Wingate & Finchley vs Cray Wanderers – Isthmian Premier – Tuesday 28th January, 7.45 pm – Match Preview
Cray Wanderers play the last January fixture this evening as Neil Smith’s side head to Wingate & Finchley in a fixture originally postponed on 4th January. Kick off 7.45 pm and at this stage there is no pitch inspection planned for the Maurice Rebak Stadium but should this change this post will be updated.
The Wands will be looking to bounce back quickly after the 0-2 defeat at Whitehawk on Saturday in what was the first loss of 2025 and ended a run of four straight wins. It was certainly a game of fine margins against a similar in form team and 2-0 doesn’t really reflect the balance of the match with both goals on the counter attack when Cray were pressing.
Defensively, Cray again were pretty solid and didn’t give away too many chances but overall it was a game where perhaps there was a fair bit of cancelling each other out. Hopefully there weren’t too many injury concerns from the trip to Whitehawk and perhaps one of the positives was the return of Charlie Edwards for the last ten minutes as substitute and also with a new signing Dario De Luca making a late cameo appearance and another appearance off the bench for Ollie Rawlins.
Wingate & Finchley are no strangers to the Wands this season as the sides met in the 2nd Qualifying Round of the FA Cup which seems like a lifetime ago now. The teams drew 1-1 at Flamingo Park on 14th September with David Ijaha’s header cancelled out by an Ogo Obi penalty. However, Cray produced a strong, resolute performance to win 1-0 at the Maurice Rebak Stadium with a David Smith goal. This will be the first league game between the teams this season with the return game at Flamingo Park much later on 12th April.
Cray will be tested against a very strong and quick Wingate & Finchley side but have just hit an indifferent run of form and are without a win in eleven league games. Certainly their game last Saturday at home to Hendon was one of the most dramatic of the day ending in a 3-3 draw. Wingate led twice through goals from Carmillo Restrepo, Ogo Obi and Andronicus Georgiou but Hendon equalised in the fourth minute of added time. The point meant the Blues stand 15th in the table on 31 points and certainly were above Cray in the table earlier in the month. Ahmet Rifat’s side though have won at both Dover Athletic and Dartford and are a club that exceeded expectations by reaching the playoffs last season when usually tipped to struggle so they are a very proud club that often defy the odds (a bit like the Wands). Certainly Obi needs to be watched as he has scored 20 goals in league and cups including a hat-trick in the 6-1 win at Hendon.
At home this season Wingate & Finchley have beaten Dulwich Hamlet (3-2), Bowers & Pitsea (3-1), Carshalton Athletic (2-1) and Hastings United (2-1). They drew with Folkestone Invicta (3-3), Chichester City (1-1), Chatham Town (1-1), Lewes (2-2) and Hendon (3-3). Wingate & Finchley were beaten by Potters Bar Town (1-2), Horsham (0-1), Billericay Town (0-1), Cheshunt (0-1) and Dartford (1-2) Away form has seen wins at Canvey Island (3-2), Dover Athletic (3-2), Dartford (3-2), Hendon (6-1) and Whitehawk (2-0). Their other games ended in defeat at Carshalton Athletic, Dulwich Hamlet, Hashtag United, Cray Valley PM, Folkestone Invicta and Chatham Town. Wingate & Finchley beat Thame United in the FA Cup before losing to the Wands and in the FA Trophy exited at the 3QR losing at Chatham Town and were beaten at home by Tilbury in the Isthmian League Cup.
The teams have met many times in various competitions over the years and Cray faced the former Wingate club during the 1950’s in the London League Senior, a league the Wands twice won. Cray achieved a rare league double over the Blues last season winning 3-1 at the Maurice Rebak Stadium with goals from Gary Lockyer, Frankie Raymond and Anthony Cook in November 2023 and a 1-0 win at Hayes Lane in January 2024 with a spectacular Lockyer overhead kick but traditionally it is always a hard fought game.
