Saturday 27th April sees the final day of the 2023-24 Isthmian Premier season and Cray Wanderers end the campaign with a trip to Dulwich Hamlet for the first league visit since August 2013 in front of what is expected to be a sell out 3000+ crowd.

It has been a difficult season at times for the Wands this season and make the short trip to Champion Hill on the back of seven league games without a win and four straight league defeats but have been resilient enough to amass 47 points to avoid relegation fairly comfortably in 17th place.

Last Saturday saw Cray Wanderers final home game at Hayes Lane but despite a cracking start and a Nyren Clunis goal Bognor Regis Town never read the script and went on to win 5-1. The Wands were without the experience of Tom Bonner, Player of the Year David Ijaha, Frankie Raymond and George Porter but also benefitted with the appearances of talented young players, Alfie Evans, Charlie Paye, Enoch Muwonge, Josh Hallard and Emmanuel Kwatchey.  The match will have added spice with a few ex-Hamlet players in the Wands side including Nyren Clunis who made 486 apperances for the South London club from 2009-2019.

Dulwich Hamlet were one of the promotion favourites at the start of the season but after a slow start began to climb the league from the new year and were in playoff contention but three successive league defeats over Easter meant Hamlet just missed out and are 10th in the table on 62 points but are unbeaten in their last two games.

Last Saturday Hakan Hayrettin’s side drew 3-3 at Folkestone Invicta after leading 3-0 in the first half with goals from Josh Shonibare, Danny Mills and Ryley Scott.

When the two teams met at Hayes Lane on 25th November the match finished in a lively 1-1 draw with both goals in the second half with Luke Wanadio’s penalty putting Dulwich in front but a cracking strike from Gary Lockyer earned Cray a point.  The last meeting at Dulwich in the league was on 20th August 2013 also in the Isthmian Premier which Hamlet won 4-0.  The teams did meet in the London Senior Cup last season on 30th November 2022 which Dulwich won 4-3 with Yahya Bamba, Anthony Cook and Sam Wood scoring for Cray.

Hamlet’s home form this season has seen wins against Canvey Island (4-1), Concord Rangers (2-0), Kingstonian (3-2), Folkestone Invicta (3-1), Carshalton Athletic (2-1), Hashtag United (2-1), Haringey Borough (3-1), Wingate & Finchley (3-0), Cheshunt (4-2) and Lewes (2-0). Dulwich drew with Margate (2-2), Potters Bar Town (2-2), Bognor Regis Town (1-1), Horsham (1-1) and Whitehawk (0-0) and were beaten by Hasting United (1-2), Chatham Town (2-5), Hornchurch (2-3), Billericay Town (1-2) and Enfield Town (0-4).  Away from home Dulwich won at Wingate & Finchley (3-2), Lewes (2-0), Margate (4-1), Concord Rangers (2-1), Bognor Regis Town (2-0), Potters Bar Town (2-1) and Canvey Island (2-0), drew at Hashtag United, Haringey Borough, Cray Wanderers, Hastings United and Folkestone Invicta and were beaten at Horsham, Hornchurch, Cheshunt, Billericay Town, Enfield Town, Chatham Town, Kingstonian and Carshalton Athletic.  Luke Wanadio is the leading scorer with 21 goals.

With nothing much to play for this has the potential of being a great game in front of what could be the biggest the Wands have played in front of for many years and should be a good way to bring the curtain down on the season.

Admission £12/£5 on gate only (all online sales sold out)