Cray Wanderers pre-season continues this evening after a weekend break with the most local of derby games as the Wands head to Glebe this evening. Kick off at Foxbury Avenue, 7.45 pm.
With three more games to play after tonight Neil Smith’s side will be looking to build on the positives so far of the opening three games of pre-season which has seen two wins and a defeat in the last match at Cray Valley PM a week ago. Despite the defeat and a chance to give all players minutes there were some positive signs particularly the way they finished the game with Cameron Thompson scoring his second in three games and as halfway through pre-season the side should start to take shape over the next couple of weeks. Cray began with two 2-1 wins against Welling United and Beckenham Town.
The Wands start their league season at Lewes on 12th August but before that have three games on the road at Westfield on Saturday 29th July followed by games at Phoenix Sports on Tuesday 1st August and South Park on Saturday 5th August which will all be good tests but first will need to focus on the challenge of Glebe who do not have to wait long until their competitive fixtures begin.
Danny Oakins side finished 7th in a highly competitive SCEFL Premier Division last season and started pre-season with a 1-0 win vs Beckenham Town followed by defeats to Cray Valley PM and Tooting & Mitcham United then a 3-2 win vs Lewisham Borough and a 1-1 draw with FC Elmstead.
Glebe kick off the 2023-24 season on Saturday in the Roy Vinter Respect Charity Shield at Larkfield and New Hythe which will be followed on 5th August with a trip to Kennington in the Extra-Preliminary Round of the FA Cup. Their league campaign begins on 12th August at home to Whitstable Town.
Glebe were formed in 1995 initially as a youth team based in West Wickham. The club entered the Kent Youth League in 2013 and now based in Chislehurst near the Old Elthamians rugby ground and started an adult side which was granted entry into the new step 6 Kent Invicta League (now SCEFL Division One). After a couple of seasons of solid progress, Glebe won the London Senior Trophy in 2015-16 and entered the FA Cup Extra-Preliminary Round for the first time. In 2016-17 Glebe won the Southern Counties East League Division One title and have made solid progress in the Premier since. In 2017-18 they finished 12th and reached the 4th Round of the FA Vase for the first time. 2018-19 saw them finish in their highest ever league placing finishing 8th. In 2019-20, the club were 14th when the season ended early reaching the Vase 4th Round once again. In 2021-22 Glebe finished in their highest ever league position of 3rd in the SCEFL Premier and another 4th Round appearance in the FA Vase only beaten to promotion by Sheppey United and Chatham Town. The club also has a rich recent tradition in Youth team football and produces fine young players and teams, especially at Kent Youth League level.
The teams have played in a handful of pre-season games in the past few seasons with perhaps the most memorable two years ago when Cray came from 3-0 down to win 4-3 with goals from Cameron Brodie, Lee Lewis (2) and Danny Kedwell.
Chislehurst | England | 20 July 2021 | Foxgrove Avenue
Glebe v Cray Wanderers
Pre-Season Friendly
(Photo: © Jon Hilliger / HilligerPix)
This will be a good test for both sides looking to keep in good shape ahead of the start of the season and a nice local one for Wands fans.
DIRECTIONS TO GLEBE FC
Foxbury Avenue
Off Perry Street
Chislehurst
Greater London
BR7 6SD
Admission Prices
£5.00 adults, £3.00 Concs £1 U18s
The club is located just off the A222 close to the Vauxhall Garage and a stone’s throw away from the Sidcup bypass. Head down Ashfield Lane if coming via the War Memorial and onto Perry Street. Take a left into Foxbury Avenue and the ground is about 0.4 miles up the road. If you are looking for a bite to eat and a spot of dinner then the Frogpool Manor restaurant is a short walk away but in Chislehurst itself there are plenty of places to eat. The nearest pub is the Sydney Arms in Old Perry Street. The nearest station is Chislehurst but is close to two miles away. The 269 bus from the station will take you close to the ground. Sidcup station could also be a possibility with decent links if you are heading back to London. The 260 bus will also take you there either heading to or from Sidcup.
