Cray Wanderers - Flamingo Park

Cray Wanderers FC

Flamingo Park

Sidcup By-Pass

Chislehurst 

BR7 6HL

Official Website

Twitter

Ground Number: 1324

Friday 26th July 2024
Cray Wanderers 0-6 Crystal Palace
Friendly

CRAY WANDERERS FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

Cray Wanderers is the oldest club in London and one of the oldest in football, established in 1860. The club emerged from lunchtime kick-abouts between St. Mary Cray villagers and labourers constructing a railway viaduct across the Cray Valley in northwest Kent. Soon a ground was laid out – on what is now Star Lane Cemetery – and matches were played against Army teams and other local villages. Known as St Mary's Cray originally, they were first referred to as Cray Wanderers around 1887, It was around this time they turned professional and were a feeder or nursery club for Wolliwch Arsenal. They were founder members of the Kent League Division 2 in 1894 and won promotion to Division 1 after a 3rd-placed finish in 1896. They were champions of the league in 1902 but left soon after. Following the end of the first World War, they joined the London League. Twice runners-up, they were champions in 1957 & 1958 before leaving for the Aeotolian League in 1960 which they won three years later. A spell in the Metropolitan League followed before Cray joined the London Spartan League in 1975. They won the title in 1977 and 1978 before returning to the Kent League. They were long-time members here, winning the title another three times before being able to take promotion in 2004. They joined the Isthmian Division 1 South and were runners-up in 2009. Crawy beat Worthing and Met Police in the playoffs to gain promotion to the Isthmian Premier. Two 9th place finishes were achieved in their first spell before they were relegated in 2014. Back in Division 1 South, they missed out in the playoffs in 2018 before being crowned champions in 2019. A best-ever 5th-place finish in 2023 was achieved before Cray lost out to Hornchurch in the playoff semi-finals.

Cray Wanderers have twice reached the FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round in 2006 and 2021. They entered the first-ever FA Amateur Cup competition in 1895, having a best-ever run to the 3rd Round in 1968. The 2021/22 season saw the club's record FA Trophy run as they reached the 3rd Round, beating Ebbsfleet United amongst others before losing to Dartford. The club also has two FA Vase Quarter Finals to their name. Local honours include the Kent Senior Trophy twice and three Kent Amateur Cups. Cray started playing football at Star Lane, St Mary Cray, now a cemetery. After playing at numerous other grounds in St Mary Cray and Foots Cray, Cray played at Grassmeade from 1954 to 1973, after which they moved to Oxford Road, Sidcup. Unfortunately for the club, in 1998 the Kent League ruled that clubs must have floodlighting. As Cray were unable to have lights installed, they were forced to move out and share with Bromley, where they remained unto the end of last season. Flans for a new ground at Sandy Lane, Orpington were mooted in 2008 with a target of moving in by 2014, However, these were rejected by the council due to the commercial aspect attached to the plans. A scaled-down version of the plans were submitted to purchase Flamingo Park Sports Centre, historically in Foots Cray parish on the A20 Sidcup bypass. This was initially approved in 2016 but later rejected by the Mayor Of London. Revised plans were finally approved in 2018. Work on the ground began in August 2023 and the women's team played a game earlier this year when it was little more than a pitch with changing rooms. The ground fully opened for pre-season, ready for the start of this season.

MY VISIT

I always love a bit of Friday night football and so I was glad when Cray Wanderers announced that they would be playing a Friendly against Crystal Palace on this day. Cray Wanderers were one of the most historic clubs but this was the first time in their 164-year history that they would own their ground. They had led a nomadic existence up until this point and although the ground was around five miles from their first home, it was still a mile closer to 'home' than their groundshare at Bromley. Their initial plan was to be located around a mile from their original base at Sandy Lane in Orpington, but this never got over the line. One thing a lot of these places had in common, and indeed Benfleet tomorrow was the lack of decent pubs in the area. Needing to find somewhere to eat, Wetherspoons seemed ideal. I had six possibilities, but even the nearest one was an hour away adding significant time to my journey.

