Cray Wanderers Football Club is an English

semi-professional Semi-professional sports are sports in which athletes are not participating on a full-time basis, but still receive some payment. Semi-professionals are not amateur because they receive regular payment from their team, but generally at a cons ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

club based in

Chislehurst Chislehurst () is a suburban district of south-east London, England, in the London Borough of Bromley. It lies east of Bromley, south-west of Sidcup and north-west of Orpington, south-east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Based on later reports, the club has a claim to have been established some time in 1860 in the twin villages of

St Mary Cray St Mary Cray is an area of South London, South East London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. Historically it was a market town in the county of Kent. It is located north of Orpington, and south-east of Charing Cross. History ...

and St Paul's Cray, near

Orpington Orpington is a town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is 13.4 miles (21.6 km) south east of Charing Cross. On the south-eastern edge of the Greater London Built-up Area, it is south of St Mary Cray, sou ...

. Such a date would make it one of the oldest football clubs in the world. Cray Wanderers play their home games at Flamingo Park. Cray Wanderers were Kent League champions four times, and have reached the fourth qualifying round of the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual Single-elimination tournament, knockout association football, football competition in domestic Football in England, English football. First played during ...

three times in their history. The club currently play in the .

Badge

The badge of Cray Wanderers is based on the coat of arms of

Orpington Urban District Orpington was an English local government district in northwest Kent from 1934 to 1965 around the town of Orpington. It was a suburb of London and formed part of the Metropolitan Police District. Most of the former area of the urban district is ...

, before the 1965 Greater London expansion, in yellow and black with 'CRAY WANDERERS FC' and 'Founded 1860' encompassing the crest. Today, the coat of arms of

is no longer used, as it was replaced with the

London Borough of Bromley The London Borough of Bromley () is a London Borough, borough in London, England. It is the largest and southeasternmost borough in London, and borders the county of Kent, of which it formed part until 1965. The borough's population in the 2021 ...

coat of arms. Although Cray Wanderers still use the crest today, recently their badge was altered for a simplified design, which can be found on all digital platforms.

History

The first origins of Cray Wanderers are linked to the construction of the

London, Chatham and Dover Railway The London, Chatham and Dover Railway (LCDR or LC&DR) was a railway company in south-eastern England. It was created on 1 August 1859, when the East Kent Railway was given parliamentary approval to change its name. Its lines ran through Lond ...

line during 1858 to 1860. During their leisure time, migrant workers kicked a ball around, and that is how the club originated in the

village. The pitch at Star Lane is now a cemetery, and is located beneath the nine-arch railway viaduct that spans the Cray Valley. The industrial belt of the River Cray, especially the paper mills, provided much of the club's support up until the 1950s. Cray Wanderers were a strong force in senior county football at the turn of the century. After being Kent Junior Cup semi-finalists and finalists in 1890–91 and 1891–92, they entered the first ever

FA Amateur Cup The FA Amateur Cup was an English football competition for amateur clubs. It commenced in 1893 and ended in 1974 when the Football Association abolished official amateur status. History Following the legalisation of professionalism within footb ...

competition in 1893–94. They had a spell as a professional club between 1895 and 1907. They were a nursery club for Woolwich Arsenal during part of this period. They were one of the founder members of the Kent League in 1894–95, and they won the championship in 1901–02. Other honours included Southern Suburban League champions in 1898–99, West Kent League champions in 1903–04, and

Kent Senior Cup The Kent Senior Cup is an English football knock-out competition played between senior clubs in the county of Kent. It is administered by the Kent County Football Association (KCFA). History Now known as the Kent Senior Cup it was originall ...

runners-up in 1899–1900. After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Cray switched to the London League where they remained until 1934. In the 1930–31 season, they won the Kent Amateur Cup. Cray rejoined the Kent League in 1934–35, but their four-year stay came to grief when 1936 saw the loss of the Fordcroft ground in Cray Avenue, their home since 1898. Cray were forced to drop into a lower level of football, drifting from one temporary pitch to another while the club committee dwindled to a perilously small number. The team struggled badly in the South London Alliance and the Kent Amateur League. In 1936, under Harry Taylor's guidance, the Orpington & District Amateur Boxing Club organised various tournaments to raise funds for Cray Wanderers Football Club, ensuring its survival during the challenging times. 1951-52 heralded a new era, and an upturn in the club's fortunes, when local businessman Mick Slater took over at the helm. The club was elected to the London League and regained its senior status. Cray moved to a new ground at Grassmeade in 1955. Their stay there was a very successful period in the club's history. Drawing extra support from the commuter town of

, they played in the London League and then the

Aetolian League The Aetolian (or Aitolian) League () was a confederation of tribal communities and cities in ancient Greece centered in Aetolia in Central Greece. It was probably established during the early Hellenistic era, in opposition to Macedon and the Ac ...

