gleefully.
Nathan Smith then picked out Dickson, and Russell got down well before Jack Leahy’s shot was deflected for Russell to save easily. Dickson then crossed to Leahy whose minor hesitation gave Russell time to set himself and save comfortably. One more chance came and went for Cray before half time when Dickson got on the end of an Ollie Whitby cross but was unable to hit the target.
Two minutes after the restart, Punjab levelled. Stephen Ratcliff’s corner was punched back out to him by goalkeeper Prince Adegoke and he slung it back over to the far post where Bushell bundled home from close range.
Another corner, this time delivered by Edwards, was knocked out and Bushell fired over then substitute Hudson Scudder sent Edwards clear only for him to get his outside of the boot shot all wrong and skew it wide.
Scudder drove a low centre across the face of the six yard box and Sam Wood finished at the far post. His joy was short-lived though, as he soon saw the assistant referee’s flag raised for offside.
Roman Campbell had a first time shot from twenty-five yards saved easily by Adegoke then Edwards sent a free kick out of the ground.
As the game went into stoppage time, Cray’s Marc-Anthony Okoye headed a Montel Agyemang corner wide of the near post before Dickson scored. Enoch Muwonge was the creator with a clever pass across the six yard box. Bushell’s leveller came after a long throw wasn’t cleared and it fell for him to fire low into the bottom corner.
James Stewart thought that he had won it for the Millers two minutes later but, like Wood earlier at the other end, he had strayed offside and it didn’t count,
A point each was probably a fair result as each side had the better of the half when they were playing up the slope. Cray Valley have now drawn three out of three while Punjab have ended all square in both of their league matches.
Cray Valley (PM): Adegoke; Ming, Okoye, Ekpiteta, Smith; Agyemang, Whitby (Deighton 70); Shokunbi (Stewart 58), Leahy (Otote 46), Samkoh (Muwonge 83); Dickson (Turner 90+5).
Subs not used: None.
Goalscorers: Shokunbi (15), Dickson (90+4)
Yellow cards: Agyemang (77 foul), Lisbie (90+6 dissent)
Punjab United: Russell; Lewin-Thomas (Gill 69), W. Bushell, Ratcliff, Carey; Singh; Edwards, Wood, Johnson-Cole (Scudder 60); J. Campbell (Vines 90+5); R. Campbell.
Subs not used: O. Bushell, Simpson.
Goalscorers: W. Bushell (47), (90+8)
Yellow cards: Wood (13 foul), Edwards (23 foul)
Referee: Harry Phillips
Assistants: Jamaal Horne and Amarachi Okamgba
Attendance: 265
Pictures supplied by Romana Rule.