Cray Wanderers vs Chichester City – Isthmian Premier – Saturday 8th November – 3 pm – Match Preview
Cray Wanderers Remembrance Weekend fixture sees Chichester City visit Flamingo Park for the first time on a Saturday between two sides who have had a decent first three months of the season.
The Wands come into the game now in 6th place after Aveley moved into the playoff places in midweek on 23 points and last Saturday picked up a point from a sixth successive away draw at Cheshunt.
Josh Williams’ 92nd minute leveller was the fourth time this season that Cray have netted in the 90th minute and beyond and helped claim what was a merited point in tricky conditions in Hertfordshire.
The Wands created openings in the first half with Harry Waldock, Remi Sutton, Ashley Nzala and Chris Dickson all coming close whilst at the back Tom Bonner and Sutton along with Prosper Keto and Adrian Gyamera were superb and restricted the home side to few openings. Cray had to make an emergency cover loan signing ahead of the game with goalkeeper Ethan Binnie coming in from Norwich City U21s and made an outstanding save eleven minutes from the end and can look back on his debut with some pride.
Cray will be looking to pick up three points after five league games without a win but have been hard to beat but will have a tough afternoon against a Chichester City side who although 14th in the table have only played ten games and are unbeaten away from home.
Miles Rutherford’s side had an outstanding season in 2024-25 finishing sixth on 73 points, just three points off the playoffs and were still in contention on the final day of the season. Their last match was at home to Dulwich Hamlet last Saturday which finished in a 0-0 draw which made it four league games with defeat.
So far away from home despite only playing four games have won at St Albans City (2-1), Carshalton Athletic (3-0) and Lewes (1-0) and drawn at Whitehawk (0-0). At home City have beaten Lewes (3-0) and drawn with Folkestone Invicta and Billericay Town. Their only defeats have come at home to Welling United and Potters Bar Town. In the FA Cup City were beaten in the 2nd Qualifying Round after winning at Havant & Waterlooville were beaten at home by FA Vase holders Whitstable Town in a replay. Like Cray, Chichester were beaten in the 3rd Qualifying Round of the FA Trophy at home to Farnham Town.
Last season saw the first ever league games between the sides with both teams winning a close game each by the odd goal. The Wands were 1-0 winners on a freezing cold evening on 7th December, 2024 with a Nathan Jeche goal in a match where both teams finished with ten men. Chichester won the corresponding fixture 2-1 at home on 1st March with Soul Kader’s goal sandwiched between strikes from Ethan Prichard and Jimmy Wild for City.
This promises to be another close game between two sides that are hard to beat and should be a great watch.
Admission £15 adults, £10 concessions, £5 U16-U13s on the gate or online at www.cray-wanderers.com/tickets/
Please note we’re offering free entry to the game for all current and ex-service men and women.
Simply show your service ID or attend in uniform to gain entry. We also invite service personnel to join us pitchside for the Last Post ahead of the 3pm kick-off.
Printed Match Programme – £3 (on turnstile) – Merchandise, hot and cold food/Drinks, bars available.
The Pre-Match Thoughts – Programme Notes of Tim O’Shea
Cray Wanderers play the first of two home fixtures in November this afternoon as Chichester City are the visitors for the first time on a Saturday. The match comes sandwiched between an away game at Cheshunt which saw a hard earned point won and away games at Folkestone Invicta and Welling United. Here Tim O’Shea looks back to the Cheshunt game and his thoughts for today’s challenge.
Hello Tosh. Let’s look back to Saturday and a hard earned and merited point I felt at Cheshunt last Saturday. I thought we defended well restricting the home side to so few chances and not for the first time the side showed character to score in added time for the fourth time this season.
No it isn’t. As I said to the boys in changing room after the game considering they scored an equaliser in the 92nd minute they were a bit down as they truly believed they should have got more out of the game.
Looking back we had a dominant first fifteen-twenty minutes and if we score one of those chances, Ashley has had one at the far post again, Harry Waldock who was excellent saw a shot come back off the post with the keeper totally beaten. If we had been able to capitalise on that sort of pressure it could have been a better and enjoyable afternoon.
