Cray Wanderers are on the road this Saturday as the Wands head to Potters Bar Town in a match between the sides 18th and 19th in the Isthmian Premier League table.

Cray will be looking to return to winning ways following Sunday’s home defeat to league leaders Hornchurch but there were some encouraging elements to the game and on another day may have earned more rewards for the performance.

Nyren Clunis made his 50th appearance for the Wands and marked the occasion with a goal, his fifth of the season to make it 2-1 with twenty five minutes to go and were perhaps unfortunate with Gary Lockyer’s disallowed goal just after half time and when Ellis Brown was clipped just before shooting just outside the area.  In the end though Hornchurch showed their qualities to add another two goals late on but was perhaps a harsh scoreline in the end.

Saturday’s trip to Hertfordshire sees the first of back to back away games with Cray visiting Canvey Island on Tuesday night.  Before that though the Wands visit a Potters Bar Town side in good form and are unbeaten in their last eight league and cup games.

Both Cray and Potters Bar have nine points with the Wands playing one game less than the Scholars with Cray 18th and Potters Bar 19th in the table.  Both teams had poor starts to the season with Potters Bar losing their first six league games but both steadied their ships in September and October but both still require points to take them away from the bottom four.

Last Saturday Potters Bar won 3-0 at bottom side Haringey Borough courtesy of a hat-trick from Ore Bello to put them on nine points.

Max Mitchell’s Potters Bar Town side at home have yet to win in the league but have drawn with Chatham Town (0-0), Folkestone Invicta (3-3) and Bognor Regis Town (1-1) and were beaten by Enfield Town (0-2), Lewes (1-2) and Billericay Town (1-3).  Away from home Potters Bar won at Hastings United (1-0) and Haringey Borough (3-0) losing at Carshalton Athletic and Chatham Town.

In the FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round, Potters Bar were beaten at Enfield Town (0-3) but have advanced in the FA Trophy beating Berkhamstead 4-1 at home in the 3QR earning a home draw with Leiston next Saturday.  They also won in the Hertfordshire Senior Cup beating London Lions and in the Isthmian League Cup with victory at Wingate & Finchley.

Last season Potters Bar finished in 13th place in the league table on 53 points and were in no danger of relegation.  The two fixtures between the sides last season saw a 1-1 draw at the Lantern Stadium with Mo Kamara’s volley cancelled out by a Mitch Chapman goal on 15th October, 2022.  Cray were convincing 5-0 winners at Hayes Lane on 11th March with goals from Nyren Clunis, Dan Bassett, Destiny Oladipo, Sam Wood and Rio Campbell.

With both sides looking to make an Autumnal climb up the table this promises to be a key game in the league on Saturday.  

Please note Potters Bar Town have lowered admission prices for this game to £10 adults, £5 concessions.

Pictures supplied by Ozay Booth.