Cray Wanderers play the first of three away matches in March on Saturday with a trip to Chichester City looking to keep in the hunt for the playoffs after an unbeaten February.
Cray have been in the top seven of the Isthmian Premier all season to date and are currently seventh following the midweek games on fifty two points from thirty three games played. The Wands are unbeaten in seven matches and are two points behind sixth placed Dartford who have played one game fewer. Chatham Town and Billericay Town are five points clear of Cray and three of Dartford in fourth and fifth places respectively. Burgess Hill Town are eighth and level on points with Cray with Ramsgate, St Albans City, Dulwich Hamlet and Whitehawk all harbouring playoff aspirations from ninth to twelfth places.
Last Saturday Cray ended a run of three successive draws with a 2-1 win at home to Cheshunt to move the Wands over the fifty points mark for the season. Max Fiddes who had his loan move from Dover Athletic extended for another month gave Cray the lead with his second goal for the club and his thirteenth of the season after earlier spells at Canvey Island and Burgess Hill Town.
Alex Hernandez scored his sixteenth goal of the season from the penalty spot which puts him two behind Brentwood Town’s Daniel Ogunleye in the race for the league golden boot. Cheshunt pulled a goal back five minutes from time but Cray saw out the remaining minutes to pick up three points.
The Wands have nine matches left and are still very much punching amongst some bit hitters in the top six and have lost just one out of sixteen matches away from home with visits to Whitehawk, Aveley, Cray Valley PM and Burgess Hill Town to follow. The Wands have four more home games vs Potters Bar Town, Billericay Town, Lewes and Welling United as the season goes into its final two months.
Chichester City are playing only their second season in the Isthmian Premier and finished sixth last season only just missing out on the playoffs. City this season are currently thirteenth on forty two points and last Saturday were perhaps unfortunate to go down to a 1-3 defeat at Dulwich Hamlet. Last season’s top scorer Jimmy Wild was on target in the second half. Chichester also came from two nil down to win at Chatham Town last month so are a resilient side.
Miles Rutherford’s team at home have picked up wins against Lewes (3-0), Whitehawk (2-1), Hashtag United (1-0), Carshalton Athletic (2-1), and Canvey Island (3-0). City drew with Folkestone Invicta (1-1), Billericay Town (2-2), Dulwich Hamlet (0-0), Chatham Town (2-2), Cheshunt (2-2) and Wingate & Finchley (2-2) with defeats against Welling United (1-2), Potters Bar Town (1-3), Brentwood Town (2-5), Cray Valley PM (0-3) and Aveley (0-1). Chichester could still have a big part to play this season as they have as well as Cray, home games vs St Albans City, Ramsgate, Burgess Hill Town and Dartford and travel to Brentwood Town. They also visit three of the sides in the bottom four, Canvey Island, Welling United and Potters Bar Town as well as visiting Cray Valley PM before the end of the season. Leading scorer so far is Miles Obodo with seven goals.
When the teams met at Flamingo Park on 8th November it finished in the Wands only goalless draw of the season to date. Last season’s visit to Oaklands Park on 1st March 2025 ended in a 1-2 defeat for Cray with Ethan Prichard and Jimmy Wild scoring for Chichester and Soul Kader netting for the Wands.
This should be a great day out in a fine English city with plenty of history and both clubs have acquitted themselves extremely well over the last couple of the seasons and should be a good game of football.
Images courtesy of Steve Cullum and Natalie Stribbling