Cray Wanderers after a very home based start to the season are on the road for the first time in 2025-26 as Tim O’Shea’s side visit Billericay Town.
Kick off at the New Lodge, 3 pm.
The Wands have made a great start to the league campaign and lie 2nd in the Isthmian Premier League table with seven points from three games after wins at Flamingo Park vs Canvey Island and Wingate & Finchley and a draw with Folkestone Invicta.
Last Saturday, Cray had to find a second wind against Wingate & Finchley after leading 2-0 at the break with goals from Nods Bobomurodov, his second of the season and a Frankie Raymond penalty. Wingate & Finchley staged a spirited fightback and with ten men levelled with twenty minutes to go.
However, Cray had to respond and substitute George Brooke who had come close to winning the game against Folkestone but for the woodwork this time wouldn’t be denied and slotted home Josh Williams pass for his first league goal for Cray and the Wands had to pass a tricky test.
The games come thick and fast in August and on Bank Holiday Monday, Cray host Brentwood Town but before that all focus will be on Billericay Town, once again one of the favourites for promotion.
The Wands have three ex-Billericay Town players available with goalkeeper Harry Seaden and forwards Ashley Nzala and Chris Dickson have both scored against Cray as Billericay players.
The Essex side though with already a pretty stellar forward line with the likes of Liam Nash, Femi Akinwande and Frankie Merrifield to call upon made a marquee signing this week with ex-Wand Joe Taylor joining from Hornchurch.
Joe made 73 appearances for Cray after signing in 2018 and scored 58 goals before later going on to Lewes and Ramsgate. Another ex-Cray player is full back Ike Orji who made 39 appearances last season scoring once.
Billericay Town have begun the season with four points from their first three games and Gary McCann’s side are 14th in the table. They started the season with a 2-1 win at home to Wingate & Finchley with goals from another key signing from Chatham Town, Jack Evans and Tyrell Miller-Rodney.
The Blues then picked up a good point from a 1-1 draw at Dartford with a Liam Nash leveller in the second half. Last Saturday Billericay were beaten 0-1 at Carshalton Athletic and finished the match with ten men.
Billericay Town were one of three teams last season vying to the Isthmian Premier league title going into the final day of the season. Three home defeats in March and April including a fine Wands performance to win 2-0 on 5th April with goals from Soul Kader and Nyren Clunis proved important as they won their final five games of the season but missed out on the title by the narrowest of margins by one goal after finishing level on 87 points with Horsham. In the playoff semi-final, Billericay were beaten 2-1 after extra time by Dover Athletic.
In the Isthmian League era the teams have met 14 times with Cray winning three, Billericay nine and two draws including a 1-1 draw before Christmas 2024 with Josh Williams late goal for Cray cancelled out by a stoppage time Ashley Nzala goal.
This will be the toughest test yet for Cray but can take heart from their April performance and will have to show a similar side for a repeat but go into the match high on confidence and should be a great game to watch.
Admission £13 adults, £8 concessions, £4 U12s-17, £1 U11s – on gate or online (card only) https://billericaytownfc.ktckts.com/event/btfc2526007/billericay-town-v-cray-wanderers
Pictures supplied by Steve Cullum.