Cray Wanderers vs Leatherhead – Isthmian Premier, Weds. 19th January, 2022, 7.45pm – Match Preview

Cray Wanderers vs Leatherhead – Isthmian Premier, Weds, 19th January, 2022 – 7.45pm – Match Preview

Pics: Jon Hilliger/www.hilligerpix.com

Cray Wanderers run of successive home games continues on Wednesday night as Leatherhead are the visitors in a clash between two sides in the bottom three of the Isthmian Premier table.

After a bright start to the New Year with four points that momentum has stalled since for Grant Basey’s Wands side and are looking to bounce back from two successive home defeats to Bognor Regis Town and Corinthian Casuals. Cray who are 20^th with 19 points played well enough in both games last week and either came up against a goal keeper in good form,  a lack of luck in front of goal and perhaps just fizzled out in the latter stages of the games. Leatherhead will be the last of the 21 teams of the Isthmian Premier the Wands have yet to play.

On Saturday against Corinthian Casuals, Cray had the better of the first half and merited the lead given by Jamie Yila’s eighth goal of the season from Luca Albon’s corner. The Wands perhaps should have had a penalty straight after but was not given and ended up conceding a goal just before half time.  Again, Cray played well second half and looked fairly comfortable up to the final few minutes when Casuals pushed forward and scored a winner with two minutes to go.

There were positives amongst the performance especially from Cameron Brodie who has been superb in the last few matches and deserved his man of the match accolade. Albon looks a high quality addition to the team with his energy and creativity. Kasim Aidoo made some terrific runs forward in the first half and at the start of the second and Erald Desa always looks lively when he comes off the bench late in games.  It has to be said this is still early in Grant’s time as manager and still getting to know the players having only been appointed on 28th December.

 

The Wands opponents on Wednesday, Leatherhead have had a couple of changes of manager during the season with former Ashford Town manager Luke Tuffs appointed earlier this month from Mustaa Bashkal who had replaced Nikki Bull earlier in the season.  Luke has already brought in new players Aaron Lamont, Louie Paget, Seth Owens and former Gillingham striker Antonio German.  In their last game on Saturday, Leatherhead were beaten 0-4 at league leaders Worthing.   Archie Burnett who had a loan spell at Cray Wanderers earlier in the season from Bromley is currently on loan at Leatherhead.

Leatherhead sit 22^nd in the table with 12 points but have a much better away record than at home and their three wins have all been on their travels at  Bowers & Pitsea (3-2), East Thurrock United (2-0)  and Potters Bar Town (4-3). They drew at Hornchurch (1-1) and Carshalton Athletic (3-3) and their other games ended in defeats at Brightlingsea (0-1), Margate (2-4), Bishop’s Stortford (0-7), Bognor Regis Town (2-3), Lewes (0-5), Folkestone Invicta (0-3) and Worthing (0-4). At home they drew with Haringey Borough but their other games ended in defeats. They did advance past Whitstable Town after a replay in the 1^st Round of the FA Cup but lost to Corinthian Casuals after a replay and were beaten by Faversham Town in the FA Trophy.

This will be a match which has taken a while to come around again as the last meeting between the sides was on Boxing Day 2019 where Leatherhead won 1-0 with a Callum Driver goal. Due to the 2019-20 season being null and voided and the following season being curtailed the sides haven’t met since.

Overall in 13 league meetings Leatherhead lead the head to head with 6 wins to Cray’s 3 and there have been 4 draws.  The clubs also met in cup ties since Cray’s move into the Isthmian with Leatherhead winning all four games, two in the FA Cup (one after a replay) and two in the Isthmian League Cup.  Perhaps the most notable game between the sides came on 17^th August 2004 when the two sides met in the first ever Isthmian league home match for Cray ended in a 2-2 draw with Michael Power and Matt Woolf scoring for Cray.

Tyrone Sterling in action against Leatherhead in August 2008 during a 1-1 draw.

Leatherhead were formed in 1907 as Leatherhead Rose and after World War II merged with another local team, Leatherhead United and the new Leatherhead side entered the Surrey Senior League in 1946-47. After winning the league four times they moved into the Delphinian and Corinthian Leagues and were the last Corinthian League champions in 1962-63 thereby moving to the Athenian League.  Leatherhead twice reached the FA Amateur Cup semi-finals in 1969 and 1971 and became members of the Isthmian League in 1972-73.  Leatherhead made national headlines in 1974-75 with a run to the 4^th Round of the FA Cup after beating Bishop’s Stortford, Colchester United and Brighton & Hove Albion before going two nil up at 1^st Division Leicester City before the Foxes turned it round to win 3-2.   In 1978, the Tanners reached the FA Trophy Final losing 1-3 to Altrincham at Wembley.

More good cup runs were made over the years but there were a couple of relegations and promotions during the Isthmian League years and in the summer of 2000 were saved from extinction by their supporters who helped preserve the use of their Fetcham Grove ground. In 2001-02 they were placed in the Isthmian League South and met Cray in league competition in 2004-05 and in 2010-11 gained promotion to the Premier after beating Dulwich Hamlet in a playoff final but were relegated in 2011-12.  In 2013-14 Leatherhead reached the playoffs and beat Guernsey and Folkestone Invicta on penalties to gain promotion back to the Premier.  They have remained in the Premier and in 2017-18 finished sixth and missed out on the playoffs on goal difference and were 8th in 2018-19.  Leatherhead were 9th when the 2019-20 season finished in March and 12^th after nine games last season.

This has the makings of a must win game under the lights for both sides with plenty at stake. Admission £10 adults, £5 concessions on gate or online at www.cray-wanderers.com/tickets/