. They were three times crowned champions, won the League Cup twice, and also won the Kent Amateur Cup three times. Cray switched to the semi-professional

Metropolitan League The Metropolitan League was a football league in the south-east of England between 1949 and 1971.Met London League was created by a merger of the Metropolitan League and the Greater London League. Cray moved to Oxford Road in 1973–74. Johnny Biddle and Jimmy Wakeling proved to be successful managers. In 1974/75 Cray won the Met London League and League Cup, scoring 170 goals in all matches that season. In 1976–77 and 1977–78, Cray won the

London Spartan League The Spartan League was a Association football, football league in England covering London and adjacent counties. Established in 1907, it merged with the South Midlands League in 1997 to form the Spartan South Midlands Football League, Spartan So ...

championship. Cray decided to return to the Kent League in 1978–79. Success came quickly because Cray won the championship in 1980/81, having been runners-up the year before. Their powerful new team under manager Harry Richardson reached the

FA Vase The Football Association Challenge Vase, also known as the Isuzu FA Vase for sponsorship reasons, is an annual football competition run by and named after The Football Association (The FA), for teams playing in Steps 5 and 6 of the English Nation ...

quarter-final and 5th round in those two seasons. After that, the 1980s decade brought only one more piece of silverware, the Kent League Cup in 1983–84. After finishing Kent League runners up in 1990/91, Cray had a lean period during most of the 1990s, with the exception of 1992–93 when they won the Kent Senior Trophy. Cray Wanderers FC Kent League champions 1981

Cray Wanderers FC Kent League champions 1981

A new club chairman Gary Hillman arrived in 1994/95 and Ian Jenkins, a Cray player since 1993, was appointed manager in 1999. By now, Cray were tenants of

Bromley F.C. Bromley Football Club is a professional association football club based in Bromley, Greater London, England. They are currently members of EFL League Two. Bromley play their home matches at Hayes Lane. Formed in 1892, they were founder members ...

As champions of the Kent League in 2002–03 and 2003–04, also reaching the FA Vase quarter-final, they achieved promotion into the Isthmian League Division One. In the 2007–08 season Cray reached the play-off final after finishing 3rd in the table, but lost to Tooting & Mitcham United 1–0 at Imperial Fields. They also reached the

final, played at Hayes Lane on 26 July, where they lost to Ebbsfleet United 4–0. Cray again reached the play-off final the following year, in which they beat Metropolitan Police 1–0 and were promoted to the Isthmian League Premier Division. Cray Wanderers celebrated their 150th anniversary during the summer of 2010, including friendlies against the other two oldest clubs in the world,

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

and

Hallam Hallam may refer to: Places * Hallam, Victoria, Australia ** Hallam railway station UK * Hallamshire, an area in South Yorkshire, England, UK ** Royal Hallamshire Hospital ** Sheffield Hallam (UK Parliament constituency) ** Sheffield Hallam Univer ...

, in a three-team tournament. Ian Jenkins, who had managed the club for 14 years, left in September 2013. Keith Bird and Mike Paye, managers of

Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...

's reserve team, were appointed as manager and assistant manager respectively. The team was relegated into the Isthmian League Division One North at the end of April 2014. Gary Abbott and Mike Paye became joint managers of the team at the start of October 2014. On 5 January 2015 the club appointed Tommy Warrilow as the new manager. Warrilow masterminded a dramatic "Great Escape" from a second successive relegation as the team won their last ten games of the season. Former player Tony Russell took over for the 2015–16 season, guiding the team to fourth place in Division One North. Cray therefore qualified for the promotion play-offs but lost to Harlow Town. Two years later, they reached the play-offs again, this time after finishing 3rd in Division One South, but lost 5–2 to Walton Casuals. On 13 April 2019, Cray secured their return to the Premier Division with a 3–1 win over Ashford United to win the inaugural Division One South-East title. The following season, Cray were challenging for a second successive promotion when the season was abandoned due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Neil Smith was appointed as manager towards the end of the 2021–22 season and the following year led Cray to the highest league finish in their history (5th). The Wands lost on penalties to

Hornchurch Hornchurch is a suburban town in East London in the London Borough of Havering. It is located east-northeast of Charing Cross. It comprises a number of shopping streets and a large residential area. It historically formed a large ancient par ...

in the play-off semi-final.

League history

''Information taken from club stats book.''

Grounds

Cray Wanderers have played their home games at Flamingo Park, Chislehurst, since 2024. This is the first ground the club have owned outright following an itinerant history. 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 the Hayes Lane ground of

, although their reserve and youth teams continued to play at the former ground until 2011, when it was taken over by Seven Acre Sports & Sidcup. In the summer of 2008, Cray announced plans to move to a new stadium near Orpington by 2014. Official plans published on the club's official website on 18 February 2009 confirmed that the new ground at Sandy Lane would be open by 2014, for the 2014–15 season, subject to planning consent. The stadium, which was proposed to be part of a new "Sports Village-like complex" was designed to be eco-friendly and to be built to an initial

Conference A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...

