All at Cray Wanderers wish Gary Hillman a very Happy 25th Anniversary as Chairman of our great club. We owe a great deal of gratitude to Gary for all his sterling efforts on behalf of the club and his long term aim to keep the club self-sustainable and has helped steer Cray through some bleak times since 1994 and the club will very soon have a home ground to call its own, the club are aspiring on the pitch to reach heights never before reached and the future is very bright.
Gary’s achievements of being the Chairman of London’s Oldest Association Football Club for 25 years is a remarkable one as he helped lift the club through some difficult and uncertain times in the mid 90’s and got the call to step in as temporary chairman in October 1994 after originally sponsoring a handful of games and the 30 year old came in and remained in his temporary role ever since helping Cray move from Oxford Road to Hayes Lane, taking Cray out of the Kent League and into the Isthmian where so many others had failed to get the Wands that high up the league and ultimately to a ground of their own which in the 2021-22 season will finally happen at Flamingo Park. There follows a series of photos over the last 25 years which show how far the club has come and where we are going to go from now on.
Thank you Gary from everyone at the club and without you we may very well not have a team to support and for having the patience to recover from planning application setbacks, delays and hold-ups that would have left others probably willing to jack it in. As we head for our 160th year and the future bright we say without Gary it wouldn’t have been possible. We might not have been the winningest team over the years but there has always been hope which is the important thing and that leads to expectation and self-belief that great days are around the corner. Hopefully the next 25 years will be as dramatic as the previous 25 but for now we live for the present, enjoying the past while looking forward to the future.
The first match of the Gary Hillman era – A 1-1 draw at Crockenhill on 29th October 1994 – Dave Jackson was Cray Wanderers manager for the day
Gary’s second season as Chairman in the 1995-96 season and things were about to take off for the club
Onto 1997-98 and the final season for Cray Wanderers at Oxford Road in Sidcup before moving on to Hayes Lane for the next two decades
Cray Wanderers players and Committee at Cowes in the FA Cup in September 2000
Gary with Jenko and the Kent League title in 2003
Cray Wanderers prepare to fly to Newcastle for the FA Vase tie at West Allotment Celtic – January 2004
Back to back Kent League titles and now Cray Wanderers are headed for the Isthmian League for Gary’s tenth season at the helm
Gary celebrates promotion from the Isthmian South with Jenko and John Woolf in May 2009
The open top bus parade greets Cray Wanderers promotion to the Isthmian Premier
Presenting Ian Jenkins with a special award for 10 years in charge of Cray Wanderers – October 2009
Celebrating Movember with Jamie Kempster – November 2009
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Conducting one of many 100 Club Draws with Sam Wood in 2009
Gary with Ian Jenkins and John Woolf with the beginning of the Sandy Lane Project in 2010.
Heritage Tournament winners – July 2010 as Cray Wanderers celebrate their 150th Anniversary
Gary with Boris Johnson when he was Mayor of London and brother Jo, MP for Orpington in 2010
Gary speaks to ITV who were covering a Cray Wanderers FA Cup game in 2010
Gary with the team, committee and supporters on the way back from Dereham Town in April 2015
The new development team for Flamingo Park, Michael Paye and Dave Francis with Gary in 2017.
Gary with Cray Wanderers Community Scheme founders Reggie Oliver and Tyrone Sterling along with Rob Sargent of the Acorn Group. The Community Scheme set up in 2009 continues to thrive and plays a huge part in the Community.
Gary with members of the 1st team squad at the Flamingo Park stadium exhibition – September 2017
Gary and Bob Neill MP for Chislehurst and N Bromley endorsing the Flamingo Park project for the second time.
Celebrating the Bromley Council planning application victory for the second time with Jason Miller, Michael Paye, Steve Owen, Tony Russell, Martin Hodson, Dave Francis and Sam Wright
The iconic wheelbarrow of planning support letters taken to City Hall in April 2018
Gary with Richard Dimmock, Tony Russell and Sam Wright at Welling Town – July 2018
With Ed Graney – Las Vegas Journal Review – October 2018
Gary with Dave Francis, Michael Paye and Mark Taylor from our main Sponsors Taylor Technology Systems – November 2018
Perhaps the greatest tweet ever in the history of Cray Wanderers – 26th November 2018
Isthmian South-East Champions 2018-19 with Joe Vines, Michael Paye, Tony Russell, Sam Wright and Nathan White – April 2019
Confirmation we are finally moving home – April 2019
Gary at Kingstonian – Isthmian Premier – August 2019
Still enjoying his football after 25 years Gary with Dave Francis and Sam Wright at Merstham – October 2019
New Profile picture – October 2019
Gary in vintage Crystal Palace 1990 FA Cup Final shirt
The story continues – A beginning of a new chapter and proof that football is coming home – October 2019
