Invicta vs Cray Wanderers - Tuesday 6/2/24

[finbarr_in_z]

A wild, wet night. Could be some comedy wind assisted football.
COYS!

[finbarr_in_z]

New goalkeeper debuts

Folkestone Invicta

1Kai McKenzie-Lyle
2Kane Penn
3Jason Fregene
4Ian Gayle
5Callum Davies
7Dean Rance
11Seidou Sanogo
9Thomas Derry
10David Smith
8Edward Allsopp
12Michael Kedman Jnr


6Jake Goodman
14Chris Sessegnon
15Ade Cole
16Louis Collins
17Joe Coleman

[folkestoneclaret]

1-0 Smith on 39 mins

[finbarr_in_z]

HT 1-0

[folkestoneclaret]

Well done the 484 who've turned out tonight. That's pretty good in these conditions.

[finbarr_in_z]

Below is Cheshunt and Whitehawk 0-0. Results going our way.

[folkestoneclaret]

Now 2-0 Sanogo sorry Finbarr stealing your thunder :-)

[finbarr_in_z]

Feb 6, 2024 21:17:02 GMT folkestoneclaret said:

Now 2-0 Sanogo sorry Finbarr stealing your thunder :-)

Fine with me. More the merrier contributing here.
I'm checking every once in a while so miss out on some updates.

[finbarr_in_z]

Eeek. 2-1 on 89 minutes
Squeaky bum time....

[finbarr_in_z]

WTF! 8 (EIGHT) minutes of injury time!

[finbarr_in_z]

Feb 6, 2024 21:34:12 GMT finbarr_in_z said:

Eeek. 2-1 on 89 minutes
Squeaky bum time....

Sanogo sent off just before the goal apparently.

[finbarr_in_z]

2-2

97th minute

Un freaking believable

[finbarr_in_z]

FT 2-2

I'm livid and I'm not even at the match.

[finbarr_in_z]

Whitehawk go ahead of us on goal difference. We're 16th.

[kentjambo]

Referee was one of the worst I've seen for some time....and we've had some bad ones. I'm not sure he even new the rules of the game...let's hope we don't have him again....ever!

[stumpy]

Feb 6, 2024 21:45:46 GMT finbarr_in_z said:

FT 2-2

I'm livid and I'm not even at the match.

Believe me, everyone is livid. The referee was a joke, but not a funny one. In the first half he gave 7 or 8 fouls against us and only one against them, despite them fouling every bit as often. Ironically we scored from the free kick.

I didn't realise Sanogo got sent off; I don't know what for.

The big issue was where on earth he got eight minutes stoppage time from - it seemed like he was just going to play on until they equalised. I'm not sure about 97th minute for their equaliser - the eight minutes were already up according to the bloke who does our electronic scoreboard.

And it's not just sour grapes; I spoke to some of their fans at the station on my way home. They couldn't understand where the 8 minutes came from either and thought that the ref was shite from start to end: one of them said "It all went downhill for him from the moment he blew the whistle for kick off."

At least the crowd let him know what they thought of his performance at the end of the game.

[finbarr_in_z]

Feb 6, 2024 21:42:52 GMT finbarr_in_z said:

2-2

97th minute

Un freaking believable

Equalising goal (I think)
www.facebook.com/share/v/Fub9S6HKE6W7tmna/

[folkestonegills]

Hey guys. New here. I’m a Gillingham fan and still season ticket holder but moved 15 minutes walk from the ground now. Previously I have loved my trips to Folkestone with the Gills for friendlies, cracking little ground and great bars. Since I’ve lived here for a few months been to a few games and we’ve (I regard Folkestone as “we” when watching them) been terrible, but I thought we were good tonight and deserved a win. There was absolutely no reason for the referee to add on 8 minutes at the end - there’s no VAR, there was very few injuries and not a lot of delay for subs. Ref gave everything against us for most of the game, so it was a really poor show.

[gerryhan]

We have had some bizarre referees this season but this one was ridiculous.

Some of the problem stems from the FA's guidance to allow more physical contact this season so that the game flows more. To my mind, they are killing the game, even at the Premier level by allowing pushing and shirt-holding.

Unfortunately for us tonight this ref was only applying it to one team, us.! Right from the off he was penalising us and allowing them to get away with the same foul.

Whatever, at 2-0 up with not long to go we should have been strong enough to hold out, despite the sending off of Sanoga { no one seems to know for what reason }

We did seem to sit deep and invite them on once we had gone 2-0 up. Plus they seemed to be handling that gale better. To me, we seem to lack thrust down the flanks at the moment, particularly without Toby Byron.

