A little bit of history takes place this Saturday as the FA Trophy draw pairs together Cray Wanderers and Marlow for the very first time.

This 1^st Qualifying Round match kicks off at Hayes Lane at 3pm.

The match brings together clubs with long and storied histories paring Cray Wanderers, the second oldest Association Football Club formed in 1860 against Marlow, formed in 1870 who are ranked fifteenth in the all-time list of oldest currently playing football clubs.

The Wands made it through to the 1^st Round as recently as Wednesday night as a strong second half finish saw Carshalton Athletic beaten 3-0 with Danny Haynes two goals added to Lee Prescott’s free kick blockbuster.  Cray manager Tony Russell was pleased with the reaction of the players following the defeat to Lewes last Saturday but may have to reshuffle his pack a bit for the game following suspensions.

Perhaps the only snag from Wednesday is that there is such a short space of time to prepare for what will be a difficult game against Marlow and really wasn’t the fault of anyone at the club and in a way have been punished a bit for it with preparation.

There were some very good positives to come out of the game on Wednesday.  Another strong display up front from Haynes and Brandon Scott continues to impress out on the right.  Ben Mundele also has adapted to right back with ease and Prescott’s goal was just reward for some excellent recent performances.

The performance of the whole back four was very disciplined and after the difficulties of the second half against Lewes did well to bounce back with assured displays.  Nick Blue also when called upon made vital saves to keep the game tight. There was also some positive cameo roles for Ade Osifuwa and Timi Osidobu who both contributed to the second and third goals.

The Wands opponents Marlow have made a solid start to their Evo-Stik Southern League Central season and their 1-0 home win against Farnborough on Tuesday night moved them up to seventh with twenty three points from 13 games played.

Mark Bartley’s side made it through the Preliminary Round stage with a very good 2-1 win at Brentwood Town with goals from Marcus Mealing and a Chris Ovenden penalty so must be respected highly.

Marlow have a place in football history as they have entered with the exception of one season the FA Cup every year since 1871.  They played in the very first competition back in November 1871 and their game against local rivals Maidenhead United was one of the first FA Cup ties ever played.  In 1881-82 they reached the semi final of the competition losing to Old Etonians at Kennington Oval and decided to remain an amateur side for a few years after that.

In recent years their fortunes have fluctuated somewhat following twenty seasons in the Isthmian League and in 2004 were transferred to the Southern League.  In 2011-12 the club were relegated from the Central Division to the Hellenic League but gained promotion back at the first attempt.  They played in the South and West Division and last season finished 13^th and were transferred over to the Central Division for the 2016-17 season.

This should be a great game of football, very much in keeping with some very good matches already played this season.  Should the game be drawn the expected replay date will be on Tuesday, 1^st November.