Hawks recorded their third win in a week at the expense of a Cray Wanderers side that came into the game having lost only one of their previous ten. 18-year old Harry Bridle was the difference between the two sides, with a goal and an assist to cap an excellent five days for the on-loan Gillingham youngster.

After an opening flurry for the Hawks, playing downhill, the visitors enjoyed the majority of possession on a heavy pitch. Openings were scarce for both sides. Wands’ Frankie Raymond went close with a low drive on ten minutes and Joseph Osaghae produced an excellent one handed save four minutes later when a Nyren Clunis cross was deflected towards his own goal by Jamie Watson.

Hawks broke the deadlock on 39 minutes. Stefan Wright released Bridle down the left  and as he cut into the box he went down under the challenge of Ike Orji with the referee pointing to the spot. After a delay in which Wands’ keeper Shaun Rowley was shown a yellow card, Andrew Briggs finished calmly to give the Hawks a half-time lead.

The second half followed the pattern of the first, with the visitors enjoying the majority of possession without creating much against a solid defence. The exception was when Osaghae produced another excellent save, this time from a Nathan Jeche header following a corner on the right after 73 minutes. A committed defence smothered the follow up shot from ex-Hawk Eze Ebuzoeme.

With five minutes of normal time remaining after a flurry of corners on the right, Joe Tennent’s cut back was cleverly headed home by Bridle with a looping effort that left keeper Rowley and Remi Sutton in the back of the net in a desperate effort to clear.

Despite eight minutes of added time, the Wands couldn’t force a comeback as the Hawks defence held firm to secure three points to move up to 14^th in the table.

Hawks: Osaghae, Seager, Wright, Briggs, Tennent, Watson, Mensah (Nandhra 88’), Jennings, O’Toole (Barlow 71’), Lambert (Kayani 94’), Bridle

Wands: Rowley, Orji (Taylor 41’), Dowich, Sutton, Bonner, Raymond, Jeche, Williams, Clunis, Ebuzoeme (Edwards 81’), Penn (Adaja 64’)

Hawks MotM: Harry Bridle