Cray Wanderers vs Stockport County – FA Cup 1st Round – Sunday 8th November, 2.15 pm – Match Preview & General Information
Pics: Natalie Stribbling & Ben Keyes
Sunday 8th November will be one of if not the biggest day in Cray Wanderers history as after 166 years and 78 FA cup campaigns the Wands will take their place in one English football’s great day’s of the year – The FA Cup 1st Round. Certainly, the Wands drew a plum draw with the visit of Stockport County, second in League One and in front of the BBC/TNT Sports cameras also for the first time. Kick off at Flamingo Park, 2.15 pm and the match to be played to a finish with no more replays in the competition.
Tim O’Shea’s side have certainly put in the hard yards to advance to the 1st Round after seven ties, three replays, two ties against Step 2 opponents, some memorable goals and performances and a dramatic penalty shoot-out success.
The run began with what could have been a lost opportunity at Lewes in the 1st Qualifying Round with Cray two up going into added time with goals from Ade Yusuff and Soul Kader but the Rooks pulled the match back to 2-2 and a replay. Fortunately, Cray edged Lewes 1-0 in a tense replay with Alex Hernandez’ goal and a clean sheet for rookie keeper Oscar Johnson.
Maidstone United awaited at home in the 2nd Qualifying Round against the then National South league leaders. Maidstone took the lead but Rob Strachan’s 83rd minute equaliser earned a replay at the Gallagher Stadium. Here Cray produced a performance for the ages stunning the Stones 2-0 with a stunning strike from Ola Ogunwamide and an injury time cherry on the cake from Yusuff to put Cray through to a home tie with Southern League Premier Chippenham Town.
Here Cray handled a tricky tie well with another Ogunwamide blockbuster and a Yusuff close range strike making it 2-0 after twenty minutes. The buzz of those goals finally dissipated before Lateef Adaja made it 3-0 with twenty minutes to go and a JJ Briggs penalty save meant a place in the 4th Qualifying Round for the fourth time.
Cray were drawn away to National North Bedford Town and perhaps edged a 0-0 draw at Bedford before a much more high intensity and dramatic game at Flamingo Park on 20th October. Both teams knew a home draw with Stockport County awaited and Ogunwamide’s third goal of the cup run put Cray ahead before a controversial penalty made it 1-1 at the break. There were no further goals in the second half so extra-time was needed and it looked like Bedford had broken the ice with a second goal to go ahead. However, Cray had been very resilient and Yusuff levelled just before half time in extra time with a penalty. Yusuff saw a penalty in the second half saved and so it led to a shoot-out. The shoot-out was dramatic but JJ Briggs made two fine saves and despite one miss, Jakob Lowe struck home the decisive penalty to win 4-3 and advance and history was made.
Since that dramatic night Cray have only played twice, both away games which both were won an underrated 2-1 win at Berkhamsted in the FA Trophy in poor conditions on 24th October and last Saturday were impressive 4-1 winners at Brentwood Town. Two Yusuff goals taking his tally to the season to 13 made it 2-1 at the break but second half goals from Ogunwamide and a debut strike for new arrival John Ufuah gave Cray a vital three points.
Such has been the timeline of this remarkable run that the league position shows Cray in 18th place but only have played ten games with fifteen points. This can be addressed in the next few weeks but for Sunday all thoughts will be with the FA Cup and the club putting on a show on and off the pitch.
Stockport County will provide as stern opposition as Cray could have drawn and after six seasons of being a top of the table side the Hatters currently stand 2nd, three points behind leaders Huddersfield Town. Jimmy McNulty’s side finished 3rd last season making it back to back playoff appearances beating Stevenage in the semi-finals before losing to Bolton Wanderers in the League One playoff final at Wembley.
Like Cray, County have had a free midweek and last Saturday just snapped a run of two games without a win with a come from behind 2-1 victory at home to AFC Wimbledon with goals from Jack Diamond and Ethan Ennis. County currently have twenty six points from fourteen games played.
Away from home Stockport have won at Plymouth Argyle (3-1), Wigan Athletic (4-0) and Doncaster Rovers (2-0). They drew at Sheffield Wednesday (0-0) and Notts County (1-1) with the only defeats at Luton Town (0-2) and Oxford United (0-1). At home Stockport have beaten Wycombe Wanderers (5-1), Peterborough United (1-0), Barnsley (3-1), Bromley (1-0) and AFC Wimbledon (2-1). Stockport were beaten at home by Blackpool (1-2) and Leicester City (3-4). In the Carabao Cup, County were beaten by Doncaster Rovers after a penalty shoot-out in the 1st Round. In the EFL Trophy, Stockport have beaten Everton U21s and Shrewsbury Town in their group. Kyle Wootton is the leading scorer with ten goals.
