Draw specialists Cray Wanderers made it sixteen for the season and make five in six games while remaining sixth in the Isthmian Premier after picking up a point at seventh placed Dartford.
In a tight match that took until the second half to pick up pace the Wands looked to have taken a grip in the latter stages and took the lead in the 72nd minute when Jordy Mongoy netted his third goal for the Wands turning in a fine Max Fiddes cross.
The Wands had a chance to extend the lead four minutes later from the penalty spot but Alex Hernandez’ shot was saved at his left post by Jonny Henly.
Just when it looked like Cray were going take a huge three points Dartford levelled when Sammie McLeod’s free kick was headed in by Joe Tennent. Both teams could have won it in the closing stages but in the end finished honours even.
Cray were looking to build on the back of a five-game unbeaten run and after back-to-back home draws against Ramsgate and Chatham Town which deserved more than the two points gained but travelled to Dartford with confidence.
The match pitted a Dartford side looking to bounce back from the defeat at Potters Bar Town last weekend and had been beaten at home in the league only once this season while Cray had tasted just one defeat in fifteen away from home both against the league leaders Folkestone Invicta which at least adds logic and proof the league table doesn’t lie.
In a match that saw a 200th competitive game in the dugout as manager/Assistant Manager for Tim O’Shea and goalkeeping coach, Alfie George there were two changes to the Cray Wanderers side which started against Chatham Town. The Wands welcomed a new signing at right back, Crossley Lema from Cray Valley PM but also previously at Leatherhead, Margate, Carshalton Athletic, Welling United and Tonbridge Angels. Crossley started in place of Adrian Owiredu-Gyamera and Ola Ogunwamide came in for Max Fiddes.
For Dartford who still have two games in hand on Cray made a handful of changes from the Potters Bar game with Sam Oduadu, Eddie Dsane, Olly Box and Sammi McLeod coming in for Michael Olarewaju, Dan Smith, Jacob Bland and Dan Carter.
On a grey afternoon and on a decent playing surface there was a lot at stake and although the game began promisingly there were few if any real goal scoring chances and two very good defences were firmly on top.
Cray who have begun most away games this season coming out of the traps quickly shaded the early stages winning a couple of corners. In the 17th minute, from a free kick out on the left, Frankie Raymond’s ball into the box aimed for Remi Sutton who went down in the area who may have got a touch and ex-Dart Tom Bonner couldn’t apply a touch at the right post.
Dartford came more into the game and won a handful of free kicks and a chance to put the ball into the box, but Cray were defending well winning first and second headers and Harry Seaden in goal commanded the area confidently. There was a half chance for Rohan Vaughan who went through which Seaden saved but the flag was raised for offside.
Cray looked to work an opening going into the final five minutes and Frankie Morgan found Harry Waldock in space twenty yards out down the right who played a pass out to Ogunwamide but he hooked his cross-shot well past the left post.
With the last kick of the half from a free kick out on the left from Oduadu into the area was glanced off target by Callum Jones and that basically was the main activity in the first forty-five minutes. It was definitely all to play for in the second half.
HT: 0-0
I think it is fair to say the game was a bit of a slow burner in the first half but definitely made up for it in the second with Dartford having a good spell in the first quarter of an hour and upped the ante before Cray took over for a twenty-minute spell as the game came alive.
Four minutes after the break, Dartford worked the best opening of the match when Olly Box, who scored twice when the Darts beat Cray on Boxing Day last season did well to evade a challenge from Lema and down the left of the area fired in fizzing ball across the box and wide.
Dartford then won a free kick from which Oduadu hit the wall but then shortly after tested Seaden with another free kick with a quality ball towards which was tipped over for a corner.
The Wands made a couple of changes with Owiredu-Gyamera coming on for Lema and Max Fiddes in place of Lateef Adaja before the hour.
For Dartford Eddie Dsane did well to bring the ball down and hit a shot into the arms of Seaden. This was followed by Jones firing in a shot down the right which was deflected for a corner.
The Wands though absorbed this pressure well and in the 65th minute came close to going in front when from a free kick out on the right, Raymond’s ball into the box was flicked on by Ogunwamide to the left post to Tom Bonner who headed the ball back into the area where Jordy Mongoy got to it before Fiddes to plant a header against the crossbar and Sam Okoye had to make a great clearance off the line to prevent a certain goal.
Cray now had the upper hand in the 72nd minute broke the deadlock with a well worked goal that saw Fiddes down the right beat the offside trap and laid the ball across the box for Mongoy for a simple finish from close range and a goal his performance deserved.
The Wands now had their tails up and four minutes later there could have been clear water between the sides when Mongoy was brought down just inside the area down the left by Okoye for a penalty. From the spot, Alex Hernandez who netted with penalties against St Albans City and Chatham Town recently saw his spot kick saved at his left post by Jonny Henly.
With ten minutes to go Cray came close again when the ball fell nicely for Fiddes on a one on one but Henly did well to come and make a fine blocked save.
This proved crucial as with five minutes to go Dartford drew level when from a free kick down the left, Sammi McLeod’s ball into the box was met by a firm header from Joe Tennent up from the back to and into the net to make it 1-1.
Now Dartford were looking lively and came close again from another free kick which this time found Denzelle Olopade with a header which Seaden had to get down to save. Then substitute Dan Carter saw an effort held going into injury time and Dan Smith fired a shot wide.
It was Cray though who came closest to a winner when down the right Oguwamide put over a terrific cross for Fiddes who almost got a touch, but Okoye once again did well to deflect the ball past the right post for a corner.
The last chance came to Cray and Mongoy who looked to be in on goal but hooked his shot wide of the right post and the chance went by but certainly it was a dramatic second half and, in the end, finished a point apiece.
The point keeps Cray in sixth place on forty-nine points, two behind fifth placed Billericay Town who were beaten at St Albans City with Dartford remaining seventh a point behind Cray and Ramsgate and Burgess Hill Town in eighth and ninth on forty-seven and forty-six points respectively.
This was Cray sixteenth draw of the season out of thirty-two matches and continued a run of just one defeat in sixteen away from home so remain hard to beat while at times not quite being able to get the three points they perhaps deserve. Maybe on the run of the play in the second half and with both keepers busy a draw was a fair outcome but there is still plenty of football to be played with Cray finishing February with a home game with Cheshunt while Dartford travel to struggling Welling United next Saturday. Certainly, this was a decent contest between two strong defences and a real battle of wills and did justice to the league and both teams league position.
Dartford: Jonny Henly (Capt.), Sam Okoye, Sam Oduadu (Luther Williams, 76), Callum Jones, Joe Tennent, Dave Winfield (Michael Olarewaju, 82), Rohan Vaughan (Dan Smith, 72), Sammi McLeod (Jez Pinder, 82), Denzelle Olopade, Olly Box, Eddie Dsane (Dan Carter, 75):
Scorer: Tennent 85
Booked: Oduadu 64
Cray Wanderers: Harry Seaden, Crossley Lema (Adrian Owiredu-Gyamera, 55), Remi Sutton, Tom Bonner (Capt.), Frankie Morgan, Frankie Raymond, Harry Waldock, Lateef Adaja (Max Fiddes, 58), Jordy Mongoy, Alex Hernandez, Ola Ogunwamide
Scorer: Mongoy 72
Booked: Sutton 50, Hernandez 80, Bonner 85, Waldock 87, Raymond 90+3
Referee: Nicholas Dunn
Assistants: Ismail Isik. Krystian Kaczala
Att: 1, 108