After a spell of cup tie entertainment Cray Wanderers return to league action for the first time since 10th October as the Wands make a first ever visit to the Kingdom Stadium to face Stanway Rovers FC making their Isthmian Premier debut this season.

Kick off: 7.45 pm

With Cray advancing in the FA Cup to the 1st Round for the first time and through to the 2nd Round of the FA Trophy in the last week it has been a whirlwind season and certainly one whatever happens for the record books.

However, at the end of the day it is the bread and butter of the league where often at the end of the season teams are judged and Cray will be just looking with a few games in hand on teams around them looking to move up from 18th in the table.  Cray have twelve points but have only played nine league matches.

On Saturday in trying conditions at another doughty cup fighter this season, Berkhamsted Cray showed a lot of resolve on a tiring afternoon to summon up the energy for a superb win on the road.  After a  goalless first seventy five minutes the deadlock was broken when from a right wing corner to the far post Rob Strachan headed in his third goal of the season.

Berkhamsted looked to haaave taken the game to penalties with an 84th minute leveller but Cray out of nowhere won the game with a first ever Wands goal for Alfie Payne and one to remember as his shot towards goal from just inside his own half lifted over the keeper, bounced and into the net.

Cray now head to a double header of games against Essex opposition with Saturday’s trip to Brentwood Town following a visit to the outskirts of Colchester to face Brad Wellmen’s Stanway Rovers side themselves on a high after a big win on Saturday.

Stanway Rovers who earned promotion via the Isthmian North playoffs last season on Saturday won their first ever home league game in the Isthmian Premier with a 3-0 win vs Cheshunt.  This snapped a run of five straight defeats in league and cup.  Stanway took the lead in the first half through Matthias Fanimo and wrapped the game up with two goals in the last six minutes both scored by Stephen Toussaint moving Rovers up to 21st with seven points.

At home so far Stanway lost their other games to Ramsgate (1-3), Carshalton Athletic (1-2), Aveley (0-2), Enfield Town (1-2) and Three Bridges (1-3).  Away from home Rovers won at Brentwood Town (3-2) and drew at Cheshunt with defeats at Welling United, St. Albans City, AFC Whyteleafe, Wingate & Finchley and Ramsgate. Toussaint is the leading scorer with five goals.  In the FA Cup Stanway were beaten at Needham Market in the 1st QR after a replay and in the FA Trophy lost at home to Faversham Town in the 3QR.

Stanway Rovers were formed in 1956 and spent formative years in local Colchester & East Essex leagues twice winning the Premier Division in 1967-68 and 1973-74. After moving to the Essex and Suffolk Border League they won the second division title and first division championship in 1986-87.  In 1991-92 after finishing runners up in the Premier Division were promoted to the Eastern Counties League winning the Division One title in 2005-06 and twice were Eastern Counties League Cup winners in 2008-09 beating Leiston and included now Bromley striker Michael Cheek in their side and 2011-12 beating Norwich United. 

Following the 2017-18 season Stanway Rovers were transferred to the Essex Senior League winning domestic cups and in 2024-25 were Essex Senior League champions making the climb to the Isthmian North.  In their first ever season Stanway finished in a highly respectable fourth place earning a playoff place where they won 2-1 at Waltham Abbey in the Semi-Final and kept their nerve to beat Redbridge on penalties after a 0-0 draw in front of a record crowd of just over 1, 043 to reach the Isthmian Premier. So it has been a pretty rapid climb for a relatively young club playing at Step 3 when at Step 5 just two seasons ago.

With it being a trip just off the A12 this will be a new ground to tick off for the third game in a row for many Wands fans in what has been a season of firsts before we reach November.

The Kingdom Stadium, 50 New Farm Road, Stanway, Colchester CO3 0PG

£12.00  Adult

£7.00 Concession. Proof of eligibility/identification may be required.

£5.00 Young Adult under 18 & over 16

£2.00 over 5 – under 17

Pictures supplied by Natalie Stribbling.