From a great day in Dartford, it was a stop at the Ciderdog Festival near London Bridge. A sensible four halves were enjoyed. They were not as good as the Ross Cider I'd had earlier, so it was easy to head for home via Taco Bell for some tasty and well-priced food. I was back in just after 8 and had a relaxed couple of cans before bed. Sunday was another grueller in a packed shop full of families. It'll be more of the same with the school holidays, for me, it would be another 54 days until I had more than one day off in a row. After being tired recently, I left Runwell Sports for a Saturday and revisited Flackwell Heath on Tuesday. It was the usual walk to town & back in the morning before continued frustration at trying to pin down a plan for my September trip. TV schedulers are the main culprit, dragging their heels over which games they want to show. In the end, I finally managed to get something pinned down for both the Czech Republic at the weekend and Belfast in the week before.

The day of the game came and it was the end of a tiring week at work. Friday, as ever, was brutal and I was glad I got out on time. I was looking forward to my one-day weekend and had enough time for a rest at home before I needed to go out. I left at 2.50 and was at the station ten minutes before my intended train. However, the half-hourly service was cancelled without apology or explanation. Thankfully I had built in plenty of time but it was annoying to be wasting valuable free time. After 25 minutes wait, I got the Chiltern to Marylebone. From carefully laid plans, I was back to deciding everything on the hoof. Google Maps and TFL both threw up unsatisfactory routes when I checked at Amersham. So I jumped forward in time and navigated from Marylebone with the latter. That threw up something far better and I should only arrive at Spoons 15 minutes later than originally planned. I've been ploughing through audiobooks lately, and especially some excellent time travel novels by Keith A Pearson. I often wish I could go back to around 1993 for my last couple of years at school. I'd then attempt to get a a career as a journalist or writer rather than a draining job. The temptation would be to go back to 89/90 to visit Wycombe's Loakes Park, but I couldn't be arsed with starting from such a young age. In any case, my first football memories are cherished and the memories or results and events for betting would keep me well off, even if I didn't get my desired career.

Due to a delay on my train, I had to get my skates on to jog to Baker Street and the Jubilee to London Bridge. The noisy packed sweatbox does its job and with a bit of pace, I am the platform I need four minutes before my departure. London Bridge is one of my favourite places for a pint but I've little time to spare. My Spotify audiobook time runs out and so I treat myself to the title on Audible. I'm buoyed by winning an Abertillery Bluebirds shirt on Twitter, I'm told at odds of 141-1. Nice. I am at Wetherspoons 345, The Sovereign Of The Seas by 5.30. My first drink in six days tastes great, a bottle of Aspalls with Shawarma Wrap and chips is just £6.67. The wrap is great, though the chips have seen better days. The pub name origin is described thus: For more than 200 years, the Petts family was the country’s leading shipbuilder. In 1634, Phineas Pett designed Sovereign of the Seas, for Charles I. The finest ship of her age, she sailed the seas until catching fire in 1697. I order a pint of Strongbow for £2.64 on the updated but less intuitive app. In the week, I lost my visit history and had to spend ages putting it all back in. It was disappointing to do so on a downgraded app. The service is not the quickest with the pub being busy, so I will be seeking a later train or bus than planned, exacerbated by the earlier delay. I leave at 6.15, taking a bus only route, costing me five minutes but saving me £3 on the peak fare. Chislehurst station saw a ten minute wait but I'd be well in time for the game. The wait turns to 15 minutes but I was still well on schedule. I was at the ground by 7.15. I'd got my ticket for £10 online. The first face I saw was M-Tac or Adam as he is better known. It was nice to catch up. It was also nice to try a pint of London Cider, an excellent drop from Westons and a sensible strength. The ground was OK but the extras were superb, a bar with imagination in the drinks and the food was decent too. I also raided the club shop for pen, programme and a couple of books for £8. Also some chips.

Palace started on the front foot. They'd convincingly beaten Braintree in the week, so it was no shock when they took the lead after five minutes from close range. Caleb Redhead added his and his team's second ten minutes later. On 24 minutes, Palace led 3-0, Cowin smashed in a rebound after an initial shot had been parried. On 51 minutes, Cray were awarded a penalty. It was smacked against the bar though and the rebound blasted over. The young visitors made it 4-0 on the hour, a well-worked move, finished by Seb Williams. The goal of the game made it 5-0 on 73 minutes, Matteo Dashi with a superb left foot curling shot from 20 yards. Cray had a couple of chances late on, but they couldn't convert. Willliams added a sixth in the last minute as Palace ran riot.