County were established in 1883 as Heaton Norris Rovers changing their name to Stockport County in 1899. In 1900-01 County played their first Football League Division 2 season. They were Division Three North Champions in 1921-22 and 1936-37. In 1934-35 County reached the 5th Round of the FA Cup for the first time in the club’s history losing to West Bromwich Albion. The club basically remained a lower league club and won the Fourth Division Championship in 1966-67 staying in the 3rd Division until 1970. They were a Fourth Division side for the next couple of decades but almost went up in 1989-90 reaching the playoffs losing to Chesterfield in the semi-finals. At this time the club was managed by the legendary Uruguayan Danny Bergara and in 1990-91 finished 2nd and were promoted to Division Three.
The Hatters took to Division Three (later renamed Division 2) like a duck to water and reached the playoffs three seasons in a row from 1991-92 – 93-94 reaching the final in 91-92 losing to Peterborough United, semi-finalists in 92-93 losing to Port Vale and the final the following year losing to Burnley. During this period of time Stockport reached Wembley four times, losing in the Football League Trophy final twice in 1991-92 and 1992-93 losing to Birmingham City and Stoke City respectively.
1996-97 was a massive season for Stockport County as runners up in league two were promoted to League One and also reached the semi-finals of the League Cup under Dave Jones beating Chesterfield, Sheffield United, Premier League Blackburn Rovers, West Ham United and Southampton before losing to Middlesbrough 2-1 on aggregate.
They remained in the second tier of English football until 2004-05 finishing eighth in 1997-98. County reached the 5th Round of the FA Cup for the second time in 2001-02 losing at Tottenham Hotspur. County returned to League One in 2007-08 and finally ended their Wembley hoodoo after finishing fourth beat Wycombe Wanderers in the Semi-Final and beat near neighbours Rochdale 3-2 in the final.
Unfortunately the club hit hard times and suffered a couple of relegations and into non-league football at the end of the 2010-11 season. They were relegated to the North Division in 2013 where they would remain until 2018-19 where the title was won and a run to the Semi-Finals of the FA Trophy where they lost to AFC Fylde over two legs. In the National League County reached the playoffs in 2020-21 losing to Halifax Town. 2021-22 was another massive season winning the National League title returning to the Football League and also created an FA Cup shock beating League One Bolton Wanderers 5-3 in a televised 1st Round replay.
Since then it has been a County side challenging near the top. Under Dave Challinor’s management they reached the playoffs in 2022-23 but lost to Carlisle United in the playoff Final on penalties. The following season County won League Two to return to the third tier of English football. Inn 2024-25 after finishing third they were beaten by Leyton Orient over two legs in the semi-final before repeating that placing last season and a playoff final defeat to Bolton Wanderers.
Now County are an upper table side and moving in the right direction towards League One and will always be a tough place to visit but often go under the radar in an area with a number of big clubs.
So no doubt Cray have drawn a tough opponent but the FA Cup is the greatest cup competition in the world for a reason and it is that Cray Wanderers can lock horns with a respected Football League side on a one off occasion.
Please note tickets are completely sold out for this fixture and gates open at 11 am. Please see important information you need to adhere to. Here is a map of the stadium as a guide and a choice of guest food suppliers on the day. There is a unique souvenir programme costing £4 and on Remembrance Sunday there will be a service and presentation of wreaths before kick off and the playing of the Last Post.
We thank our match sponsors Acorn Group for their sponsorship on Sunday and also for supporting ABC Book Club a charity that inspires reading in children.
This is going to be one of those occasions, win or lose that Cray can take so much out of and can show to the country and to a worldwide audience via the BBC.
The Pre-Match Thoughts/Programme Notes of Gary Hillman
A warm welcome to everyone here this afternoon for this very special day in the history of Cray Wanderers. We welcome all supporters, old and new and also to Mark Stott and all the officials, management, players and fans of Stockport County this afternoon. Also for the first time we welcome the TV cameras, crews and staff of the BBC Match of the Day and TNT Sports with us today. We hope they enjoy their stay and a safe and happy broadcast.
It’s been an amazing journey for us to get this far considering the calibre of teams we have had to face including teams higher than us like Maidstone United and Bedford Town. There was also the earlier disappointment when being two nil up at Lewes and ended up in a replay so we have come a long way since.
We send our thanks to the Isthmian League for allowing us to have a free week to prepare for this game. We had a superb win at Brentwood Town last Saturday to set us up nicely for today and the priorities were to come out of the game with a win and no injuries and we achieved both of those goals.
We look forward to welcoming Stockport County today who always seem to be in the higher echelons of the league and it wasn’t long ago that they were playing non league football so deserve the utmost respect this afternoon.
I have a bit of personal history as a Crystal Palace fan as back in 2000-01 we had to beat Stockport at Edgeley Park to stay up which we did 4-2 to stay in the Championship. For any supporters who may remember that game or wish to watch the highlights on Youtube you may find a Cray Wanderers flag hanging from one of the floodlights. Palace also beat Stockport in the 3rd Round when going on to win the FA Cup in 2024-25.
