Cray Wanderers extended their unbeaten run to seven games with this single goal victory over Canvey Island at Hayes Lane on Wednesday night.
It was thanks to a first half double from George Porter in a game that will mostly be remembered for the interesting performance of the Referee Dennis Miranda Torres.
With Cray lining up in their usual 4-3-2-1 formation, the match got off to a physical start with a number of heavy challenges that went unpunushed, but with Yahya Bamba now back to his best The Wands posed a real threat going forward and he won the corner which the opening goal came from.
The ball pinging around the box from the set piece before eventually falling to Porter who cracked the ball on the volley low down to the right of Sam Jackson into the far corner of the net for 1-0.
The first controversial decision by the Referee saw him decide not to show Tom Bonner a second yellow card for a clear foul just inside the Cray half, having already booked him of decent minute earlier, which enfuriated Canvey’s travelling support.
Over the match the official showed seven yellow cards, most of which were for less obvious offences. Soon after Frankie Raymond had a long range effort tipped over by Jackson and from the resulting corner, Bonner and Jack Holland had shots blocked before Porter coolly slotted home the rebound for 2-0 from ten yards out.
Late in the half on a rare attack, Bradley Sach curled a 20 yard shot narrowly over for the visitors, but The Wands went into the break two goals up.
The second half started in more controversy as Bamba appeared to have put Cray 3-0 up when he broke down the left before driving the ball past Jackson into the far corner of the net, but bizarrely with The Wands players celebrating in the corner, the Referee then called play back to award them a free kick for offside from the previous Canvey attack.
Not one person inside the ground could work out the decision and inevitably with Cray rattled Canvey came back into things, not helped moments later when Bamba was clear through on goal again, only to be called back for a free kick rather than play the advantage.
On the hour mark Canvey pulled a goal back when Sach was allowed space and time on the ball twenty five yards out and crashed a superb shot past Shaun Rowley to make it 2-1.
Cray tried to extend their lead when Bamba set up Tom Beere who fired wide and Gary Lockyer then had an effort saved by Jackson, but it was The Islanders who had the majority of the play.
Cray’s breaks from defence were notable for the lung busting runs made down the right by Bamba, Anthony Cook and Josh Hallard, but each time the final ball wasn’t quite there.
Lockyer had two more chances, heading a Raymond corner just over and then seeing his next header well saved by Jackson, but Canvey then pressed again for the equaliser.
Elliott Ronto went just wide with a long range drive, quickly followed by a superb save from Rowley to keep out Charlie Edwards’ header, which looked to be going into the far corner, before The Wands custodian clawed the ball away to safety.
Cray were pushed deeper and deeper as the game headed into five minutes of stoppage time and right at the death Sach’s header from corner was cleared off the line by Raymond who was stationed on the post for the set piece, securing Neil Smith’s side the hard fought win.
The victory moved Cray Wands up to thirteenth in the Isthmian League Premier Division table, sixteen points clear of the bottom four, ahead of their home game with Kingstonian on Saturday afternoon.
Cray: Rowley, Cook, Holland, Bonner (Beere 45), Wood, Ijaha, Bamba, Hallard (Brown 81), Raymond, Porter (Evans 70), Lockyer.
Subs Not Used: Black, Murrell-Williamson.
Canvey: Jackson, Crowhurst (Arrowsmith 64), Salmon, Johnson, Edwards, Sach, Ronto, Tinubu, Munns (Brown 45), Paxman (Hubble 45), Wallace.
Subs Not Used: Akins.
HT 2-0 FT 2-1
Goals: CWFC – Porter 11 & 23mins. CIFC – Sach 59mins.
Att: 210
Referee: Dennis Torres Miranda