Cray Wanderers vs Potters Bar Town – Isthmian Premier – Saturday 11th January, 3 pm – Match Preview
Cray Wanderers play their final home game of the month on 11th January as Potters Bar Town are the visitors in the Isthmian Premier. Kick off 3 pm. The match sees the first ever meeting at Flamingo Park between two clubs founded one hundred years apart with the Wands in 1860 and Potters Bar in 1960.
The Wands will be looking to maintain a good run of home form and are unbeaten in eight matches at Flamingo Park and since mid October have begun to climb away from the bottom four and after last Saturday’s game at Wingate & Finchley was called off stand 13th in the table on 32 points.
The last home game on New Year’s Day saw Cray defeat Dulwich Hamlet 1-0 with Frankie Raymond’s 83rd minute winner and another steady defensive display which saw a fifteenth clean sheet in league and cup this season with Tom Bonner, Remi Sutton, Ike Orji and Darion Dowrich outstanding but also the team have been defending well from the front and Nathan Jeche, Josh Williams, Nyren Clunis and Raymond were superb against Dulwich Hamlet and also positive impacts off the bench from Michael Ihiedi, Kenny Coker and George Penn made a huge difference.. Following an intense December and festive season which saw Cray meet three of the league’s top 4 stand nine points clear of 19th place and also nine off 5th place. Cray will end January with three successive away games at Hastings United, Whitehawk and Wingate & Finchley.
Potters Bar Town have had a solid first half of the season and on Tuesday evening won 2-1 at Canvey Island which is never an easy place to get a result through first half goals from Brandon Adams and Steve Cawley. The Scholars are 10th in the table on 34 points after 24 matches.
The Wands though produced a fine performance to win 4-0 at Potters Bar Town on 16th November with Josh Williams scoring twice and goals from Nyren Clunis and Kenny Coker. The last meeting at Cray Wanderers was at Hayes Lane on 13th March, 2024 with Potters Bar winning 2-1 with two Adams goals with Gary Lockyer replying for Cray.
So far away form has been pretty decent for Max Mitchell’s side winning at Dartford (1-0), Wingate & Finchley (2-1), Cheshunt (1-0), Hendon (4-0) and Canvey Island (2-1) and drew with Chatham Town (2-2) and Cray Valley PM (2-2). They were beaten at Horsham (2-3), Whitehawk (0-2), Dover Athletic (0-3), Dulwich Hamlet (1-3), Carshalton Athletic (1-2), Hashtag United (1-4) and Billericay Town (0-1) last Saturday. Potters Bar Town are playing their home matches at Kings Langley while a 3G surface is being laid at the Scholars’ Lantern Stadium and have beaten Hastings United (2-0), Bowers & Pitsea (1-0), Lewes (5-0), Chichester City (4-3) and Folkestone Invicta (3-2) and drawn with Dartford and Bognor Regis Town with three defeats against Dover Athletic, Cray Wanderers and Horsham. Steve Cawley is leading scorer with 13 goals.
Games at Flamingo Park have certainly seen some dramatic finishes of late with all goals scored in December all coming in the last ten minutes and this promises to be another close contest in what is looking like being the closest league in years and between two sides playing well.
It promises to be another chilly afternoon but you can’t beat a bit of winter football. Admission £12 adults, £6 concessions, U16s/U13s on the gate or online at www.cray-wanderers.com/tickets – Printed Match Programme £3, Golden Goals Tickets £1, January Meat Raffle tickets on sale (draw 1st February), £1 or £4 a strip. Merchandise, Wands or assorted match programmes, books available. Hot food and drinks, bars available, live TV football and above all else, plenty of friendly banter and a warm Wands hospitality and welcome.
DIRECTIONS TO FLAMINGO PARK FOR NEWCOMERS
Cray Wanderers FC – Flamingo Park Sports & Leisure – Sidcup By-Pass, Chislehurst, Kent BR7 6HL
Flamingo Park lies on the A20 and is the new home of Cray Wanderers and used for the Men and Women’s First Team, U23s, Youth Team games, Academy side and the club house hosts live music and private events. For the 2024-25 season Bexley FC will also play their Kent County League Premier games at Flamingo Park.
By car
From Kent – Via M20 or A2
M20 – Follow the M20 for 16.8 miles then continue on to A20 for 3.6 miles then continue on to Sidcup By-Pass Road/A20 for 1.9 miles. Continue onto Sidcup By-Pass/A20 for 0.3 miles then take a left into the ground entrance and another left for the car park.
A2 – Get on the M2 from A229 for 5.1 miles. After merging onto the M2 after 5.5 miles continue onto Watling Street/A2 for 8.7 miles. Use the left lane to take the M25 (S) slip road to M23 for 0.7 miles. Merge onto the M25 for 2.4 miles then at junction 3, exit towards A20/London (SE)/Swanley for 0.3 miles. At the Swanley interchange, take the 5th exit onto the A20 slip road to London (SE)/Lewisham for 0.8 miles. Merge onto the A20 for 3.5 miles then continue onto Sidcup By-Pass Road/A20 for 1.9 miles. Continue onto Sidcup By-Pass/A20 for 0.3 miles then take a left into the ground entrance and another left for the car park.
