Without Sam Cruttwell (holiday) and Sam Adams (cracked rib) we looked under strength. When Jack Dixon was shown a straight red mid way through the first half it was a matter of survival against a lively physically strong Cray Valley PM. Our cause was not helped either by Raheem SP missing what looked a sitter before the sending off and failing with another pretty decent chance later in the first half.
But the rearguard action in the second half was absolutely first rate. Maximum effort from everyone and some excellent individual performances. Ben Pope, Ryan Worrall, Louis Rogers, Ollie Black made exceptional contributions but above all a great team effort to hold out Cray Valley. We, rather than they, were clearly much the happier at the final whistle with the 0-0 result.
Agree Geoff that we were happier with a point than them after playing so long with 10 men after Jack's stupid sending off. Easiest decision the ref had all game and what was going through his head. Thought Ollie Black was superb today, my man of the match. He really is an intelligent defender. Going forward I was a little disappointed with Sterling Parker, lots of effort but poor in front of goal but maybe having been injured there is more to come from him. The least said about Craig Stone's performance the better, so lucky he didn't cost us 2 goals but overall a good battle against tough opponents and a point in the circumstances was welcomed.
Thought it was a performance of character and resilience from the whole team. To me, we were the better side despite having 10 men for over an hour and created the better chances. Gary Elphick!! What a performance.
Agree with all comments , thought we deserved a point after Jacks sending off. Thanks also to those who complimented us on our new Programme 50/50 pod.........even those who asked for ice cream.
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I personally thought it was a fascinating game today against a very decent Cray side...you certainly don't need goals to keep you interested,
I am a huge fan of Jack but he rather let us down today with a moment of madness. He needs to cut out these red mist moments as it could easily have cost us more heavily than it did.
I actually thought ALL our back four did a sterling job today against a lively forward line. Hopefully we'll see more of Jake pushing forward against lesser opponents.
Decent performances from Ryan and the two young lads, Tom and Ben, who both looked out on their feet at the end. This was never going to be an easy game for them once we were down to ten.
Really enjoyed Ben Pope's clever performance today even if he barely managed an attempt on goal. A great target and a nightmare for defenders, winning headers, free kicks and generally giving defenders a tough time.
Finally we come to Raheem who I thought showed great promise. Probably should have had one today but his day will come.
Definitely a point gained rather than two lost in the circumstances.
I'm glad we held out for a point today against a side who I believe could have won it towards the end of the game. Playing against two very tough teams in over a week has certainly given us a lot of thinking about how we will break the opposition down this season. I thought that Gary - who deserved a goal, Jake and Raheem (who I think everyone had scored) were all excellent along with Louis who made some superb saves - particularly in the second half towards the end. Also it might be only two games that have been played but I have high hopes for Ryan Worrall this season. What a free kick and all round performance from him today. Why wasn't Sam cruttwell starting nor bought on? I always see him as a player who can change the game or if starting contribute enormously. Their no2 didn't really do himself any favours in messing around. With Big G sent of last week and Jack sent off today I was curious to see if we would get a repeat or last week. I thought the referee should have been more strict as only when he got a large cheer from the crowd in the main stand I believe that woke him up. Overall even though it's only been 2 games in I'm very pleased with how the team looks and the way they are playing (over than a few nervous moments from Louis towards the end) but very satisfying so far. Bring on Faversham!
Thought it was a magnificent performance, in every department. The rearguard action to hang onto the draw in the dying minutes was heroic, but it was made possible by the fact that we'd given as good as we'd got, perhaps better, for much of the contest, preventing Cray from penning us in until very late in the game. We carried a real threat even with ten men, both from open play and from set pieces; I thought Raheem Sterling-Parker showed loads of promise and the combination with Ben Pope and Tom Chalmers can hopefully only get better in the coming weeks.
As for the end...Ben Pope gave us a masterclass in what you want from your centre forward in those situations, whether it was winning free kicks to drag us back up the pitch, filling in the midfield or doing a job at set pieces. Gary Elphick was utterly immense. Ollie Black somehow held out against their rampaging number seven despite being on a yellow card and barely able to walk. Benn Ward, Ryan Worrell...the list goes on. It was tremendous stuff...hard work and determination, yes, but cool, clear heads too. The ovation at the end was fully deserved.