The Palace side had been superb, I remember about ten years ago, their youth team was a rich seam for lower league players on the game Football Manager. Lots of retro shirts were on display and Palace certainly have had some brilliant players down the years. The less said about their former manager Alan Smith's impact on Wycombe, the better though, our worst manager ever. An attendance of 707 was present and it was certainly a good night. It was around a 20-minute walk to New Eltham Station for the half-hourly service to London Bridge. I had around ten minutes to wait for the 22:07. All being well, I'd get my blog up and be back home this side of midnight. It was a great start, a lovely empty train and a carriage to myself. A refreshing change from the busy journey to the game. It was not as I hoped. TFL Go was far too optimistic about getting back to Harrow On The Hill for 22:09, especially with my Metropolitan line train delayed. I got the 22:25 Metropolitan, meaning a delay of around 25 minutes but I was still back at Amersham pre-midnight.

THE GROUND

FLAMINGO PARK SPORTS GROUND is a decent setup for the level. Located 20 minutes from New Eltham Station and with plenty of parking, the ground is reasonable. There is some terracing set back from the pitch behind one goal. There is also a stand holding around 300 seated with some covered standing too. The food service is OK, a good choice but variable service and availability. The two highlights are the downstairs bar with unusual drinks on draught. Also a good value club shop, temporary but with a good range of varied items at good value prices.

Fleetdown United - Heath Lane Lower Ground

Fleetdown United FC

Heath Lane Lower Ground

Heath Lane (Lower)

Dartford

Kent

DA1 2QH

Official Website

FA Full Time Page

Twitter

Ground Number: 1323

Saturday 20th July 2024

Fleetdown United 4-2 Bexley
Friendly

FLEETDOWN UNITED FC - A BRIEF HISTORY

Fleetdown FC was initially formed in 1971 with a junior side of U11’s leaving Fleetdown Primary School. They trained on the school’s field and joined the IJF League. Due to a lack of funds, the team decided on Tangerine as their colour of choice as no other side played in that colour and therefore no away kit would be required. The team was heavily reliant on goodwill and fundraising and the Fleet Estate Residence Association financed the first kit at the cost of £50. The IJF league proved quite difficult with both humbling results and travel logistics so the club joined the Bexley League and over time, they expanded the club to include several sides. Fundraising allowed them to buy and expand their current home which they moved to in 1992, the first building was the tea hut which still stands today. The clubhouse opened in 2004 which was a great help in calling the place home. After playing in local adult leagues, they joined the Kent League sometime before 2002 when they were in Division 1 West. They were relegated to Division 2 West in 2008 but won promotion back in 2011 when they were runners-up behind Hildenborough Athletic. They then won Division 1 in 2013 and have been in the Premier Division ever since. They've never looked like dropping back down and their best placing came in 2018 then they finished 5th.

The club is based in Dartford, where the prominent club is Dartford FC of the National South. There are also fellow Kent League side Kent United who are situated less than a mile away. Various sides rent out the 3G pitch at Princes Park, including Halls AFC, one of the leading lights in the Kent League. The town of Dartford is 18 miles southeast of central London and has a population of just over 51,000. Some of Dartford's key industries, including brewing, paper-making, flour milling and cement manufacture, suffered extreme decline in the 20th century, causing redundancies and unemployment. Swanscombe Cement Works (now redeveloped into Bluewater shopping centre) was closed by Blue Circle in 1990. Famous people from Dartford include Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, TV presenter Steve Rider and DJ Pete Tong. The people of Dartford have some taste, as Margaret Thatcher was a failed parliamentary candidate here in 1950 and 1951.

MY VISIT

Though I briefly considered visiting Wales for a competitive game, this weekend was always going to be a weekend in the South East, preferably London. This was due to my longstanding intention to visit the Ciderdog Festival at the excellent Miller pub in London. I had missed last year due to spending my birthday weekend in Wales and for the same reason the previous year in Newcastle. However, this year, I'd booked my holidays at work more strategically, not wanting to 'waste' my limited resources on friendlies. I still needed a game to go to. My first thought was Benfleet as they kicked off at 12:30 but I really wanted to save them for a competitive game. Another possibility was Runwell Sports but this too was outside the environs of the TFL zones and with little to do pre-match. I saw by chance a Halls Athletic tweet that said that they had a game in Dartford but I was aiming to save that for poor weather. However, the ideal game did come nearby in the form of Fleetdown United v Bexley. I'd originally intended to visit the ground on 20th January but a frozen pitch put paid to that. I saw the club was originally looking for a home game on this Saturday and the club was very helpful in confirming that they were playing Bexley with a 13:30 kickoff. This was perfect for getting back to central London for the cider festival and then back to Amersham in time for the buses.

