Welling United vs Cray Wanderers – Isthmian Premier – Saturday 15th November – 3 pm
Cray Wanderers look to put Tuesday night’s defeat to Folkestone Invicta behind them as the Wands head to Welling United in the Isthmian Premier for the first league meeting between the teams since 1978. Kick off at 3.03 pm.
The local derby sees two teams needing to get back to winning ways with the Wands still in 7th place on twenty four points and in touch with the playoff places whilst the Wings who are playing in the Isthmian League for the first time in their history lie 21st in the table with nine points from fifteen games played.
The Wands unbeaten seven game unbeaten away record came to a rude and undignified end on Tuesday night as league leaders Folkestone Invicta displayed their title credentials with an 8-1 defeat and the heaviest loss since December 2019.
Cray never recovered from going three down in twenty minutes and despite Quade Taylor’s goal were heavily outgunned on the night but have the chance to not dwell too much on that with the second away game of the week at Park View Road. Last Saturday, Cray picked up a point in a goalless draw at home to Chichester City for the ninth draw of the season.
It has been a difficult first few months of the season for Welling United who were relegated from the National South last season after being in the higher echelons of non-league since 1986-87 either in the National League, Southern League and National South.
Last Saturday, Welling were beaten 1-2 at home to Burgess Hill Town with John Ufuah’s goal sandwiched between two Burgess Hill strikes making it back to home defeats. The Wings are under the interim management of Rod Stringer who made his return to the club in October following Lee Martin’s departure but this is expected to be his final game in caretaker charge.
So far at home Welling United have beaten Canvey Island (4-1) but all other games ended in defeat against Aveley (0-1), Lewes (0-1), Cray Valley (0-3), Ramsgate (1-4), Folkestone Invicta (0-3) and Burgess Hill Town (1-2). Away from home Welling have won at Chichester City (2-1) and Ramsgate (2-1) and were beaten at Cheshunt, Dulwich Hamlet, Carshalton Athletic, Hashtag United, St Albans City and Dartford. In the FA Cup, Welling reached the 2nd Qualifying Round after winning at Uxbridge before losing in a replay at Slough Town and in the FA Trophy won at Royston Town before losing at Brentwood Town in the 1st Round. Leading scorers so far are Ruben Shakpoke and John Ufuah with four league goals.
Surprisingly competitive games between Cray and Welling have been few and far between with only two league games played in the London Spartan League Premier in 1977-78. Cray won 2-0 at Oxford Road in in November 1977 with goals from John Canavan and Gary Cooper with Welling winning 3-2 in the reverse fixture on 14th January 1978 with Steve Greenaway and Butch Dunn scoring for Cray who went on to win the title that season.
The clubs moved in different circles after that with Cray off to the Kent League and Welling to the Athenian League and later the Southern League where they won the Premier Division in 1985-86 and were promoted to the Conference where they remained until 2000 and reached the 3rd Round of the FA Cup in 1989 losing narrowly to Blackburn Rovers at Park View Road.
After returning to the Southern League they formed part of the new National South division in 2004 and were a very consistent club at that level and in 2011-12 reached the playoff final losing to Dartford but in 2012-1 3 under the player-management of Jamie Day won the National South and gained promotion to the Conference where they remained until 2015-16. In 2018-19 Welling reached the playoff final after beating Chelmsford City but were beaten in the final by the odd goal at Woking. Since then Welling finished in the lower half of the table before finishing 22nd last season and relegation to the Isthmian Premier.
The only other competitive games have been cup ties with the most recent in the FA Trophy 2QR in November 2012 with Welling winning 1-0 at Hayes Lane.
This is a match that sees two teams needing to return to winning ways but one that has been ringed on the Wands fans calendars since the start of the season and should be a great occasion.
Saturday is a ‘pink’ matchday at Park View Road, in partnership with Bexley Wellbeing Partnership and in aid of breast and prostate cancer awareness, will see all fundraising proceeds be dedicated to Greenwich & Bexley Community Hospice. The Wings will be wearing a commemorative kit for the game and there will be collection buckets and activities planned so please respect United’s efforts on the day for this great cause.
Also note the 3.03 pm ko which is for all games in the Isthmian Premier on Saturday which is in solidarity with the National League and the 3Up campaign to raise the promotion places to the EFL from two to three.
DIRECTIONS & ADMISSION
Address: Park View Road, Welling, Kent DA16 1SY
Adult: — £15.00
Concessions/Students/Disabled/Blue Lights: – £10.00
U18s – £6
U5’s with paying adult – Free
Card or cash payments will be accepted – No online sales available
Pitch: Grass
Printed Programme
Driving:
Leave the M25 at Junction 2 and take the A2 towards Central London. Leave the A2 at the third exit (signposted A221 to Bexleyheath and Sidcup). Take the A221 towards Bexleyheath and at the next roundabout turn right (3rd exit) continue towards Bexleyheath. You will go under a bridge that carries the A2. At the next roundabout take the second exit into Danson Road. Follow this road until your reach a T-junction. At these traffic lights turn left into Park View Road. The ground is down on the left. There is no car park at the ground as such, but there is plenty of street parking available.
Welling station is situated just under a mile away from the ground. As you come out of the station entrance turn right and at the bottom of this road turn left onto Central Avenue. This leads onto a T-Junction with Bellegrove Road (there is the Plough & Harrow pub in front of you) at which you turn left. Continue straight along Bellegrove Road and this leads into the High Street. The ground is further down the High Street on your right. There are four buses which take you to outside Park View Road, no’s 89, 96, 486 and B16.
Park View Road is a great non-league football ground, unusually located off a High Street which gives particularly on a Saturday game plenty of options for drinking and eating. There are a plethora of pubs in close proximity to the ground including the Guy Earl of Warwick which is practically next door to the ground. Across the road and heading slightly down the High Street is the Rose and Crown and a three minute walk away from the ground is the Nags Head which is spacious and serves good food. Before you come to this pub is the Door Hinge Micro pub (No 11 Welling High Street which as it sounds is very small but could well be worth a visit if arriving at the ground early and Bar 54 which might be better after the match. Further down the High Street and not that far away from the ground are the New Cross Turnpike which is a Wetherspoons pub and a short walk from the station are the Plough & Harrow, We Anchor In Hope and the Hangar on Bellegrove Road and The Green Man pub in Wickham Street.
The Wings Bar is a great clubhouse which has had substantial improvements in recent years and often holds beer festivals and music. On my last visits back in 2023 there was a canopy area for supporters to drink as well as the bar.
Food wise there is something for everyone in the High Street with the usual fast food outlets as well as the Danson Fish and Chips on Park View Road and the Seahorse and Elite Fish Bar in the High Street. There are a few Indian, Chinese, Thai and Vietnamese restaurants and if you ever go on a Saturday there is the Happy Belly Café and Grill, greasy spoon which does a fine cooked breakfast.
All in all this is one of the great away days for any supporter or neutral and the ground itself.
Welling is a town in the London Borough of Bexley although a bit like the Cray’s lie in Kent. The town before the opening of the Bexleyheath train line Welling (believed to be named after Welwyn, Place of the Spring due to an underground spring at Welling Corner) was a village and popular coaching stop off on the way from London to Kent (Watling Street).
Located between Welling and Bexleyheath is Danson Park, a Grade II listed park with community spaces and a lake ideal for boating and sailing and also includes Danson House, an English Heritage site but will not be open to the public in November.
Along with Cray Valley PM at Eltham, this is likely to be the Wands closest game and one supporters have been looking forward to for some time.
