Cray Wanderers begin their FA Cup campaign for the season with a first qualifying round game at home to Sutton Common Rovers at Hayes Lane on Saturday.
The Wands go into the game on the back of two league defeats over the Bank Holiday weekend, losing 2-1 at home to Worthing and then 2-1 away at Margate, having won their opening two Isthmian League Premier Division fixtures.
With striker Adam Coombes still out, Manager Danny Kedwell played and scored for The Wands at Margate, with centre back Ejiro Okosieme having equalised for Cray in the Worthing game, but both times they conceded goals scored from range in the last fifteen minutes.
Defenders Freddie Cray and Martin Onoabagbe both put pen to paper last week as Kedwell looks to settle his Cray squad for his first season in charge.
Sutton Common Rovers, who play one step lower than The Wands, won through to this stage with a 4-0 preliminary round replay win over Steyning Town, they followed this up with a 1-1 draw at Tooting & Mitcham Utd on Tuesday night, Danny Fernandez equalising for SCR.
Which was their first point of the Isthmian League Division One South Central Division from the opening three matches. Rovers usually play their home games at Sutton United’s Gander Green Lane, which with the work on the pitch converting form 3G back to grass after United’s promotion to the Football League, has meant they have played all matches away from home so far, the cup replay being held at Banstead Athletic.
Joint managers Darren Salmon & Ryan Lock will be keen to build on the last two positive results.
The two teams have never met before in senior competition, but will both be keen to do well in the FA Cup in it’s 141st year with the potential income and publicity up for grabs from a good run in the most famous club cup competition in the world.
Entrance for the game is £10 for adults and £5 for concessions, plus the usual excellent programme at £2. Tickets can be purchased in advance from the Cray Wanderers website or on the gate.
Pics: Jon Hilliger/www.hilligerpix.com