With the injured Ryan Davidson out for some time, Emmett Dunn moved to right back in the starting XI and Joe Clarke returned to midfield alongside Isaac Bello, Lloyd Rowlatt, and holder Joe Moore. Jamie Horncastle partnered Ben Pashley as the two centre backs with skipper Rob Hutchings on the left of keeper Kieran Magee as usual. Olly Munt and Ethan Prichard once again led the line and Curtis Da Costa, Theo Bennetts, Mo Jammeh, Lewis Rustell and Misha Djemaili were on the bench.
After the ‘Last Post’ and two-minutes silence to mark Remembrance Sunday, Dunn and Rowlatt linked up and won the visitors to Flamingo Park, just off the A20, a throw-in before the Canadian fouled Kareem Isiaka only for Wands’ captain Frankie Raymond’s free-kick to go too deep.
Raymond then fouled Rowlatt with a consequent Chi set-piece and referee Callum Parke had a word with him.
Six minutes in, Isiaka went down in the penalty area – no spot-kick according to Mr Parke.
Next, Hutchings challenged striker Alex Hernandez fairly and both Dunn and Isiaka received treatment following a clash of bodies.
Moments later a cross from Josh Williams caused Magee no issues and he gathered without any trouble before Moore cleared as Hernandez threatened once more.
Lateef Adaja then whipped over a dangerous delivery that went out for a Chi goal kick at the back stick.
It was all a bit cagey in this spell to be fair, before Dunn and Adaja tussled again and Rowlatt made a fine block to deny Reni Sutton’s marauding run.
Prichard’s long-ranger was well off-target and a ball towards him shortly after earned Chichester a first corner after the ball struck Prosper Keto which the No11 took.
At the mid-point of the half Magee claimed a cross comfortably from the oldest club in London and Prichard spurned a glorious chance to put the Sussex side in front following clever stuff from Rowlatt.
A super tackle by the Chichester midfielder then ended a counter-attack by the hosts and at the other end Prichard’s shot was blocked easily enough.
On the half hour mark Raymond went over in the Chi box – again nothing doing, before Sutton and Isiaka combined only for the ball to spin safely into Magee’s gloves.
Adaja passed up a chance and fired straight into Magee’s arms as the match swung this way and that.
And the first yellow card of the afternoon was dished out to Williams, and Isiaka got away with one for a foul on Clarke with ten minutes to go to the interval.
Pashley timed his tackle to perfection and broke things up as Hernandez probed and the Chi defender was also on hand to intervene moments later.
Next, Raymond’s cross was headed directly at Magee by Hernandez and an inviting delivery from Prichard presented Bello with a decent opportunity but he couldn’t get the final touch.
Rowlatt got caught by Raymond in the 43rd minute but Prichard’s set-piece ended with a City infringement of some sort before Keto beat the offside trap only to cause little trouble with his cross.
Three minutes of additional time were added.
In this, Chi wasted a long Bello throw and Pashley picked Prichard with an intelligent pass only for his teammate to try a spectacular flick but to no avail.
And the hosts blew an opportunity when the ball wouldn’t sit for Williams on the stroke of half time.
Neither side made any changes at the break but Magee had to smartly save Williams’ shot on the turn sixty seconds into the second period who blazed another effort past the post less than a minute later.
Moore then delivered too deep and Cray earned their first corner on 51 after Hernandez tried his luck which got headed away by Clarke before the hosts were caught offside.
The ref had to talk to Hernandez for a foul on Clarke and Prichard was also spoken to as well shortly after for an indiscretion.
Adrian O-Gyamera did Rowlatt only for his cross to get collected by the Chichester custodian and Horncastle, in fine form again, cleared without any trouble as the hosts pressed once more.
Isiaka fired narrowly wide after good work from Adaja who almost got in himself in the next attack.
Hutchings’ delivery on the hour was simple for Wands’ keeper Ethan Binnie and either Isiaka or Williams were flagged offside by an assistant much to the home fans’ chagrin.
Harry Waldock was then booked for pulling Rowlatt down who was replaced by Djemaili along with Jammeh for Munt in the 63rd minute as Chi rejigged.
Dunn blew a chance when the visitors broke through and a Chichester corner by Hutchings evaded everyone.
Cray sub Ashley Nzala was adjudged offside when Dunn had seemingly been caught out before a lovely cross from Frankie Morgan almost set up the opener for the Londoners.
Bello then won Chi a corner which was wasted and the home team did the same at the other end.
Rustell replaced Prichard on 73, and Nzala danced into the box but a steadfast Clarke hooked away.
Next, O-Gyamera did Bello down the left flank with 15 to go and the Chichester midfielder was denied by a smart-thinking Binnie in the Wands’ goal who snuffed out the danger.
Moore then tidied up; Jammeh cut out a clever pass; Djemaili fouled fellow sub Raif Hand; and Hutchings struck one high and wide in the 82nd minute.
Dunn had his shirt tugged by Nzala before Djemaili somehow pulled one wide with five minutes of normal time to go.
Hutchings’ brilliant delivery led to no end product unfortunately and his hit from distance was saved by Binnie.
A Bello bomb of a throw fell to Moore but his shot went out for a goal kick in the last minute and Jammeh narrowly avoided a caution for a foul on Raymond but the set-piece came to Sutton who, with the three points on the line, blasted over when well-placed.
And right at the end of the additional three minutes, Jammeh couldn’t get enough on his shot.
So, that’s two clean-sheets on the bounce for Chi, as Cray, the division’s draw specialists, drop to seventh in the league while the Lillywhites, with five games in hand on their opponents, sit in 15th spot.
Next up – Whitehawk travel to Oaklands Park for an Isthmian Premier Division encounter on Tuesday 11th November (Kick Off 7:45pm).
Chichester – Magee, Dunn, Hutchings, Moore, Horncastle, Pashley, Bello, Clarke, Rowlatt, Prichard, Munt (Da Costa, Bennetts, Jammeh, Rustell, Djemaili).
Photos to follow.
