Cray Wanderers slipped to a Friday night defeat as they surrendered an advantage to Whitehawk under the Flamingo Park lights.
After having had the better of the first half leading through Lateef Adaja’s goal on the half hour, the Wands thought they’d doubled the lead with the last touch of the first half as Saul Kader slid the ball home only to be “beaten” by the assistant’s flag.
The disallowed effort seemed to knock the home side completely out of their stride and the visitors dominated the second period after scoring twice inside ninety seconds from Charlie Lambert.
Tim O’Shea was left scratching his head as to how his side failed to create a chance worthy of the name in the second period and surrendered two points!
The opening half was an enthralling period of football with both sides having chances – an early Andy Briggs free kick for Whitehawk seemed to wrong foot Cray keeper Harry Seaden but the Wands stopper was able to hold on.
Kader had a shot which was well beaten out by keeper Francis Hurl and as the ball ran free, the keeper challenged the Cray man who went down but referee Gray waved away the home appeals.
Hurl was tested again with arguably the move of the game. Remi Sutton played a great ball into Kader who in turn found Harry Waldock and it was the Gillingham loanee whose shot was shovelled round the post by Hunt.
But from the corner the home side deservedly took the lead. The corner was recycled wide and the ball to the back post found Adaja who swept the ball home.
Whitehawk missed a golden opportunity to level, but Grant Hall shot straight at Seaden before the game’s big talking point. Cray cleared their lines from a corner and Ralf Hand sprinted away and as he slid the ball past Hunt, Kader slid the ball home. The assistant deemed the Cray striker offside, but it was it was a very tight decision and there was a question as to whether Hand’s initial effort was going in.
After the break, it was the visitors who took the game by the scruff of the neck and didn’t let go! Florian Kastrali squared for Lambert who somehow fired over from six yards, but it was a warning that the home side failed to heed.
Lambert levelled with the Sussex side’s next attack firing low into the corner and ninety seconds later Whitehawk were ahead as he took advantage of a defensive slip on halfway and slotted the ball under the advancing Seaden to give the visitors a lead that in truth they never looked like surrendering.
Charlie Harris was magnificently denied by Seaden and Cooper saw a volley from a corner headed clear by Quade Taylor as Cray really struggled and not even finishing with four strikers on the field could the Wands get back in the game.
CRAY WANDERERS – Seaden, O-Gyamera, Morgan, Waldock (Taylor), Sutton (Dickson), Revill, Raymond, Price (Isiaka), Hand (Hernandez), Kadar, Adaja (Nzala).
WHITEHAWK – Hurl, Wright, Odogwu-Atkinson, Briggs, Cooper, Hall, Harris, Daly, Bridle (Dos Santos), Lambert (Overy), Lastrati (Ojo).
Subs not used – McGonigle, Lambie.
REFEREE – Mr. Gray