Cray Wanderers return to league action after sitting out the Bank Holiday weekend for the FA Cup with a first ever league visit to Potters Bar Town FC. Kick off at the Pakex Stadium is 3pm.
Tony Russell’s side had a smooth passage into the 1st Qualifying Round of the FA Cup after a 5-0 win against Hythe Town at Hayes Lane last Sunday. On a very hot late August afternoon, three first half goals, two cracking strikes from Tom Murphy and a cool finish from Joe Taylor had what promised to be quite a tough assignment at the start of the game practically won by the interval. After the break a Bradley Pritchard strike and another goal in the last minute from Taylor sealed the win and Cray will next meet Bedfont Sports from the Isthmian South-Central at Hayes Lane next Sunday. Cray start the game in 14th place in the admittedly still very early stages of the league season.
Despite injuries and absences from the likes of Jay Leader, Tom Phipp, Karl Dent and Andre Coker in recent games this has given the chance for some fine home-grown players to be used and Lee Lewis, Freddie Parker and Neil Spencer who made a lively cameo appearance on Sunday have all stepped up to the plate early in the season. The loan signing of central-defender Harry Hudson from Watford has been an astute piece of business judging by the authority shown in the first couple of games and the club also signed defender Geofrey Okonkwo who made his debut towards the end of Sunday’s cup tie. If you include Charles Etumnu who did so well in the game against Corinthian Casuals the squad has been utilised to the full early on in the season.
Potters Bar Town have made a decent start to only their second season in the Isthmian Premier and stand 9th in the table with seven points from their five games played. They began the season with an impressive 2-0 win at home to Carshalton Athletic and also won 3-1 at East Thurrock United on 17th August so Lee O’Leary can rise to the occasion. The Scholars over the Bank Holiday weekend were beaten 1-4 at home by a strong Folkestone Invicta side on Saturday and on Bank Holiday Monday picked up a useful point at Enfield Town in a 2-2 draw with goals from Joshua Hutchinson who has five goals already this season and a goal from Bradley Sach. Their only other game was a 0-2 defeat at Cheshunt.
Potters Bar Town were promoted to the Isthmian Premier for the first time in their history in 2017-18 when they finished runners-up to Hornchurch and last season they finished in a highly respectable 16th place in their debut season and are already looking to improve on that position.
Potters Bar Town are one of three clubs in the division that Cray have never played along with Bowers & Pitsea and Bishops’ Stortford and should be a great game to watch as the first month of the season winds down and autumn begins to loom over the horizon.