Margate vs Cray Wanderers – Isthmian Premier – Monday 1st April, 3 pm – Match Preview
Cray Wanderers go into the final month of the season on Easter Monday with a trip to Margate looking to build on the positives of Friday’s draw with Chatham Town. Kick off 3 pm.
On Friday, Cray were looking to end a run of two consecutive home league defeats against promotion chasing Chatham Town and overall put in a positive performance which merited the point from a 2-2 draw.
Jack Holland headed his first goal for the Wands in the 21st minute but Chatham turned things around and took the lead by the 63rd minute. There was a sting in the tail however as five minutes into stoppage time, Alfie Evans came off the bench to fire an equaliser and put Cray onto 46 points from 36 games and in 14th place in the Isthmian Premier.
Cray probably require one more positive result on Monday to confirm safety and go into the game seventeen points clear of Margate in 19th place having both played 36 games. Cray’s away form has been decent since January and won three of the last five away matches.
Margate are seven points behind 18th placed Cheshunt and Mark Stimson’s side are unbeaten in their last two games and last Tuesday won 1-0 at Cheshunt with ex-Wand Destiny Oladipo scoring in the second half. On Saturday, their scheduled game at Potters Bar Town was postponed.
When the two sides met at Hayes Lane on Boxing Day the game finished in a tense 0-0 draw. The corresponding fixture last season was won by Cray, 3-0 on Boxing Day 2022 with goals from Tom Derry, Anthony Cook and Josh Allen and in recent years has become a Bank Holiday fixture.
At home Margate have beaten Whitehawk (2-1), Potters Bar Town (2-1), Chatham Town (2-0), Lewes (2-0) and Canvey Island (3-2) and drawn with Hashtag United (1-1), Kingstonian (2-2), Concord Rangers (1-1) and Enfield Town (1-1). Margate were beaten by Cheshunt (1-2), Hastings United (1-2), Billericay Town (1-3), Folkestone Invicta (0-2), Bognor Regis Town (0-2), Dulwich Hamlet (1-4), and Horsham (1-3). Away from home, Margate won at Concord Rangers (2-1) and Cheshunt (1-0) and drew at Dulwich Hamlet, Bognor Regis Town and Cray Wanderers and lost at Hornchurch, Folkestone Invicta, Wingate & Finchley, Horsham, Enfield Town, Whitehawk, Lewes, Hastings United, Chatham Town, haringey Borough, Hashtag United and Carshalton Athletic. Leading scorer is Steve Cawley with 19 goals in all competitions.
There should be a good Easter Monday crowd and with still much to play for could be an exciting game.
DIRECTIONS TO MARGATE FC
Margate FC
Hartsdown Road, Margate, Kent CT9 5QZ
Admission Prices: Adults: £12 adults
Concs: £9 (Males over 65, Women over 60 and Disabled supporters)
Youngsters: 11-17 year olds – £6
Children – Free when accompanied by adult
On gate or online at https://margatefc.ktckts.com/event/mar232440/-margate-v-cray-wanderers
Driving:
From Junction 2 of the M25 take the A2 and then the M2 towards Dover. On reaching the end of the M2 take the A299 towards Margate.
Stay on the A299 for sixteen miles, until you reach a roundabout which is the junction with the A28. At the roundabout take the second exit onto the A28 continuing towards Margate. After around four miles you will pass the Margate town boundary sign. The road at this point is dual carriageway but becomes two way. After passing a BP garage on your right and then the Hussar pub, also on the right, you will pass through a set of traffic lights. Take the second right onto the George V Avenue (sign posted Ramsgate A254) and follow this road up and around to the left (passing the Hartsdown Academy School on your right). At the end of the road you will reach a T-Junction where you turn right into Hartsdown Road. The entrance to the ground is further down on the left.
Street Parking
There is a small car park at the ground, but as you would expect this fills up rather quickly. Otherwise there is plenty of surrounding street parking available.
Train:
There are train services to Margate on Easter Monday as of today. Services run direct at 57 past the hour from Bromley South and take 1 hr 25 minutes to get there. You can catch the 27 past from Bromley South but require a change at Rochester for services that start at Stratford International. Direct returns are at 04 past the hour with the 30 mins past requiring a change at Faversham. Services from Stratford International are at 27 and 44 past the hour or can be picked up at Ebbsfleet International twelve minutes later. Returns are at 30 or 50 past the hour.
Margate Railway Station is located just under a mile from Hartsdown Park and is around a ten minute walk. As you come out of the main station entrance, bear right and walk up the station approach. At the roundabout turn right into All Saints Avenue and go under the railway bridge. Turn left into Tivoli Park Avenue and cross the road to walk alongside the park. After 350 yards, turn right down a surfaced footpath. The floodlights of the ground can be seen to the right. The path leads directly to the turnstiles at the South East corner of the ground on Hartsdown Road.
There is a very good clubhouse at Hartsdown Road and very welcoming but if you prefer to take in the sea air there are near the seafront the Cinque Ports and the Mechanical Elephant (Wetherspoons) on Marine Terrace, while strolling up and around are the Fez, The Two Halves (Thanet Pub of the Year, 2018 & 2022), The Bulls Head, The Wig & Pen while for real ale lovers, the Northern Belle on Mansion Street is listed in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide.
Margate is part of the Isle of Thanet in North-East Kent and has links with Dover in terms of maritime history. Margate was a major holiday destination for Londoners attracted by its impressive sandy beach. It is also home of the Dreamland Amusement Park which was opened firstly in 1880 and added the Scenic Railway rollercoaster, the oldest of its kind in the UK in 1920. The park was for a short while known as Benbom Brothers after the Dutch owners but reverted back to Dreamland in 1990. It closed in 2006 originally for housing but a campaign to keep it open worked and re-opened in 2015 and then again two years later. Margate also has an artistic history with the Turner Contemporary Art Gallery named after JMW Turner, the artist who was associated with the town. There is also the Winter Gardens near the seafront which is a live music and comedy venue and there are two other theatres, the Theatre Royal, the second oldest in the country and the Tom Thumb theatre, the second smallest in the country.
ALL AT CRAY WANDERERS WISH ALL OUR SUPPORTERS, OFFICIALS, MANAGEMENT, PLAYERS, DIRECTORS, COMMITTEE, VOLUNTEERS, SPONSORS, WOMEN’S TEAM & MANAGEMENT, YOUTH TEAM MANAGERS & PLAYERS, GIRLS TEAMS, OZAY BOOTH & THE MEDIA TEAM, MK PUBLICATIONS, 100 CLUB MEMBERS, FLAMINGO PARK STAFF & THE CRAY WANDERERS ACADEMY A VERY HAPPY EASTER TO YOU ALL & FAMILY & FRIENDS. HAVE A GREAT LONG WEEKEND.