The thing about playing wing-backs is that you first have to have two in your squad otherwise it looks like a defensive set-up, even at home.

Allsopp had another good game until subbed late on and Sanogo until his sending-off, which was probably critical in our not getting all the points tonight,

So on a night of appalling squalls and wind, and a referee who was clearly out of his depth, we had to settle for just one point in our quest for safety. I am sure we can do that with the excellent team spirit we now have in the team. COYS!

I must add, our new keeper looked very impressive, Two great saves from him late on.

[stumpy]

By the way, I don't think we played as well tonight as we did against Carshalton and Hornchurch, but the conditions were very difficult - for both sides. The ref was poor for both sides too - he was poor full stop - but it's fair to say that we were on the wrong end of a lot more of his bizarre decisions than they were, and ultimately they cost us a win.

[number5]

Sanogo 2nd booking I believe was for a supposed foul which the ref played advantage for and then came back to book him. To me the foul looked very innocuous and certainly not worthy of a card.

[number5]

Sorry, forgot to mention, we can’t always blame the ref for determining the result of the game but on this occasion I DO!!!!

[gerryhan]

Undoubtedly the ref had a big influence on the result, but you have to admit having gone 2-0 up late in the second half, we still should have had enough about us to win the game. Lofting long balls up to Derry, which they handled with ease, was a way of handing the initiative to them.

They used their fourteen, the wide right player to get at us for that last twenty minutes. With Byron out we have no one of that ability down the flanks. The coming suspension of Sanogo, who has been a powerful presence in the midfield is significant too. So, plenty of work still to do to take us to safety.

[feathers]

Feb 7, 2024 6:47:30 GMT number5 said:

Sanogo 2nd booking I believe was for a supposed foul which the ref played advantage for and then came back to book him. To me the foul looked very innocuous and certainly not worthy of a card.

I thought that sounds a bit strange so just looked up the rules on the IFAB website.

"Unless there is a clear goal-scoring opportunity for the non-offending team, the referee should not play advantage following red-card offences, particularly:

• serious foul play
• violent conduct
• offences requiring a second yellow card"

IFAB Website

I wasn't at the game so don't know the context of what happened but it sounds like advantage should not have been played (if he was planning on giving someone a 2nd booking). According to the twitter thread the advantage led to a corner which they scored from.

[stumpy]

We actually got two red cards, because he sent Chris Smith off from the dug out for something he said after their equaliser.

Going back to the Carshalton game, I said that I didn't think Andy Drury should have said what he did about refs in the post-match interview. They've certainly lived up to it in the two home matches since, with three red cards. Probably best if he bites his tongue this time round, although, on this occasion, any criticism of the ref would be fair comment.

[gerryhan]

Another FA directive is for refs to add on time at the end of they feel a side has been wasting time.
Our keeper was given a yellow card for it so presumably he added time for that.
Common sense interpretation of the rules was totally lacking in this ref.

[stumpy]

One last comment (for now ), I think the draw was a fair result on the balance of play over 100 90 minutes, but they wouldn't have got one if not for the referee.

[finbarr_in_z]

Feb 7, 2024 9:54:15 GMT stumpy said:

One last comment (for now ), I think the draw was a fair result on the balance of play over 100 90 minutes, but they wouldn't have got one if not for the referee.

On paper (yes I know) 2 teams of equal ability. Would we have taken 2-2 before the game? Possibly. Its just the manner of the result on this occasion.

[finbarr_in_z]

Extensive report with photos

www.facebook.com/groups/907653526409670/permalink/1742424766265871/

For those with no access:

Folkestone Invicta vs Cray Wanderers
Isthmian Premier - Tuesday 6th February - Match Report

Folkestone Invicta 2
Smith 39, Sanogo 73
Cray Wanderers 2
Brown 89, Cook 90+7

Cray Wanderers had to show considerable powers of recovery on a foul night as Cray came back from 0-2 down to pick up a point at Folkestone Invicta with Anthony Cook’s equaliser seven minutes into added on time.

Folkestone went ahead six minutes before half time through David Smith’s ninth goal of the season and extended the lead in the 73rd minute courtesy of Saidou Sanogo’s close range finish. However, Sanogo was shown a red card for two quickfire offences two minutes from time and a minute later Ellis Brown pulled a goal back for the Wands when he fired in through a crowd of players. Then with barely a minute to go in stoppage time, Alfie Evans looped ball into the area was helped on by a Folkestone defender and Cook stooped to score the first headed goal of his career to earn a point.

Despite the result, Cray dropped a place in the table to 17th, level on 32 points with Folkestone and Whitehawk but have a ten point buffer over Cheshunt and Margate.

