Cray Wanderers vs Horsham – Isthmian Premier – Wednesday 8th December, 7.45pm – Match Preview
Pics: Jon Hilliger – www.hilligerpix.com
Cray Wanderers begin the first of back to back home league games this week with a midweek match against an in-form Horsham side at Hayes Lane on Wednesday 8th December, ko 7.45pm.
Cray will be looking to get back to winning ways in the league after six games without a win but played well despite defeat at league leaders Worthing on Saturday. With the four of the next five games at home in league and cup Cray will be looking to build on four matches unbeaten at home and under the lights last time out against Folkestone Invicta gave a very good performance to gain a 2-2 draw.
BROMLEY, GREATER LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 24: Cray Wanderers’s Jamie Yila tries to get his head to a cross during The Pitching In Isthmian Premier League match between Cray Wanderers and Folkestone Invicta at Hayes Lane on November 24, 2021 in Bromley, Greater London, England . (Photo: © Jon Hilliger / HilligerPix)
Cray have certainly looked a lot more solid at the back in recent weeks and just now looking to convert more chances they create to help turn draws into wins and move out of the bottom two.
The Wands will have Cameron Brodie available after missing the trip to Worthing through suspension with the main injury doubt with Fjord Rogers who came off with an ankle knock early in the game on Saturday. The longer term injuries are for Joey Taylor and Charlie Allen at present. Sam Skeffington has two more matches left of his loan spell from Bromley. Anthony Cook remains the top scorer this season with nine goals.
BROMLEY, GREATER LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 24: Cray Wanderers’s Sam Skeffington, on loan from Bromley, runs at Folkestone Invicta’s Alfie Paxman during the The Pitching In Isthmian Premier League match between Cray Wanderers and Folkestone Invicta at Hayes Lane on November 24, 2021 in Bromley, Greater London, England . (Photo: © Jon Hilliger / HilligerPix)
BROMLEY, GREATER LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 24: Cray Wanderers’s Anthony Cook watches his long range effort go in to score his team’s first goal to make the score 1-1during the The Pitching In Isthmian Premier League match between Cray Wanderers and Folkestone Invicta at Hayes Lane on November 24, 2021 in Bromley, Greater London, England . (Photo: © Jon Hilliger / HilligerPix)
At the moment this is probably not a great time to be playing Horsham who after a slow league start to the season have won their last seven games including six in the league and four on the road. Despite only winning one of their first ten league games the Hornets had a superb if arduous FA Cup run which saw three ties go to replays and then a very long trip to Carlisle United in the 1st Round. Wins against Haywards Heath Town, Kingstonian, Eastbourne Borough and at home to Woking set up the trip to Cumbria which Horsham lost with credit 0-2. Horsham have moved up to 13th in the league table after being in the bottom three earlier in the campaign.
In the league, Horsham’s away form has been great of late including a 3-1 win at Merstham on Saturday with goals from Jack Brivio, Lee Harding and Eddie Dsane. They have picked up wins at Brighlingsea (6-0), Leatherhead (3-1), Carshalton (1-0) and Merstham (3-1) and drew at Lewes (0-0). Their away defeats came at Haringey Borough (1-3), Folkestone Invicta (1-2), Bowers & Pitsea (0-1), and Cheshunt (0-2). At home Horsham beat Merstham (3-0), Margate (2-1) and Wingate & Finchley (2-0). They drew with Bognor Regis Town and Bishop’s Stortford and were beaten by Horchurch and Potters Bar Town. Horsham were beaten in the FA Trophy Preliminary Round at Carshalton Athletic and advanced in the Sussex Senior Cup with victory against Pagham. Shamir Fenelon is the leading scorer for Dominic Di Paola’s side with 10 goals.
The sides have met 20 times either in the Isthmian South, South-East or Premier with Cray winning 10, Horsham 5 and 5 draws with Cray winning a couple of FA Trophy games in between. Horsham though did win an Isthmian Division One South Playoff Semi-Final in May 2005. The last meeting at Hayes Lane was on 1st February 2020 with Cray despite being down to ten men for 80 minutes won 2-1 with goals from Joe Taylor and Rhys Murrell-Williamson.
Horsham were a good team at Sussex County League level in the 1930’s winning the league six times. They won the Athenian League in 1972-73 and joined the Ryman League where they have remained for all but one season. They first met Cray in competition in 2004-05, the Wands first in the Ryman League Division One where we met in the Promotion Play-Offs Semi Final with Horsham winning 3-1 before they lost in the final at home to Bromley. The following season they did get promoted to the Ryman Premier for the first time finishing runners up to Ramsgate. In 2007-08 they had a good FA Cup run to the 2nd Round Proper where they met Roberto Martinez’s Swansea City and took them to a replay, both games were televised. We would meet again in 2009-10 after Cray’s promotion to the Premier for three seasons before they were relegated and after three more seasons in the South were relegated to the Southern Combination. In 2015-16 they were promoted from the Southern Combination and then consolidated for a couple of seasons in the Isthmian South. After playing a couple of seasons at the Sussex FA HQ at Lancing in the newly formed Isthmian South-East a tremendous run during 2018 made them the main challengers to Cray Wanderers in the division and finished in 2nd place behind the Wands. In the playoffs they achieved dramatic victories against Hastings United and Ashford United and were promoted to the Isthmian Premier. They began life at the new Camping World Community Stadium at Hop Oast during the 2019-20 season and are now nicely settled in their new home. They were 6th in the table that season before the season was null and voided and last season were 9th before the season was curtailed.
It should be a great game albeit on a cold night so perhaps a hot Beveridge or pastry might be in order. Admission £10.00 adults £5.00 concs/U16s – online at www.cray-wanderers.com/tickets/ or on gate.
