Hollands & Blair v Cray Wanderers – Match Preview – Tuesday 13th July, 7.45pm
Cray Wanderers travel to Hollands & Blair for the first time on Tuesday 13th July in match 3 of the 2021-22 pre-season campaign. The game sees Cray face one of Danny Kedwell’s recent clubs after a brief spell during the 2020-21 campaign which never really took place.
Cray have got off to a competent start to pre-season with a 2-1 win at Chatham Town on 8th July and then on Saturday 10th July defeated Isthmian North newcomers Hashtag United, 4-1 at Hayes Lane. A first half header from Andy Drury put Cray in front and after Hashtag briefly levelled Harvey Brand restored the Wands lead. Anis Nuur netted his second of pre-season with a 61st minute strike and another ex-Hollands & Blair player, Fjord Rogers completed the scoring ten minutes from time.
Some fine newcomers have caught the eye so far, goalkeeper Jack Turner has shone early on, defenders like Harvey Brand, Dean Beckwith and Ejiro Okosieme, midfielders Jack Hanson, Andy Drury, Cameron Brodie, Anthony Cook and wingers Jamie Yila and Anis Nuur look good acquisitions as do forwards Fjord Rogers and Sadik Balarabe.
The team which has been been built in a short space of time is bedding in well and the Isthmian Premier fixtures are announced on Wednesday. Before that Cray will face a stern challenge from Simon Halsey’s, Hollands & Blair team.
Hollands & Blair begin their SCEFL Premier campaign on 31st July away to Erith & Belvedere and so far in pre-season have drawn 1-1 at home to a United by Football XI and then lost at Kings Hill and Tilbury on Saturday.
Their last full campaign in SCEFL Premier in 2018-19 saw them finished 18th but in the incomplete 2019-20 season were 6th when the league ended
The club were a Twydall based factory works team and were officially founded in 1970. After years in the Rochester & District League they joined the Kent County League in2003-04 and in 2008-09 won the Kent County League Premier amidst a treble of silverware and won the league again in 2010-11.
Hollands & Blair joined the newly formed Step 6 Kent Invicta League for 2011-12 and won the Kent Senior Trophy that season beating Sevenoaks Town in the Final. They won back to back league titles in 2013-14 & 2014-15 and then promotion to the SCEFL Premier.
Their first season they finished runners-up to Greenwich Borough in 2015-16 and have become an established side and their Star Meadow Ground has benefited by some excellent refurbishment and improvements to help any further progress up the leagues.
This will be as always a competitive fixture against two sides keen on promoting youth football and who are well on the way to resuming their respective league campaigns after two frustrating seasons.
DIRECTIONS TO HOLLAND & BLAIR FC
Star Meadow Sports Ground
Darland Avenue
Gillingham ME7 3AN
Admission: £5 adults, £3 +65, £1 +16 – Pay on turnstile
DIRECTIONS
From the Crays: 38 miles – 27 mins
Driving Directions from A2:
Join A2 and after 11.5 miles at junction 1, use left lane to take A289 exit to Gillingham/Grain/A228 for 0.7 miles.
Continue onto Hasted Road/A289 for 3.2 miles and at the Four Elms roundabout take 1st exit onto Berwick Way/A289 for 0.3 miles.
After a slight left then merge onto Medway Tunnel/Vanguard Way/A289 for 2.1 miles. At roundabout take 2nd exit onto Pier Road/A289 for 0.8 miles.
At roundabout take 2nd exit onto Yokosuka Way/A289 for 0.7 miles and then at roundabout take 2nd exit onto Ito Way/A289 for 0.7 miles and then at next roundabout take 3rd exit onto Sovereign Blvd/A2 for 0.4 miles.
Then turn left onto Darland Road and then a left for the ground.
By train
Nearest Station: Gillingham
If walking from station please note the ground is 1.5 miles from the station. From Railway Street go left onto Victoria Street/A231, left onto Balmoral Road/A231 and turn right onto Duncan Road/A231 for 0.9 miles.
Then turn left onto Watling Street/A2 for 0.3 miles then turn right and then a slight left onto Darland Avenue and then left for the ground.
Bus 116 goes from St Marks Church (Stop J) which is about a 5 minute walk from Gillingham Station and alight at Barnsole Road where it is a 2 min walk to the ground via Darland Avenue and Rotary Gardens.
Nearest Pub: The Star which is located on Watling Street (ME7 2AA) and close to the ground car park.
