Worthing vs Cray Wanderers – Isthmian Premier – Saturday 4th December, 3pm – Match Preview & Directions

Worthing vs Cray Wanderers – 4/12/21, 3pm – Match Preview

Pics: Jon Hilliger/www.hilligerpix.com

Cray Wanderers begin their December Isthmian Premier Division fixtures on Saturday 4^th December with the final away league game of 2021 at league leaders Worthing. Kick off at the Crucial Environmental Stadium is 3pm.

The Wands are unbeaten in their last three games in league and cup and have been playing well and can go to Worthing in better heart than at the beginning of November.  On Tuesday night Danny Kedwell’s side had to show patience and resilience to grab a point at Bowers & Pitsea with an injury time cracker from Anthony Cook which was his ninth goal of the season.  The FA Trophy tie with Ebbsfleet United last Saturday meant perhaps a leggy performance but as with the cup tie some of the young Wands players came of age especially Freddy Barton, Tom Hanfrey, Richie Danquah, Kasim Aidoo. Sam Skeffington and Fjord Rogers who showed his versatility by starring up front against Ebbsfleet and as centre back against Bowers & Pitsea and put in a great shift in both games.

Cray will hope to have the likes of Andy Drury, Adam Coombes and Dean Beckwith available all of whom didn’t feature at Bowers & Pitsea while Cameron Brodie is out with suspension.  With the next three league games all at home the Wands will be looking to keep the points tally ticking over and start to climb the table and the team are certainly playing well and looking solid at the back.

It will certainly be a tough test on Saturday as Worthing have been without doubt the most consistent side in the Isthmian Premier over the last three seasons and were top in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons before they were declared null and void/curtailed and currently lead again by two points on 37 from Enfield Town having both played 16 matches.

Worthing will be the first opponents this season the Wands have already played with the Mackerelmen winning 2-1 at Hayes Lane on 28^th August. Thomas Chalaye gave Worthing the lead before Ejiro Okosieme equalised for Cray in the first half. Worthing though won the match with a well taken goal from Dashonne Golding.   Cray though did win the last time the sides played at Worthing on 8^th February 2020 when goals from Joe Taylor and  Joel Rollinson gave Cray a famous 2-1 win.

Once again Worthing have set the benchmark for the other teams in the league and after a slow start by their standards they went on a thirteen game unbeaten run in league and cup from September. Their run ended in their last league game, a 2-1 home defeat to playoff contenders Cheshunt on 20^th November. Their last match was a 0-2 defeat at home to a very strong Dorking Wanderers side in the FA Trophy last Saturday.

At home, Worthing have beaten Bowers & Pitsea (4-1), East Thurrock United (3-2), Corinthian Casuals (1-0), Bishop’s Stortford (3-1), Lewes (5-4), Merstham (2-1) & Potters Bar Town (2-1). The only defeats were to Bognor Regis Town (0-2) and Cheshunt (1-2).  Away from home Worthing won at Cray Wanderers (2-1), Leatherhead (4-0), Kingstonian (4-3), Wingate & Finchley (3-1) and Hornchurch (3-1). Worthing drew at Enfield Town (2-2) with the only defeat at Folkestone Invicta on the opening day of the season. Their FA Cup run ended in the 1^st QR with a defeat at Corinthian Casuals after a replay while in the FA Trophy they beat Chertsey and Hayes & Yeading both away before losing to Dorking Wanderers. Worthing also beat Seaford Town in the Sussex Senior Cup and travel to Lewes in the next round on 18^th December.  Top scorer is Ollie Pearce with 15 in league and cup.

With the matches coming thick and fast and against quality opposition these are exciting times to be a Cray Wanderers fan and will be an enjoyable second half of the season.

DIRECTIONS TO WORTHING FC

 

Address:

Worthing FC

The Crucial Environmental Stadium, Woodside Road, Worthing, West Sussex BN14 7HQ

Adult — £12.00
Concessions — £8.00
12-16 year-olds — £3
6-12 year-olds — £1
Under 6 — Free

Cash or card payments accepted on the gate

https://worthingfc.com/club/supporters/tickets/

Driving

From the Cray’s your best bet is via the A23.  From the M25 after 3 miles at junction 5 use the left 2 lanes to take the M25 exit to M23/Gatwick Airport/Heathrow Airport/M4 and after 0.8 miles continue onto the M25 for 11.7 miles.  At junction 7 use the left 2 lanes to take the M23 (South) exit to Brighton/Crawley/Gatwick. After 1 mile merge onto the M23 continuing on for 13.8 miles and then onto the A23 for 15.7 miles.  Use the left two lanes to turn slightly left and after 0.3 miles at the roundabout take the first exit onto the A27 slip road to Worthing.  After 0.3 miles merge onto the A27 and after 7.9 miles take the 2nd exit onto Upper Brighton Road/A27. After 2.2 miles turn left onto Sompting Road and then at the roundabout take the 2^nd exit onto Sompting Avenue/B2223.  After 0.3 miles turn left onto Broadwater Road/A24 and then after 0.3 miles turn left onto Northcourt Road.  After 0.3 miles at the roundabout continue straight on to Bulkington Avenue and after 0.2 miles turn into Woodside Road and the ground will be on your right.

PARKING

An additional 80 spaces are available at the public car park situated behind the church in Queen Street. The post code for the church is BN14 7BJ and the entrance to the car park is on the left hand side of the church.

Walking from Queen Street Car Park to the ground: Turn right out of the car park into Queen Street and walk to the junction at the end. From the junction, turn left into South Farm Road. Go straight over the mini roundabout by Worthing High School and after around 200 yards take the second turning on the right, Bulkington Avenue. The second turning on the left down this road is Woodside Road and the stadium is 75 yards down the road on the right

If choosing to park in the roads surrounding the ground please remember to do so with respect and consideration to our neighbours.

Train:

Directions – Worthing station is around half a mile to the ground.  From Railway Approach head towards Cross Street and take a right onto Cross Street and then a right onto South Farm Road and after 0.1 mile turn left onto Henty Road and after 0.2 miles turn right onto Woodside Road and the ground will be on the right.

Trains go direct from London Victoria at 15 & 45 minutes past the hour and takes shy of 1 hr 30 to get there.  Returns are at 04 and 35 past the hour. If you wish to leave from London Bridge trains at 15 & 45 past the hour require a change at Gatwick Airport.  Returns at 04 or 35 require a change at East Croydon.

The nearest pub to the ground is possibly the Brooksteed Alehouse on S Farm Road while in the High Street is the Corner House Free House and Garden.  There are plenty of other options in Worthing.  If you have time there are plenty of Fish and Chip shops in Worthing with the Worthing Fisheries highly rated on George V Avenue.

Worthing is a large seaside town in West Sussex and 10 miles from Brighton.  It possesses an award winning pier voted the best in Britain in 2019.  There is also the Cissbury Ring, a National Trust protected monument to a Neolithic Flint Mine and an Iron Age Hillfort.

The town was known for centuries for its Mackerel fishing and was a major industry before becoming a major seaside destination and many wealthy people went to stay there particularly in the literary field particularly Oscar Wilde and Harold Pinter.  It is also home to one of the country’s oldest cinemas, the Dome, opened in 1911 or as it was known the Kursaal up to World War I.  It has survived a number of closures and restoration and was re-opened in 2007. Culturally excellent, there are theatres, an Assembly Hall, Museum and Art Gallery and amidst the culture and fun of the seaside there remains evidence of its fishing industry past, hence the club nickname of Mackerelmen.