standard. The bid was rejected unanimously, by all councillors on Bromley Council's Development Control Committee on Thursday 20 September 2012. This was for a number of reasons, but mainly because the club was hoping to build a Football League sized stadium, using the profits from building nearly 200 houses and a large hotel on Green Belt land. In the debate on the application, which was opposed by the Police and the GLA as well as other bodies, it was clear that Councillors were supportive of a proposal to relocate Cray Wanderers to a new home in St Paul's Cray, but not to the building of houses, a hotel and another swimming pool, given that LA Leisure already have a swimming pool opposite the site, in order to fund it. On 3 October 2014, Cray Wanderers signed a conditional contract to purchase Flamingo Park Sports Centre, historically in Foots Cray parish on the A20 Sidcup bypass. The club had an 18-month period to obtain planning consent from Bromley Council for a new sporting community hub, featuring a new multi-sport stadium with a spectator capacity of 1,300. This was achieved in April 2016, when the council approved the proposal. There was disappointment when the application was later refused by the

Mayor of London The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom. The current ...

and a revised set of plans were being prepared in 2017. These were finally approved in November 2018. Building work on the new stadium began in August 2023. On 9 February 2024, the club announced that the 2023–24 season would be their final one groundsharing with Bromley and that they would move into their new stadium for the beginning of the 2024–25 season. Cray Wanderers began playing competitive games at the ground in August 2024.

Academy

The Cray Wanderers Academy was established in January 2009. Initially based at

Coopers School Coopers School is a mixed secondary school with academy status in Chislehurst in the London Borough of Bromley, England. The current Head of School is Claire Bessa. The site is on land between Chislehurst Common and the National Trust ...

, the academy competed in the Isthmian Youth League from the 2009–10 season, finishing second. In its first season it already showed signs of success, with youngster

George Porter George Porter, Baron Porter of Luddenham, (6 December 1920 – 31 August 2002) was a British chemist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1967. Education and early life Porter was born in Stainforth, near Thorne, in the then West ...

breaking into the senior first team in the academy's first season, impressing to the extent that he was signed by professional club Leyton Orient at the end of the season. Several other players have made first team appearances during the first season. It was decided at the beginning of 2016 that this arrangement with Coopers School would come to an end. The academy is currently run out of the club's ground at Flamingo Park.

Women's team

In 2023 Cray Wanderers established a women's team for the first time, entering the South East Counties Women's League Kent Division 1 West. They were crowned league champions after a 6–0 victory in their final game of the season.

Honours

Isthmian League The Isthmian League () is a regional Association football, football league covering Greater London, East of England, East and South East England, featuring mostly semi-professional clubs. Founded in 1905 by amateur clubs in the London area, th ...

Division One **Winners (South East): 2018–19 **Runners-up (South): 2008–09 **Play-off Winners (South): 2008–09 * Kent League: 1901–02, 1980–81, 2002–03, 2003–04 **Runners Up: 1979–80, 1990–91 * London League: 1956–57, 1957–58 **Runners Up: 1953–54, 1954–55 *

: 1962–63 * Greater London League: 1965–66 * Metropolitan-London League: 1974–75 *

: 1976–77, 1977–78 * Kent Senior Trophy: 1992–92, 2003–04 * Kent Amateur Cup: 1930–31, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65 *Best league performance: 5th in Isthmian League Premier Division, 2022-23 (NB Cray were 2nd in the Isthmian League Premier Division when the 2019–20 season was abandoned in March 2020) *Best

performance: 4th qualifying round, 2005–06, 2020–21, 2024–25 *Best

performance: 3rd round (last 16), 1967–68 *Best

FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, also known as the Isuzu FA Trophy for sponsorship reasons, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after The Football Association (the FA) and competed by mainly National League ...

performance: 3rd round, 2021–22 *Best

performance: Quarter-finals, 1979–80, 2003–04 *Best

performance: Final, 1900–01, 2007–08

Current squad

Club staff

Records

*Record attendance: 2160 vs

Leytonstone Leytonstone ( ) is an area in East London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It adjoins Wanstead to the north-east, Forest Gate to the south-east, Stratford to the south-west, Leyton to the west, and Walthamstow to the nor ...

(

, 1969) *Biggest Win: 15–0 vs

Sevenoaks Sevenoaks is a town in Kent with a population of 29,506, situated south-east of London, England. Also classified as a civil parishes in England, civil parish, Sevenoaks is served by a commuter South Eastern Main Line, main line railway into Lo ...

, 1894–95 *Biggest Defeat: 1–11 vs

, 1920–21 *Biggest

Win: 9–1 vs, Ashford United 2017–18 *Biggest

Defeat: 3–9 vs Kingstonian, 2012–13

Player records

*Most appearances: John Dorey, 454 (1961–72) *Most goals: Ken Collishaw, 274 (1954–65)

Managerial history

Information from new club history published in 2024. :(includes league games only)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Association football clubs established in 1860 Football clubs in England Isthmian League clubs Sport in the London Borough of Bromley 1860 establishments in England Metropolitan League Metropolitan–London League Greater London League Aetolian League (football) Football clubs in London Southern Counties East Football League London League (football)