Cray Wanderers continue their road trip on Tuesday evening as the high-flying Wands return to league action with only the second ever visit to Potters Bar Town and the first of a double header of games against Hertfordshire opposition. Kick off at the LA Construction Stadium is 7.45pm. Following a midday check over of the pitch the game is definitely ON!
Cray extended their unbeaten run in 2020 to 17 games on Saturday with a ruthless display at Moneyfields to extinguish any hopes of a cup upset with four goals in the first 35 minutes. Joe Taylor took his season tally already to 8 with a classy hat-trick while goals from Freddie Parker, four in five for the midfielder and a Jay Leader header gave Cray a 4-1 lead at the break. Charlie Allen made it two in two games with a hooked volley and Taylor completed his hat-trick with the last moment of the game to complete a 6-2 win and book a trip to Bristol Manor Farm in the 3rd Qualifying Round.
Cray are second in the league table going into the latest midweek round of fixtures and have certainly hit the ground running with nine points out of nine, a feat Cray have never previously achieved in the Isthmian Premier. Despite not always being at full strength with Bradley Pritchard, Jason Banton, and Kyron Richards have been absent with injury and Karl Dent long term and also Tom Phipp, Allen, Jerome Federico and Ben Mundele have despite not playing a full pre-season have come back into the side and put in great shifts. The team is full of goals with Banton, Parker, Rhys Murrell-Williamson and Charlie Allen scoring 11 goals between them in league and cups. Add the trickery of Herson Rodriguez Alves and the options for Tony Russell are very impressive indeed.
Joe Taylor continues to produce outstanding performances and scored his 50th goal for the club vs. Folkestone Invicta last Tuesday and looks so sharp up front.
Potters Bar Town though will provide tough opposition on their own patch and Lee O’Leary’s although lie 16th in the table did win their last league match 3-0 at home to Cheshunt last Tuesday with Nana Kyei scoring twice and Ben Ward-Cochrane scoring. Potters Bar played as recently as Sunday in the FA Cup where they lost 2-1 to National South Concord Rangers after Samson Esan gave the Scholars the lead in a game that was played at Potters Bar. Their first two league games ended in defeat, 0-3 at Carshalton on the opening day of the season and then 1-2 at home to Corinthian Casuals. In between they won 1-0 at home to East Thurrock United in the FA Cup.
Last season, Potters Bar were lying 13th and comfortably in mid-table when the season ended, reached the 4th Qualifying Round of the FA Cup and since then have added to a settled squad the last couple of season with three ex-Enfield Town players, fullback Joe Payne, Midfielder Nathan Livings and ex-Wands U18s player Ken Charles. Also arriving were striker Anthony Mendy and midfielder Charlie Ruff from Wingate & Finchley. The first ever trip to Potters Bar on 31st August, 2019 ended in a 1-1 draw with Bradley Sach scoring for the home side before Joe Taylor levelled deep into stoppage time, The return game at Hayes Lane on 7th December saw Cray play impressively to win 4-0 with goals from Andre Coker, Lee Lewis, Joe Taylor and Karl Dent.
Potters Bar Town were formed one hundred years after Cray Wanderers in 1960 and were known as Mount Grace Old Scholars after a team was set up for ex-Mount Grace School pupils until 1991. They spent their early existence in the Hertfordshire County League Division One and in 1981-82 were promoted to the Premier Division. In 1991 after being promoted to the South Midlands League Premier and in 1996-97 to the Spartan South Midlands Division North where they came second and the Quarter Finals of the FA Vase.
In 2004-05 the club were promoted from the South Midlands Premier and into the Southern League Division One East where they spent one season before being moved to the Isthmian North for 2005-06. They remained there before being moved back to the Southern League Division One Central for a couple of years thereby missing Cray Wanderers in the Wands two season stay in the North. They returned to the North and were promoted in 2017-18 behind champions Hornchurch and in their first season in the Isthmian Premier finished in a respectable 16th place and improved on that to be 13th when football ended early.
Despite the uncertainty in non-league football at the moment one thing that is certain is that the games come thick and fast but each time Cray Wanderers play it is an enjoyable occasion and at the moment a joy to watch. The game will be tough but one to look forward to.
DIRECTIONS TO POTTERS BAR TOWN FC
The LA Construction Stadium,
Watkins Rise (off The Walk)
Potters Bar
Hertfordshire
EN6 1QB
Admission
Prices: Adults: £12.00
Concessions: £8.00 (Over 65’s & students)
U16s/Juniors: £1.00
Capacity – 600 – Pay cash admission on gate, track & trace in operation. Due to Covid-19 10 pm curfew regulations please if you can, leave straight after the game.
Travelling By Car
Directions from M25
Come off at Junction 24, take A111 exit (Southgate Road) towards Potters Bar. Continue to traffic lights then turn right at A1000 on to High Street. After passing BP garage on left and a pedestrian crossing turn left into the Walk after 200 metres turn right into Watkins Rise and the ground is to your right
Please do not park in Mayfair Lodge Care Home car park – as you may be clamped
Please use the Car Park adjacent to the ground. You may also park on one side of the entrance part to Watkins Rise, but ensure you allow access for Emergency vehicles.
Travelling By Train to Potters Bar Station
Trains go to Potters Bar via London Kings Cross station. Trains run half hourly midweek at 28 & 58 past the hour and takes 17 minutes to get there calling at Finsbury Park and then Potters Bar. Returns to Kings Cross are at 02 & 32 past the hour running up to 00:40.
The ground is 10 minutes’ walk from Potters Bar Station. Exit the station and turn right and almost immediately right again into The Walk. Ground is around a mile on the left hand side.
For buses no’s 84, 298 or 313 will take you close to the ground.
Nearest Pubs/restaurants
As you are fairly close to the High Street there are a number of options available. There is the Cask and Stillage (19 High Street) and the Oakmere House Harvester, while fairly close and if time on your hands there’s the Old Manor and the Admiral Byng on Darkes Lane and going a bit out of your way are the Strafford and the Builders Arms. Also the Chequers on Coopers Lane if you really want to make a day of it.
On Barnet Road is the Fish & Chip Shop (no fancy name required) which is highly rated For Indian food there are the Pubali Tandoori in the High Street and Tamarind on Barnet Road but these won’t be open until after the match due to the Covid curfew and the China Style restaurant also on Barnet Road.
Potters Bar is a commuter town in Hertfordshire about 13 miles from central London. It is situated on the Great North Road one of a couple of routes out of the City of London which will take you to the North of England. Much of the town was owned by the Byng family and own the Wrotham Park Estate between Potters Bar and Barnet.
