The locals should come to watch our superb quality of football, says Cray Wanderers star Joe Vines

JOE VINES says that the population of the Crays district should be proud of the high-achieving Cray Wanderers side.


The central defender, 30, played for the Wands as a youth and has recently returned to the club, making his 50^th appearance in last Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Wealdstone.

Vines said: “If the club had a bigger fan base, I’m sure word would get round the Crays and Orpington and Sidcup about the superb quality of football that the team is playing and the locals would come to watch.”

The club sit in fifth place in the Ryman Premier League table, pushing for promotion into the Blue Square Bet (Conference) South, which would be the highest level the club has ever played at in its long history.

The Wands believe that their crowd numbers are down because they are having to play their home matches at Hayes Lane, Bromley.

Cray Wanderers are hoping to return to the Crays in 2014 and will be applying to Bromley Council net month for planning consent to build a new stadium at Sandy Lane in St Pauls Cray.

And Vines thinks that 2014 could see the young Cray Wanderers team really come into its own, if it stays together under the club’s long-serving manager Ian Jenkins.

He said: “To go to Wealdstone and be clapped off the field by the notoriously hostile home crowd, speaks volumes about the superb passing football that our team plays.  It’s a joy to watch. We don’t always get the results that we deserve, but apart from me and the older players like Mark Willy, Andy Walker and Leigh Bremner, this is a very young team and it’s improving all the time.”

The Wands welcome Kingstonian to Hayes Lane on Saturday, before welcoming Lowestoft Town on Sunday, 5^th February.  The Suffolk suffered defeat in the Ryman Premier League play-off final last May, losing an exciting seven-goal thriller at Tonbridge Angels.

Visit Cray Wanderers’ website: www.craywands.co.uk

Cray Wanderers  v  Kingstonian
Ryman Premier League
Saturday 28^th January 2012
Kick Off 3:00pm
At Hayes Lane, Bromley, Kent BR2 9EF