Since my last blog, I returned to London and ticked off another Wetherspoons near Tower Bridge. Everything else then aligned for getting home via the hourly bus service once back at Amersham and I was in just after 9. I was still tired the next morning getting up at 4 am though. It was more football the next day, albeit on TV. Spain had been the best team in Euro 2024 and that came to pass as they beat England in the final. England never really got going until the last twenty minutes and only had a brief hope before Spain struck a second to get a deserved win. On Tuesday I made my 23rd visit to Holmer Green as they lost 2-0 to Amersham Town. I decided my destination for the weekend on Wednesday after a tentative Twitter enquiry. Plans were swiftly drafted for the perfect day including Dartford Working Mens Club pre-game. This had been my plan for my original visit and although they had scaled back their cider range since my last visit, there was still one from my favourite maker of Ross-On-Wye. It was my 45th birthday on Thursday and just another day as far as I'm concerned with work as usual. I had a nice curry and watch the Connah's Quay Nomads v NK Bravo on TV. I wanted the Welsh side to win but late goals and tiredness was their undoing. One notable player for the Slovenians was Tais Šabotić, a 16-year-old who came on as a sub and looked a right handful for the tired Welsh defenders. It was work the next day but I was looking forward to my one-day weekend.

The night before I went up to one of my local clubs, Risborough Rangers. At just over 8 miles away, it was surprisingly only my 3rd visit as they beat Southall 1-0 in a friendly. It was a lovely friendly club and I really should visit more. I love a bit of Friday night football and wish more clubs would do it, especially with a rare nice day of weather. I got a good night's sleep, waking just before my 8am alarm, a four hour lie in compared to work. After breakfast and getting dressed, I left at 8.45, slightly behind schedule. Despite the slack organisation, it worked out far better than last week when I had a plan, what with all the roadworks disrupting the buses. I had a few minutes wait for the bus to Amersham station, rather than the 20 minutes I waited last week. I was there for my train 15 minutes ahead of time. Everything ran impeccably and after going across London on the Bakerloo, I was at Charing Cross well in time for the 10.50 to Dartford. Two of the most boring London interchanges in Marylebone and Charing Cross out of the way, I was looking forward to my favorite, London Bridge later. But for now, my train was on time and all was good. I was in Dartford at 11.35 and walked to the Working Men's Club. A pint of Ross On Wye Smooth Jazz was excellent for £4.20. As was the next pint of the same and a quarter-pounder bacon cheeseburger with chips was just £4.50.

From there, it was a walk to the ground, thrown off the scent by a misleading Google Maps location. I arrived five minutes before kickoff and was glad to see the two teams warming up. It was equal, the referee asserting his authority. He awarded Bexley a penalty on 20 minutes, a correct decision which they scored from. A drinks break followed following which Fleetdown equalised, #17 given too much time to finish smartly. Fleetdown were the better side and they headed home into the top left right on the stroke of halftime to lead 2-1. A truncated halftime followed, a ball over the top allowed #9 to finish well with a low shot, and it was now 3-1 Fleetdown. Around 20 minutes from time, #18 for Bexley, 'Lester' held off a challenge and used his strength to finish well past the keeper for 3-2. Fleetdown restored their two-goal advantage 15 min from time, Liam setting up George who showed great composure and finishing for a left-back who had come forward, the goal of the afternoon.

That was it as far as goalscoring was concerned and it had been an entertaining game. It had been a warmer afternoon than expected after a cloudy and dull morning. I wish I'd bought my shorts but for now, it was a walk back to the station. I headed to Poundland but they had no cans of chilled Irn-Bru, so I headed across the road to Londis to get some soft drinks. By the time I got to the station, I got a train fifteen minutes later than intended to London Bridge. The intention was to have a reasonably sensible night at the cider festival and hopefully be home before 9PM. Next up for me is a game on Tuesday, possibly Runwell Sports, though preferably something closer to home.

THE GROUND

HEATH LANE LOWER is a venue around a 25-minute walk from Dartford station. Decent places in town include the Working Mens Club although there is something for everyone. There is not much around the ground but it has a smart bar and adjacent food hatch. The pitch area comprises two pitches with no rail or dugouts but it's still well worth a visit.