Burgess Hill Town vs Cray Wanderers – Isthmian Premier – Saturday 25th April, 3 pm – Match Preview
Pics: Natalie Stribbling/Steve Cullum
The curtain falls down on another season for Cray Wanderers as the Wands head to Burgess Hill Town for a meeting between 7th and 8th in the Isthmian Premier League table and two sides that can look back on a satisfactory season. Kick off 3 pm.
The Wands will be looking to finish the season on a high and aim for the seventy points mark for only the second time in the Isthmian Premier league era. It will be a tough test though against a Burgess Hill side who have whatever happens on Saturday finished in a highest ever league position and settled nicely after promotion from the Isthmian South-East last season.
Cray will be looking to bounce back from the disappointment of the 2-3 home defeat to Welling United last Saturday and will travel to West Sussex with a fine away record this season having picked up thirty six of the sixty seven points on their travels which currently is three more than the Isthmian Premier Playoff’s season of 2022-23 and one less than the current best total of thirty seven points away from home in the 2011-12 season.
One thing that cannot be disputed is that Cray Wanderers certainly since the turn of the year have begun games home and away in spritely fashion and last Saturday, Cray made it a goal in the first five minutes in four of the last five matches and the other match was an eleventh minute strike. Ola Ogunwamide has hit the ground running since joining Cray from Horsham in February and netted his fourth goal for the Wands in the second minute to open the scoring against Welling.
Another player in good form is Max Fiddes who after joining the Wands initially on a month loan from Dover at the end of January and then extended until the end of the season made it two nil with his fifth goal for Cray. Max had a spell with Burgess Hill Town during December/January where he scored four goals and also after a stint at Canvey Island earlier in the season and has sixteen goals to his name.
Also having a great season is Alex Hernandez who still is in running for the League golden boot with twenty goals, level with Brentwood Town’s Daniel Ogunleye who has at least one more match to play with Brentwood in the playoffs and one behind Folkestone Invicta’s Jake Hutchinson.
One player Wands supporters will be saying farewell too is skipper Tom Bonner who has announced his retirement from the game after a long career and sterling service to many clubs and can certainly look back at time at his swansong club with pride.
Perhaps one of the few regrets of the season for Cray perhaps has been the loss of home points when in front of matches and one such match was the reverse fixture on 22nd November when the match finished in a 3-3 draw with Cray two nil up at the break and three two up going into added time. Goals from Chris Dickson and Lateef Adaja were cancelled out by goals for the Hillians by Luther Williams and Martyn Box. Kareem Isiaka made it three two in the seventy first minute but Burgess Hill were awarded a penalty deep into added time which was converted by Glen Rea.
Last Saturday Burgess Hill were beaten 0-2 at Dulwich Hamlet with ex-Wands David Smith and Nyren Clunis netting for Hamlet but not enough damage was done to prevent an eighth placed finish for Gary Mansell’s side.
Due to a new 3G pitch being laid their first home league match didn’t take place until 20th September and at home Burgess Hill have beaten Hashtag United (2-0), Cray Valley (1-0), Potters Bar Town (2-1), Ramsgate (4-3), Lewes (2-1), Dartford (2-1), Wingate & Finchley (3-2), Welling United (2-1) and Brentwood Town (3-2). They drew with Whitehawk (2-2) and Dulwich Hamlet (1-1) with their other games ending in defeat against Folkestone Invicta (2-3), Carshalton Athletic (2-4), Canvey Island (0-2), Aveley (2-5), Billericay Town (1-2), St Albans City (0-1), Chatham Town (0-3) and Cheshunt (1-3). Top scorer is ex Gillingham and Lewes midfielder Chris Whelpdale with fourteen goals.
The Wands first ever Isthmian League game was at Burgess Hill Town on 14th August, 2004 in what was coincidentally Burgess Hill’s first game at that level in Division One with Cray winning 2-1 with goals from Jamie Kempster and Leigh Bremner. The teams met for five seasons at Step 4 with the last visit on 14th October 2008 with the home side winning 2-1 with Tommy Whitnell scoring for Cray.
With no pressure on the match and in what is expected to be a very warm day this should be a great way to part the ways for a couple of months before pre-season starts again with the giant enticement of the World Cup Finals in between as two sides that can look back on the season with pride head off a well earned rest.
A Tribute to Tom Bonner
All at Cray Wanderers from officials, management, players and fans wish Tom Bonner all the best after announcing his retirement from football after over twenty years in the game.
Tom has had a distinguished football career and joined Cray Wanderers in November 2023 becoming skipper of the club and over two and a half seasons has made 88 appearances for the Wands scoring eight goals and has been a strong leader of the side.
Tom came from the QPR youth system and signed professional forms with Northampton Town in 2005 but went into non-league football joining Rushden & Diamonds after earlier loan spells with Bedford Town and Nuneaton Borough. He later went on to Hinckley United and Ilkeston before joining Dartford for the 2010-11 season and was part of the Darts National South promotion winning side. He made 125 appearances up to 2013 before going on to Cambridge United where he won the FA Trophy in 2013-14 going on to play in the Football League for the U’s. He served Dover Athletic on loan during the 2014-15 season before heading to Ebbsfleet United the following season making 37 apperances. He returned to Dartford in 2016 remaining at Princes Park until 2023 making 242 appearances and scoring eight goals. After initially announcing retirment he joined Havant & Waterlooville in the summer of 2023 making five appearances before coming to Cray.