Any morning-early afternoon rain is expected to clear across the capital from 3.30 pm so hopefully will be a dry evening for the Cray Massive fans travelling to North London this evening.
DIRECTIONS TO WINGATE & FINCHLEY FC
DIRECTIONS TO WINGATE & FINCHLEY
Maurice Rebak Stadium, Summers Lane, Finchley, London N12 0PD
ADMISSION PRICES
Adults – £12
Conc (OAP, student, unemployed) – £8
U18s – Free
Cash and card are accepted at all sales points at the stadium.
Programmes: Online
Supporting ID required for concessions or full price admission will be charged
Driving
The simplest way to get to the stadium is to get on to the A406 North Circular Road.
If coming from the West (e.g. via M1), go past Henlys Corner (taking the left fork after the traffic lights) and then drive for about 1 mile. The exit to take is the one immediately after a BP garage. Take the slip road and then turn right at the lights onto the A1000.
If coming from the East (eg via A10, M11) take the A1000 turn off. At the end of the slip road turn left at the lights. Go straight over the next set of lights, then after 100m pass through another set of lights. Then at the next set of lights turn right into Summers Lane. The Stadium is a few hundred metres down on the right hand side.
- Car Parking
Please be aware NOT to park in the Rugby Club next door, as they will close their gates and lock you in. There are plenty of nearby streets, although please note not to park on the kerbs and also some surrounding roads have yellow lines.
The Club car park on matchdays is available for Club Officials (Home & Away), Players, Staff and VIP guests only.
Blue Badge Parking: 4 free spaces are available on the front forecourt.
TUBE
The nearest Underground station is West Finchley Station (Northern Line – High Barnet branch).
The station is a 10/15 minute walk away from the Ground. Alternatively go to East Finchley Station (also on the Northern Line, High Barnet branch) and get a 263 bus heading north towards Barnet. Get off at the bus stop just after the Summers Lane traffic lights
National Rail
The nearest station is New Southgate in Travelcard Zone 4, approximately 1.5 miles from the Abrahams Stadium. Trains are operated by First Capital Connect and can be picked up from Finsbury Park.
At the top of the station steps take the right hand gangway which brings you onto Station Road. Head left up Station Road towards the bus stop. The regular 382 service to Millbrook Park goes via Summers Lane and takes about 5-10 minutes. You will need to alight at the Woodgrange Avenue stop, which is a short walk to the ground.
Nearest Pubs: The nearest pubs are the Elephant Inn in North Finchley which is also a Thai Restaurant around 0.6 miles away with the Tally Ho (Wetherspoons) similarly located.
If coming into East Finchley then the Old White Lion and the Bald Faced Stag are a bit of a trek on foot but the 263 bus will take you from there close enough to the ground.
For a decent chippie The Two Brothers Fish restaurant in Finchley is worth a stop off. About 1.4 miles away or a 263 (south bound) bus will take you to the ground.
Finchley is an area of the LB of Barnet which has three town centres in East Finchley, North Finchley and Finchley Central (Church End) and developed from the late 1800’s with connections to the Great North Railway. The area is quite artistic and has been the site of a number of films and TV locations. Finchley was the home of the Goons’ Spike Milligan and there is a bronze statue in the Stephens House and Gardens in East End Road. It was also the constituency of Margaret Thatcher from 1959-1992 and former speaker of the house John Bercow. Also singer-songwriter George Michael was born in East Finchley and Spice Girl Emma Bunton was born in Finchley. The area has a large Jewish community and the original Wingate club who Cray Wanderers played in the 1950’s were formed in honour of an Israeli soldier Orde Wingate and to combat Anti-Semitism and the current set up was formed in 1991 as a merger of the Wingate and Finchley football clubs. lo
At such a sensitive time with the 80th Anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp towards the end of World War II we send our thoughts and remembrance to those that lost their lives and those thankfully freed from such a terrible atrocity to go on to freedom.