That said, I thought we were very comfortable and the boys were playing well at the back and I thought that there was only really going to be one winner.
It was a great afternoon for Ethan Binnie to make his debut which was at short notice with Harry Seaden’s injury and he made an outstanding save to push over George Nunn’s header.
It was an outstanding save and at that point it was the only genuine chance they had created. To be fair the centre-forward has done nothing wrong and it was a powerful header but Ethan’s save was worthy of any Premier League save and they would have been showing it over and over again. He had a nervy start to the game but overall he must have been pleased with his debut.
Then Josh scores direct from the free kick out on the right in added time and his delivery from dead balls is exceptional considering he scored direct from a corner at Carshalton.
Yes, to be fair we do have a few in the team like Lateef Adaja whose free kicks and corners at Cheshunt were exceptional and on the money and we just need to be perhaps getting on the end of those more and getting more goals.
Let’s look now to today’s game vs. Chichester City. We had two good close battles with them last season, single goal home wins between us and they were perhaps the surprise package of the league in 2024-25. This will be another tough battle for us won’t it!
Yes, Chichester are a team in the right end of the table on merit. They are a good side, who played good football, well drilled and they are going to be a handful there is no doubt about that. Isn’t that what we have been saying all season though, there are no easy games in this league with so many good teams and Chichester will be respected but we will be pushing as we do for every game.
DIRECTIONS TO FLAMINGO PARK FOR NEWCOMERS
Flamingo Park Sports & Leisure – Sidcup By-Pass, Chislehurst, Kent BR7 6HL
Flamingo Park lies on the A20 and is the new home of Cray Wanderers and used for the Men and Women’s First Team, U23s, Youth Team games, Academy side and the club house hosts live music and private events. For the 2024-25 season Bexley FC will also play their Kent County League Premier games at Flamingo Park.
By car
From Kent – Via M20 or A2
M20 – Follow the M20 for 16.8 miles then continue on to A20 for 3.6 miles then continue on to Sidcup By-Pass Road/A20 for 1.9 miles. Continue onto Sidcup By-Pass/A20 for 0.3 miles then take a left into the ground entrance and another left for the car park.
A2 – Get on the M2 from A229 for 5.1 miles. After merging onto the M2 after 5.5 miles continue onto Watling Street/A2 for 8.7 miles. Use the left lane to take the M25 (S) slip road to M23 for 0.7 miles. Merge onto the M25 for 2.4 miles then at junction 3, exit towards A20/London (SE)/Swanley for 0.3 miles. At the Swanley interchange, take the 5th exit onto the A20 slip road to London (SE)/Lewisham for 0.8 miles. Merge onto the A20 for 3.5 miles then continue onto Sidcup By-Pass Road/A20 for 1.9 miles. Continue onto Sidcup By-Pass/A20 for 0.3 miles then take a left into the ground entrance and another left for the car park.
From London, North & West
Via A20 – If traveling from London take A3212, A302 and Westminster Bridge Road and at the roundabout take the 3rd exit onto St. George’s Circus/A201 and after 0.3 miles turn left onto New Kent Road/A201 for 0.5 miles. Then keep right staying on New Kent Road/A201 for 0.4 miles and then onto Old Kent Road/A2 for 2.6 miles. Take a slight right onto Amersham Road/A2/A20 then a left onto Amersham Road/A20 for 0.2 miles. Take a slight right onto Lewisham Way/A20 for 1.1 miles and then use the left 3 lanes to turn left onto Rennell Street/A20 for 1.9 miles. Use the right 2 lanes to turn slightly onto Sidcup Road/A20 for 0.3 miles then at the roundabout take the 2nd exit and stay on Sidcup Road/A20 for 3.7 miles. Then take the A222 towards Bromley/Chislehurst/Sidcup for 0.2 miles then at Frognal Corner Roundabout take the 4th exit onto the A20 slip road to C. London/Lewisham for 0.3 miles. Then merge onto the Sidcup By-Pass Road/A20 for 0.6 miles and then onto the Sidcup By-Pass for 0.3 miles. Then take a left into the entrance to the ground and another left into the car park.
