You've got the pressure of keeping The Oldest Football Club in London alive so there's always big pressure on my shoulders, says emotional Cray Wanderers chairman Gary Hillman

CRAY WANDERERS chairman Gary Hillman says the club will not forget about their working class roots after losing their first Isthmian League Premier Division game at Flamingo Park last night.

Neighbouring side Cray Valley (Paper Mills) claimed a deserved 2-0 win, watched by a crowd of 840 at their new Chislehurst stadium.

The Wands spent 26 years playing five miles away at Hayes Lane in Bromley and Hillman’s financial support has kept the Oldest Football Club in London alive over the years.

“Welcome to Flamingo Park, the home of Cray Wanderers for the first league game at home for over 50 years (52 years),” said Mr Hillman, with a welcoming handshake and a smile before the game.

“It’s a very historical moment for the club.

“It’s been a journey and a battle.  I’m feeling a bit emotional as we speak now. It’s been a long journey but we’ve finally got there, not quite finished, but it will do.

“It’s really just about keeping the club alive for future generations really. If I get run over by a bus on the way home, I’m hoping the club can survive, which has always been a bit doubtful throughout some of those periods over the last 26 years.

“It was a very financial strain playing at Bromley, who treated us very well and it’s a great venue.

“As you can see now, the bar and the food is fully operational, getting our own money through the door and all 44 youth teams are playing here.”

Mr Hillman admitted there have been a few set-backs over the years with plans to build their first stadium of their own.

“There’s been a few of them.  Bringing up my family in between, I’ve got three boys and I’ve been chairman 30 years and my boys were eight, three and one when I took over and I’ve got seven grandchildren, so priorities come along and you need to maintain them but at the same time you’ve got the pressure of keeping The Oldest Football Club in London alive, so there’s always big pressure on my shoulders.”

Mr Hillman revealed he has not given manager Neil Smith a pot of gold and aspirations are to remain in the eighth-tier Isthmian League Premier Division at the end of their 42 match campaign.

One league rival has a budget of £14,000 per week and Cray Wanderers cannot compete with such obscene wages for part-time football.

“You always say this division is so tough when you’re looking at the teams in it, so first priority is to stay up, that’s number one priority,” said Mr Hillman.

“Especially in a new stadium, venue, we have to find our feet here.  The few matches that we’ve had have been big crowds and you’re learning all the time how to manage the bars, the staff etc. We’ve always had it really put on a plate for us at Bromley. We weren’t reaping the rewards of having that (as we didn’t have any bar income while playing at Hayes Lane or Oxford Road, Sidcup) but now we have.

“It’s sort of different pressures but good pressures, how to maximise money coming in through our fans and growing the fan base, which hopefully we will do.”

The current capacity at Flamingo Park has been set at 2,525, with scope of increasing the capacity to 5,000.

“The more people we get through the turnstiles, the better budgets we get and compete more competitive up the league’s,” said Mr Hillman.

“You’re looking at a £4m investment, land and what we’ve built is a £4m investment – so donations will be welcomed, shall we say.

“It was very hard getting this financially over the line, which we’ve done, so that was our number one priority – so we want to stay in this league this year.

“I don’t think we’ll ever do that,” insisted Mr Hillman, when asked whether he would give his manager a blank cheque book.

“In any level of football, it’s all about getting the right blends.  You do need your superstar players but at the end of the day you need your die hards.  There’s a lot of big teams and we’ve seen throughout the years that have just bought everyone in sight and haven’t got no team spirit or anything.

“Cray Wanderers, historically, have always been big on team spirit, all together and a proper working class football team that gives everything, We don’t want to be a team of superstars that don’t really care about the club at all.”

The club is situated on the south side of the A20 in Chislehurst, within the London Borough of Bromley – with potential to pick up a new fan base from Chislehurst, Sidcup and Eltham.

A crowd of 840 attended last night’s defeat to Cray Valley, a side that play three miles away at Middle Park Avenue and struggle to get regular crowds of over 200 despite claiming the Isthmian League South East Division title last season, having only lost one of their 38 league games.

Mr Hillman said: “There’s loads of new faces coming in.  Everyone who comes in, I like seeing their faces and they say ‘wow, this looks like a proper football stadium’.

“I’m really pleased how the stand has come out. I’ve been designing that for the last 20 years and nicking ideas from other people, so I said I weren’t having one of those little metal tiny stands so I paid a bit extra and done the real deal.

“When Charlton Athletic came down and set the capacity, another couple
of turnstiles and a few other bits and bobs and we can get the capacity up to 5,000.  If we can get 50% or 25% of 2,525, then I’ll be happy. 

“It’s a lovely, big site. We’ve got five grass pitches, all the youth teams have got one base and I don’t think there’s too many clubs around with all of their youth teams playing at the same facility and has got the capability of extending their facilities to whatever level they get to.”

Cray Wanderers have moved into the same town as Rocky McMillian’s Glebe, whose large youth ranks and first team are based at Foxbury Avenue and Mr Hillman insists there is room for Cray Wanderers, Glebe (who play two levels lower in the tenth-tier Southern Counties East Football League Premier Division) and Cray Valley, who all play within a three-mile radius of one another.

“Rocky’s congratulated me, he’s a good guy.  I know he does have a few fall outs with people but you can’t knock Rocky with what he’s achieved with all the youth teams and doing what he’s doing up there,” added Mr Hillman.

“It’s all good for local football and people coming to local football. If you’ve got successful teams around you, it creates more of a buzz and gets more people coming to us, coming to Rocky at Glebe and Cray Valley.

“We’ve lost a lot of local teams over the years since I’ve been chairman, a lot of teams in North West Kent and South East London, all big teams.”

Cray Wanderers travel to Hendon on Saturday, but welcome Lewes – now managed by former Glebe manager Craig Nelson – to Flamingo Park on Saturday 24 August (15:00).

Visit Cray Wanderers website:  www.cray-wanderers.com