Both teams came into the game on the back of fine away wins on Saturday and Neil Smith named an unchanged side from the one which won at Carshalton. Folkestone won impressively at Billericay and made two changes with Michael Kedman making his debut in place of Toby Byron and also goalkeeper Kai McKenzie-Lyle for Joe Coleman.

The game began in very windy conditions and a steady drizzle and meant the first half was a scruffy affair with few chances. Cray were perhaps the first to show real intent when down the right, the excellent Alfie Evans put over a fine cross into the six yard box for Gary Lockyer who just couldn’t get a firm connection to the ball and was claimed by keeper Kai McKenzie-Lyle on the line.

Folkestone looked to attack down the left with Kedman and had a half chance when from a corner down the left from Eddie Allsopp to the far post was headed wide by Jason Fregene.

For Cray, from a throw in down the left the ball came to Lockyer who lashed a volley over the bar but chances for the Wands were few and far between with Invicta perhaps shading the play but again without creating too many chances.

However, in the 39th minute Folkestone went ahead when from a free kick down the right, Allsopp’s ball into the box was steered in from close range by David Smith.

Cray looked to get back into it and from a free kick down the left of the area, Tom Beere fired wide of the left post.

Half time came as a relief for the Wands supporters on the bank of terracing just to get some warmth in the club house but at the break, Folkestone probably just edged the half.

HT: 1-0
The second half was played mostly to very steady rain and Cray looked to get back on terms and Alfie Evans placed a header wide of the right post from a Frankie Raymond corner.

Rhys Murrell-Williamson making his first appearance since re-signing for the club came on for Yahya Bamba and Anthony Cook for Tom Beere as the Wands looked to get more of a foothold in the match.

For Folkestone, Allsopp saw a shot held by Shaun Rowley while for Cray, Cook hit a shot wide of the left post.

Cray had a flurry half way through the half when first, Evans broke down the right of the area and his shot was saved by the legs of McKenzie-Lyle. Then a minute later, Emmanuel Kwatchey’s cross from the right was cleared out to Sam Wood who drove in a shot which McKenzie-Lyle did well to turn aside.

In the 73rd minute, Kane Penn saw a shot deflected behind for a corner and from the right wing kick from Allsopp into the area following a bit of a scramble the ball came to Saidou Sanogo who fired in from close range.

George Brooke was introduced with three minutes to go and this was a busy time in the match as in the 88th minute Sanogo was booked for a foul down the right and then was shown a second yellow perhaps for kicking the ball away but not totally sure.

A minute later, Cray won a corner down the right and from Raymond’s ball into the area the ball came to the far post where Ellis Brown drilled in a shot through a ruck of players that found its way into the net for his third goal in two games.

With eight minutes of injury time there was still time for Cray to get back on terms but time was starting to run out but with a minute left Raymond at the second attempt put a ball into the box and Lockyer won a header against two Invicta defenders down the right of the area and Evans got to the ball and hoisted a cross to the near post which was nudged on by a defender towards goal and Anthony Cook headed in from close range to complete the comeback.

This wasn’t a match blessed with a lot of quality not helped by the conditions but certainly had a dramatic finish and over the piece the Wands deserved a point and move on to a home game with Concord Rangers on Sunday looking to keep an encouraging run going and keep ahead of the bottom four.

Folkestone Invicta: Kai McKenzie-Lyle, Kane Penn, Jason Fregene, Ian Gayle, Callum Davies, Dean Rance, Seidou Sanogo, Tom Derry, David Smith (Jake Goodman, 80), Edward Allsopp (Louis Collins, 86), Michael Kedman: Subs: Chris Sessegnon, Ade Cole, Joe Coleman
Sent Off: Sanogo 88
Booked: Rance 65, Smith 81, McKenzie-Lyle 82, Sanogo 88

Cray Wanderers: Shaun Rowley, Emmanuel Kwatchey, David Ijaha, Tom Bonner, Sam Wood (George Brooke, 87), Alfie Evans, Frankie Raymond, Ellis Brown, Tom Beere (Anthony Cook, 61), Yahya Bamba (Rhys Murrell-Williamson, 56), Gary Lockyer: Subs: Cameron Black, Charles Paye

Booked: Ijaha 78, Evans 90+2

Referee: Steven Goldup
Assistants: Matthew Charles, Michael Corderoy
Att: 484

[finbarr_in_z]

Just realised it's the same report as on their official website
www.cray-wanderers.com/folkestone-invicta-2-cray-wanderers-2-isthmian-premier-6-2-24-match-report/