From Essex/East Anglia
Via A13 – If traveling from Essex/East Anglia get onto the A13 for 11.6 miles. Use the left lane to take the M25 (N)/M25 (S) slip road to M11/M1/Stansted Airport/Dartford Crossing/A282 for 0.2 miles. At Mardyke Junction take the 1st exit for 0.3 miles and then use the right lane to take the A282 slip road to M25 (S)/Dartford Crossing then keep right at the fork to continue towards A282 for 3.8 miles. Use the right 3 lanes to stay on A282 then follow signs for M20/M23/Gatwick Airport /M25/Channel Tunnel/Dover for 0.6 miles. Continue onto M25 (signs for Dover/M20/Channel Tunnel/M23 for 3.3 miles. At junction 3 exit towards A20/London (SE)/Swanley for 0.3 miles and at Swanley Interchange take the 5th exit onto the A20 slip road to London (SE)/Lewisham for 0.8 miles. Then merge onto the A20 for 3.5 miles, continue onto Sidcup By-Pass Rd/A20 for 1.9 miles and then continue onto the Sidcup By-Pass for 0.3 miles then turn left into the entrance to the ground and then a left into the car park.
From: Sussex/South
If traveling from Sussex/South best get on Hastings Road/Pembury By-Pass/A21 in Kent from A267 and after 9.4 miles continue straight onto Sevenoaks Bypass/A21 for 3.8 miles and then keep right to continue onto M25. After 7.9 miles at junction 3 use the left 2 lanes to take the A20 exit to London/Lewisham/Channel Tunnel/Maidstone/M20 for 0.3 miles. At Swanley Interchange take the 2nd exit onto the A20 slip road to London (SE)/Lewisham for 0.5 miles. Merge onto the A20 for 3.5 miles, continue onto Sidcup By-Pass Rd/A20 for 1.9 miles and then continue onto the Sidcup By-Pass for 0.3 miles then turn left into the entrance to the ground and then a left into the car park.
The Car Park is free for supporters and there should be space between 400 cars on site. Please note bays in front of the main entrance are reserved for club officials.
By Train – Nearest BR Station – New Eltham – 1 mile. Trains from London Charing Cross/London Cannon Street/London Bridge or from Dartford/Gravesend. There are four trains an hour heading to New Eltham from London Charing Cross. For returns there are also four trains back to London.
From the station walk south-east onto Foots Cray Road/A211 for 0.3 miles then turn right onto Thaxted Road for 0.2 miles. Then turn left towards Sidcup Road/A20 and cross over the pedestrian footbridge and take a sharp and then a slight right towards Sidcup Road/A20 for 0.4 miles and then turn right and then a left into the entrance to the ground.
By Bus – The best bet is to get the 233 from Swanley, Sidcup, Eltham or New Eltham which stops on Thaxted Road but is around 0.8 miles to the ground. From Chislehurst station the 162 bus which starts in Bromley stops on Slades Drive where you can access the public footpath opposite the bus stop and is around a ten minute walk to the ground. This bus also stops at New Eltham Station for your return journey.
TAXIS – – ALL DAY CARS – NEW ELTHAM – 020 8850 0032
Nearest Hotel: Premier Inn London Eltham
738 Sidcup Road, Eltham, London
SE9 3NS
Sat Nav Directions:SE9 3TJ
Directions:
From South Circular Road, take A20 Sidcup Bypass until you reach Fiveways, where Sidcup Road meets Green Lane Premier Inn Eltham is situated on the corner and the entrance to the car park is on Green Lane.
https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/greater-london/london/london-eltham.html
The Car Park is free for supporters and there should be space between 700-800 cars on site. Please note bays in front of the main entrance are reserved for club officials.
Close to New Eltham Station are the Beehive pub plus the Pope Street Bar & Kitchen and the Nest offers hot drinks/alcoholic drinks and live music. There are also places to eat and a wide range of takeaway outlets as well as Fish & Chip and a Pie & Mash shop. Alternatively if you travel from Sidcup there are a wide range of pubs to choose from.