There are many positives about today but one especially with the BBC coverage is the global appeal of the FA Cup so the match could well go worldwide with viewers watching maybe interested in visiting us in the future or even home based viewers fancying a trip to Flamingo Park as a groundhopper or maybe for the long term. Just by chance we will have the new stand ready behind the goal in time for the game and the first time open for spectators and an amazing coincidence it will be opened for this match. Hopefully it will look good on the telly and we give a good account of ourselves.
I would like to say especially as this is a poignant period of remembrance that there have been many people involved with Cray Wanderers on our journey who have got us to this point who are sadly no longer with us like Kerry Phillips, Dave Jackson and members of the Jackson family, Keith Reeve and many more I can mention. Also yourself Mark, John McArthur, Martin and Steven Hodson, Phil Babbs, Jerry Dowlen, Peter Goringe, Jon Smith, Alan Richardson, Dodsy and others who have kept us going during difficult times on the road to us getting here at Flamingo Park. We are hopefully now all reassured the club will survive whereas when we were ground sharing at Bromley it was always a bit dicey but you can’t beat playing at your own ground. This has given us a great opportunity now to put us firmly on the map and hopefully for another 166 years.
Obviously we know it is going to be a tough game but the FA Cup throws up amazing stories. Only last season I saw Crystal Palace go out of the cup at non-league Macclesfield and as now one-off games ending in penalties having had that experience against Bedford may give us a bit of an advantage should it come to that especially the way JJ is performing in shoot-outs this season.
For those of you used to coming to Flamingo Park things will look rather different today with the TV gantry and extra scaffolding but this is just an example of how far we have come. Hopefully whatever the result today crowds will continue to grow and the momentum of the cup run can spill over to years to come and similar days like today. It is very pleasing how the local community have got on board with us since we have moved here, increased our support and also incredible how 2500 tickets sold out in ten minutes. That shows the demand and expectation but it is a very good problem to have.
Enjoy the game everyone and a safe journey home afterwards.dd
THE PRE-MATCH THOUGHTS OF TIM O’SHEA
Good afternoon everyone, and a very warm welcome to Flamingo Park.
Firstly, I’d like to welcome Jimmy, his players, coaching staff, directors and all the Stockport County supporters who have made the trip down for this afternoon’s Emirates FA Cup first-round tie.
What a day this is for Cray Wanderers Football Club ! For the first time in our 166-year history, we’ve made it to the first round proper of the FA Cup, and to be welcoming a club of Stockport’s size and stature, flying high at the top end of League One, makes the occasion even more special. Days like today are exactly what the magic of the FA Cup is all about.
We all know the size of the challenge ahead of us. Jimmy has done an incredible job since taking over at Stockport, building on the club’s fantastic momentum and getting his team playing some brilliant, winning football. They’re a top side and deserve all the respect that comes their way.
But today is also about our lads. They’ve worked their socks off to get us here, given everything along the way and thoroughly deserve their chance to show what they can do on a stage like this. We’ve earned the right to be here, and while we know we’re massive underdogs, we’ll be giving it absolutely everything we’ve got.
For me, the coaching staff and the players, it’s a really proud moment to be part of this club’s history. Whatever happens out on that pitch this afternoon, we’re determined to give you all a day to remember.
I’d also like to say a massive thank you to all our staff and volunteers who have been working tirelessly behind the scenes to get our new home ready for a sell-out crowd and the national television cameras. It’s been a huge effort from everyone involved, and we really do appreciate it.
And finally, to the Cray Massive and all those joining us for the first time today, we need you! Make plenty of noise, get right behind the boys from the first whistle and let’s make Flamingo Park a brilliant place to be this afternoon. Most importantly, enjoy every minute of it. Days like these don’t come around very often!
I’d like to wish Jimmy, his players and everyone connected with Stockport County a safe journey home after the game.
Come on you Wands!
Tim O’Shea
Manager, Cray Wanderers
DIRECTIONS TO CRAY WANDERERS FC
Flamingo Park Sports & Leisure – Sidcup By-Pass, Chislehurst, Kent BR7 6HL
DIRECTIONS TO FLAMINGO PARK FOR NEWCOMERS
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 and the club house hosts live music and private events. AFC Whyteleafe also play their Isthmian Premier League 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.
PLEASE NOTE THAT PARKING WILL BE LIMITED FOR THE FA CUP TIE WITH STOCKPORT COUNTY.
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. Please check National Rail Enquiries for other options.
For supporters travelling from Stockport/Gtr Manchester there is a train at 08.30 from Stockport which goes to London Euston. Then via the underground to London Bridge then onto New Eltham arriving at 12.38 with around a fifteen/twenty minute walk.
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. Please be wary though if using the footpath if wet and can get overgrown.
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
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.
If you go into Royal Chislehurst there are a vast array of eateries and pubs but please bear in mind not to leave it too late to get to the ground.