Tom also represented Scotland at U19s level.
We thank Tom for his dedicated service for Cray Wanderers and being such a huge influence on young and experienced players alike and we wish him well in his well earned retirement.
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ADMISSION & DIRECTIONS
Address: Burgess Hill Town Football Club, Medical Travel Compared Stadium, Leylands Park, Maple Drive, Burgess Hill, West Sussex, RH15 8AQ
ADMISSION PRICES
The turnstiles at the Medical Travel Compared Stadium will be open from 12:30pm.
All matchday tickets are purchased at the turnstiles, with both card and cash accepted.
Adults £12
Concessions (over 65’s / students*) £8
12-18 year olds £3
Under 11’s £1
Programme: Printed
Pitch: 3G
By Car (from M23):
From Flamingo Park the journey should take 1 hr 5 mins by car.
From the Sidcup Road/A20 follow for 6.4 miles then take a slight left for the M25/A20 onto the slip road to Dartford Crossing/Gatwick Arpt/West Kingsdown/Swanley/B2173 for 0.2 miles. At Swanley Interchange, take the 4th exit onto the M25(S) slip road to Gatwick Arpt then after 0.5 miles
use the right lane to take the slip road onto M25. Merge onto the M25 for 6.4 miles At junction 5, Use the left 2 lanes to take the M25 exit to Gatwick Arpt/M23/Heathrow Arpt/M4. After 1.1 miles continue onto the M25 for 11.4 miles.
At junction 7, Use the 2nd from the left lane to take the M23(S) exit to Brighton/Crawley/Gatwick Arpt. After 0.7 miles use the right lane to take the slip road to M23 and after 0.2 miles use the right lane to take the slip road onto M23. After 14 miles continue onto the A23 and after 6.5 miles take a slight left onto A272 onto the slip road to Haywards Heath/Petersfield and after 0.3 miles at the roundabout, take the 2nd exit onto Bolney Rd/A272. After 1.7 miles at the roundabout, turn right onto B2036 and then after 2.1 miles at Fairplace Hill North Roundabout, take the 3rd exit onto Isaac’s Ln/A273. Continue onto A237 and at Fairplace Hill South Roundabout, continue straight onto London Rd/B2036. After 0.2 miles turn left onto Maple Drive and after 0.7 miles turn left for Burgess Hill Town FC.
By Train
The nearest station to Burgess Hill Town FC is Wivelsfield which can be reached direct from London Bridge at 05 or 35 past the hour. Trains at 15 or 45 require a change at East Croydon. Returns are at 14 and 44 past the hour. Direct journeys should take 50 minutes. You can also reach WIvelsfield from London Victoria with direct services at 24 and 54 minutes past the hour. Returns are at 11 and 41 past the hour.
To walk to the ground should take around eight minutes from the station. Walk towards Noel Rise for 0.2 miles then at the roundabout take the 1st exit onto Leylands Park. Turn a left, a right, a left and right for Maple Drive and the ground. Although the station is Wivelsfield it is located in Burgess Hill.
Nearest pub: The recommended pub is the Watermill Inn (1 Leylands Road, Burgess Hill) which is close to the station although slightly going in the other direction to the ground. This is the expected pub of choice for the Cray Massive on the day. The pub is open from 11 am on Saturday’s and does good food and drink, live music, dart board and pool table and a relaxed atmosphere with TV screens. It is a ten minute walk to the ground just following the above directions from the station.
Another alternative is the Windmill (134 Leylands Road) which technically is nearer at eight minutes away. There is a very decent clubhouse at the ground open from 12.30 pm with Guinness, Cruz Campo, Amstel, Inches Cider and Brixton Pale Ale plus a range of canned local beers and a great selection of wines and spirits. On the final day there will be live music before (from 1:30pm) and supporters if they arrive before 1:30pm will get a free drink voucher (see flyer).
At pitch side you will find the Bongo Bar which serves some great local beers on draught by North Garden Brewery and Only With Love Brewery. The bar is situated in the corner of the ground, clubhouse end. Additionally there is pie corner providing pies by Bangers Pie Shop in Brighton where you can have Pie, Buttery Mash, Mushy Pea’s and gravy or just a pie.
Burgess Hill is a town made up of two communities, World’s End and Sheddingdean which lies in West Sussex just on the border although parts of World’s End lies in East Sussex. It is situated around ten miles from Brighton and sixteen miles from Gatwick Airport. Very much an agricultural area until the arrival of the London-Brighton Railway and much like the Cray’s the area benefited from the change and became an industrial town and prosperous.
Local areas of beauty if you have time to travel are Bedelands Farm Nature Reserve and the Ditchling Common Country Park. Much like Chichester Burgess Hill has a musical tradition with a Brass Band that plays concerts through the year and a Symphony Orchestra. Perhaps of interest to me only, Holly Willoughby, a Sussexian was educated at Burgess Hill School.