From London, North & West
Via A20 – If traveling from London take A3212, A302 and Westminster Bridge Road and at the roundabout take the 3rd exit onto St. George’s Circus/A201 and after 0.3 miles turn left onto New Kent Road/A201 for 0.5 miles. Then keep right staying on New Kent Road/A201 for 0.4 miles and then onto Old Kent Road/A2 for 2.6 miles. Take a slight right onto Amersham Road/A2/A20 then a left onto Amersham Road/A20 for 0.2 miles. Take a slight right onto Lewisham Way/A20 for 1.1 miles and then use the left 3 lanes to turn left onto Rennell Street/A20 for 1.9 miles. Use the right 2 lanes to turn slightly onto Sidcup Road/A20 for 0.3 miles then at the roundabout take the 2nd exit and stay on Sidcup Road/A20 for 3.7 miles. Then take the A222 towards Bromley/Chislehurst/Sidcup for 0.2 miles then at Frognal Corner Roundabout take the 4th exit onto the A20 slip road to C. London/Lewisham for 0.3 miles. Then merge onto the Sidcup By-Pass Road/A20 for 0.6 miles and then onto the Sidcup By-Pass for 0.3 miles. Then take a left into the entrance to the ground and another left into the car park.
From Essex/East Anglia
Via A13 – If traveling from Essex/East Anglia get onto the A13 for 11.6 miles. Use the left lane to take the M25 (N)/M25 (S) slip road to M11/M1/Stansted Airport/Dartford Crossing/A282 for 0.2 miles. At Mardyke Junction take the 1st exit for 0.3 miles and then use the right lane to take the A282 slip road to M25 (S)/Dartford Crossing then keep right at the fork to continue towards A282 for 3.8 miles. Use the right 3 lanes to stay on A282 then follow signs for M20/M23/Gatwick Airport /M25/Channel Tunnel/Dover for 0.6 miles. Continue onto M25 (signs for Dover/M20/Channel Tunnel/M23 for 3.3 miles. At junction 3 exit towards A20/London (SE)/Swanley for 0.3 miles and at Swanley Interchange take the 5th exit onto the A20 slip road to London (SE)/Lewisham for 0.8 miles. Then merge onto the A20 for 3.5 miles, continue onto Sidcup By-Pass Rd/A20 for 1.9 miles and then continue onto the Sidcup By-Pass for 0.3 miles then turn left into the entrance to the ground and then a left into the car park.
From: Sussex/South
If traveling from Sussex/South best get on Hastings Road/Pembury By-Pass/A21 in Kent from A267 and after 9.4 miles continue straight onto Sevenoaks Bypass/A21 for 3.8 miles and then keep right to continue onto M25. After 7.9 miles at junction 3 use the left 2 lanes to take the A20 exit to London/Lewisham/Channel Tunnel/Maidstone/M20 for 0.3 miles. At Swanley Interchange take the 2nd exit onto the A20 slip road to London (SE)/Lewisham for 0.5 miles. Merge onto the A20 for 3.5 miles, continue onto Sidcup By-Pass Rd/A20 for 1.9 miles and then continue onto the Sidcup By-Pass for 0.3 miles then turn left into the entrance to the ground and then a left into the car park.
The Car Park is free for supporters and there should be space between 700-800 cars on site. Please note bays in front of the main entrance are reserved for club officials.
By Train – Nearest BR Station – New Eltham – 1 mile. Trains from London Charing Cross/London Cannon Street/London Bridge or from Dartford/Gravesend. There are four trains an hour heading to New Eltham from London Charing Cross. For returns there are also four trains back to London.
From the station walk south-east onto Foots Cray Road/A211 for 0.3 miles then turn right onto Thaxted Road for 0.2 miles. Then turn left towards Sidcup Road/A20 and cross over the pedestrian footbridge and take a sharp and then a slight right towards Sidcup Road/A20 for 0.4 miles and then turn right and then a left into the entrance to the ground.
By Bus – The best bet is to get the 233 from Swanley, Sidcup, Eltham or New Eltham which stops on Thaxted Road but is around 0.8 miles to the ground. The 160 from Carlton Road, Sidcup stops at Montbelle Road as does the 162 which also stops at New Eltham Station and the Fiveways roundabout and is around a 22 minutes walk to the ground.
TAXIS – TAXIS – ALL DAY CARS – NEW ELTHAM – 020 8850 0032
Nearest Hotel: Premier Inn London Eltham
738 Sidcup Road, Eltham, London
SE9 3NS
Sat Nav Directions:SE9 3TJ
Directions:
From South Circular Road, take A20 Sidcup Bypass until you reach Fiveways, where Sidcup Road meets Green Lane Premier Inn Eltham is situated on the corner and the entrance to the car park is on Green Lane.
https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/hotels/england/greater-london/london/london-eltham.html
The Car Park is free for supporters and there should be space between 700-800 cars on site. Please note bays in front of the main entrance are reserved for club officials.
Close to New Eltham Station are the Beehive pub plus the Pope Street Bar & Kitchen and the Nest offers hot drinks/alcoholic drinks and live music. There are also places to eat and a wide range of takeaway outlets as well as Fish & Chip and a Pie & Mash shop. Alternatively if you travel from Sidcup there are a wide range of pubs to choose from.
