Cray Wanderers vs Potters Bar Town – Isthmian Premier, Wednesday 13th March, 7.45 pm – Match Preview
Cray Wanderers finally get their March fixtures under way on Wednesday night as Potters Bar Town are the visitors to Hayes Lane in a match which sees two sides playing their first game since 27th February. Kick off 7.45 pm
Cray despite not playing for the last two Saturday’s have remained in 13th place on 42 points in the Isthmian Premier League table after 32 games and with ten matches to play are 17 points clear of 19th placed Margate and 13 points behind 5th placed Horsham. The Wands last match on 27th February was a 0-2 defeat at Whitehawk which ended a seven game unbeaten run which took Cray further away from the relegation places. Cray are also unbeaten in fifteen games at home since October. Anthony Cook and Gary Lockyer are the leading scorers both with ten for the season.
Since the last game, winger Yahya Bamba has joined Eastbourne Borough while Josh Hallard’s loan spell from AFC Wimbledon has been extended to the end of the season. Injury wise Nyren Clunis is the longer term absentee while the break in games would have given players with any knocks or twinges to recover in time for the final ten matches in what will be a frantic end to the season with so many games to play in March and April.
Potters Bar Town come into the game in 16th place on 36 points from 28 games played and are unbeaten in the last five matches and are 11 points off the bottom four. Their last fixture was a 0-0 draw at Folkestone Invicta on 27th February but they have played a few less games than teams around them.
When the teams met at Potters Bar on 21st October the game finished in a 1-1 draw on a soggy afternoon with David Hicks’ goal for the Scholars cancelled out by an Ellis Brown goal for the Wands. Cray won the corresponding game last season 5-0 at Hayes Lane on 11th March 2023 with goals from Nyren Clunis, Dan Bassett, Destiny Oladipo, Sam Wood and Rio Campbell.
Like Cray, Potters Bar got off to a slow start to the season and lost their first six league games but have recovered well. Away from home Max Mitchell’s side have won at Hastings United (1-0), Haringey Borough (3-0), Kingstonian (2-0), Canvey Island (4-1) and Cheshunt (4-2). Potters Bar Town drew at Dulwich Hamlet (2-2), Bognor Regis Town (2-2) and Whitehawk (0-0) and were beaten at Carshalton Athletic (0-5), Chatham Town (0-2), Margate (1-2), Hornchurch (0-3), Billericay Town (1-2), Lewes (0-3) and Horsham (0-2). At home, Potters Bar Town have beaten Whitehawk (1-0), Wingate & Finchley (3-2), Hashtag United (5-0) and Concord Rangers (4-3). They drew with Chatham Town, Folkestone Invicta, Bognor Regis Town, Cray Wanderers, Cheshunt and Carshalton Athletic and were beaten by Enfield Town, Lewes and Billericay Town. Leading scorer is Brandon Adams with 13 goals.
This should be a very good game to watch between two sides in good form and well rested and an enjoyable evening.
Admission £12 adults, £6 concessions pay on the gate (cash only) or online at www.cray-wanderers.com/tickets/
