Aveley vs Cray Wanderers – Isthmian Premier – Saturday 28th March – 3 pm
Pics: Natalie Stribbling
Cray Wanderers play the first of a double header of matches against Essex sides with a visit to Aveley looking to keep in contact with the playoffs against a Millers side second in the Isthmian Premier.
The match takes place on Non League Day, the annual event which raises money for Prostate Cancer UK and a huge tradition in raising the profile of non-league football on a weekend with no Premier League or Championship games for the international break.
The Wands host fifth placed Billericay Town next Saturday who Cray are eight points behind who themselves are five behind Aveley with Chatham Town and Brentwood Town also in the playoff mix.
Cray head to Parkside on the back of two straight clean sheet wins with a narrow but merited 1-0 victory against Potters Bar Town last Saturday. The Wands winner came half way through the first half courtesy of Ola Ogunwamide’s second goal for the club but despite coming close on a few occasions to make the win more comfortable Cray saw out the game to move up to seventh in the table on fifty eight points and are three behind sixth placed Dartford and level on points with Burgess Hill Town in eighth.
The back to back clean sheets was also a bonus which despite the absence of Remi Sutton for those games saw Quade Taylor partner Tom Bonner and after an enforced substitution against Potters Bar Town Crossley Lema settled nicely in the back four with the ever consistent Adrian Owiredu-Gyamera and Frankie Morgan alongside and the experience of Harry Seaden in goal. Up front Alex Hernandez with seventeen goals for the season remains in contention for the Golden Boot level with Leo Sery of St Albans City and two behind Daniel Ogunleye of Brentwood Town and one behind Jake Hutchinson of Folkestone Invicta.
There was some good news with Max Fiddes loan spell from Dover Athletic being extended until the end of the season and the striker is sixth currently in the goal standings with fourteen one behind Folkestone’s Joe Pigott.
The Wands away form has been very good this season with just two defeats in eighteen games played but will face a tough challenge against an Aveley side who are unbeaten at home in thirteen league games.
There is a scenario where a Wands win on Saturday coupled with a Folkestone Invicta win against Carshalton Athletic would mean promotion and the title for Invicta but certainly this task will be easier said than done.
Last Saturday Aveley bounced back from the defeat at Billericay Town on 14th March with a solid 3-0 win at home to Cheshunt. Toby Aromolaran who netted twice as a substitute when the Wands hosted Aveley on 9th January also netted two goals with Jesse Nwabueze also on target.
Aveley after going without a league win at home in their first six games have been unbeaten since and began a climb up the table and now you would think seem certain at least of one of the playoff places and seek an instant return to the National South after relegation last season. At home Aveley have beaten Lewes (3-0), Ramsgate (5-0), Wingate & Finchley (2-0), Canvey Island (3-1), Welling United (2-1), Cray Valley PM (3-0), Dulwich Hamlet (2-1), Potters Bar Town (2-0), Whitehawk (4-2) and Cheshunt (3-0). Brett Munyard’s team drew with Brentwood Town (1-1), Burgess Hill Town (3-3), St Albans City (1-1), Dartford (1-1), Billericay Town (3-3) and Chichester City (2-2). Their only defeats came early in the season against Chatham Town (0-2) and Folkestone Invicta (2-5).
When the teams met on 9th January Aveley performed as well as any team has this season at Flamingo Park to win 3-0 with goals in the latter stages of the game from Fletcher Hubbard and two from Aromolaran. Leading scorer is Ollie Peters with thirteen goals.
The Wands first ever Isthmian Premier League game was at Aveley at their old Mill Field ground which coincidentally was Aveley’s first game in the league on 15th August 2009 ending in a 1-1 draw with Colin Luckett levelling for Cray from the penalty spot in the second half. The last league meeting at Parkside was on 21st January 2023 with Cray winning 1-0 with a Tom Derry first half header.
With so much still to play for in the remaining weeks of the season this promises to be one of the games of the day one which both sides can go into with confidence.
DIRECTIONS TO AVELEY FC AND ADMISSION
Admission Prices
£14 adults
£10 concessions (12-17/Seniors over 65/Students)
£5 U16s
PLEASE NOTE FOR NON-LEAGUE DAY AVELEY OFFER £5 ENTRY FOR SEASON TICKET HOLDERS OF PREMIER LEAGUE THROUGH TO NATIONAL SOUTH CLUBS. AVELEY DEDICATE THIS MATCH TO PROSTATE CANCER UK AND THERE WILL BE COLLECTIONS AND EVENTS TAKING PLACE FOR THE CHARITY.
Match Programme: Printed
Playing Surface: 3G
Driving Directions:
Clockwise on M25:
– At junction 30/31, Use the 2nd from the left lane to take the A13 exit to Dagenham/Tilbury/Thurrock (Lakeside).
– Take Ship Lane to Park Lane in Aveley
: At Mar Dyke Interchange, take the 2nd exit
: At the roundabout, exit onto Ship Lane
: At the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto High Street
: Continue onto Stifford Rd
: At the roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Aveley Bypass/B1335
: At the roundabout, take the 3rd exit
: Merge onto Park Lane. Parkside will be on the right
Anti-Clockwise on M25:
– Merge onto M25
– Use the left 2 lanes to take the M25 N exit
– Merge onto M25
– Take the A2(E) exit toward Dartford/A225/Canterbury/M2
Via the A13
Follow the A13 until reaching the junction with the A1306. Turn left (Rainham/Wennington) then immediately turn right into Sandy Lane (B1335) to Aveley. At the next roundabout go straight over onto the Aveley bypass (B1335). At the next roundabout take the first exit on the left onto Park Lane, the entrance to the ground is 300 yards on the right hand side.
By Train:
C2C stations Ockendon and Rainham are the closest and most accessible to get to Parkside. Available to access from both Fenchurch Street/Liverpool Street and Southend Central.
Ockendon Station: The station is around 2.9miles away from Parkside, however, on Saturdays the Number 22 Bus runs from Elan Road to Hanford Road and the ground is a 3 minute walk from the Hanford Road bus stop. From Fenchurch Street trains leave at 23 & 53 mins past the hour and returns at 08 & 38 past the hour. You could get there via West Ham and trains leave at 03 and 33 past the hour.
Rainham Station: The station is around 4 miles away, and on matchdays there are 3 TFL 372 Buses an hour that take around 15 minutes to get to St Pauls Close and into Aveley, followed by a ten minute walk either through the Village centre or down the Aveley Bypass. Trains leave Fenchurch Street at 07 or 37 past the hour and returns as above at 03 & 33 past the hour.
Nearest Pubs are Sir Henrys (Romford Road, Aveley RM15 4XB or the Park Tavern also on Romford Road/Usk Road and The Top House, Purfleet Road, RM15 4DL. The Aveley Chippy in the High Street is the nearest Fish and Chip shop. If you get off at Rainham Station then close to the station are The Phoenix Pub (The Broadway) and close by the Angel Inn and also the Albion (2 Rainham Road) if you have time on your hands.
Aveley is fairly near for Wands supporters to travel and we have done so on a few occasions over the years playing Aveley, Grays and Hashtag United.
Aveley is a town lying just on the edge of Greater London and part of Thurrock Unitary Authority and a Church of England Parish. St Michaels Church in Aveley is a Grade I listed building. There are a number of Grade II listed buildings in the town and has an agricultural background in that part of Essex hence the nickname for Aveley FC. Aveley moved to the Parkside ground, which was the site of an old gravel pit in 2017 and has helped rejuvenate the club and area.
