The Shape of Things To Come?
Foxbury Park, renamed from Flamingo Park around 100 years beforehand, is filling up with local and travelling supporters. The opinion of the newly-installed Cray Wanderers committee to replace the outgoing directors is that the attendance may well reach the 127,000 capacity for their stadium. That would be a nice injection of funds to help towards allowing the club to expand the stadium across the now disused A20 Sidcup Bypass, even after 50 per cent of the FA Cup gate money is handed to their visitors; some things just never change in football.
Sidcup Bypass was closed down in the late 22nd century after a huge fly-over was built to ease traffic congestion. That closure allowed Cray Wanderers to bid for and buy a large chunk of the old road beneath the fly-over so that vast improvements can be made to the entrance and exit points to Foxbury Park.
Since absorbing former local rivals Cray Valley Paper Mills into their ownership, after the National League Two side couldn't find anybody keen enough to take charge of the club, the Wands have gone from strength to strength. A similar takeover of another nearby club, Chislehurst Glebe, is still being formalised after the former West Wickham club was forced to sell its Foxbury Avenue ground to pay their players' wages bill. With no other professional or semi-professional clubs in the area, Cray's average gate for Championship League matches will still not increase by too many additional bodies from the other two clubs coming through the turnstiles but, the attendance figures should top 100,000 per match nonetheless.
Cray Wanderers have been fortunate enough to be self-financing for the past couple of hundred years, after benefactor Lord Hillman of Hither Green took over the reins in the late 20th century and placed the club on a sound monetary footing when the club first moved into Foxbury Park. The past couple of hundred years has seen many changes at the stadium, though, including several years when the club achieved success after success on the pitch as well as off it. Winning the FA Cup seven times in a row in the mid-22nd century was probably their greatest achievement to date. The club's next aim is to join the elite ten teams that make up the modern English Premier League. That would be something to tell the grandkids about in a few years' time.
The great-great-great-grandson of Peter Goringe, Tobias Goringe, is keeping his ancestor's club statistician work alive by producing a record of events every two or three years. He is helped in his endeavours by club historian Dolores Dowlen, great-great-great-granddaughter of another club stalwart, Jerry Dowlen. It's like history is repeating itself but on a much larger scale than during the club's old non-League days.
After the impending cup match against United, the Wands travel the short distance to Hayes Lane to play Bromley Borough FC in a Championship League match. The successors to the old Bromley FC now occupy the old ground, which has expanded into Norman Park. The old cricket ground that was once situated behind the far terracing is long gone and has been replaced by a supersized electric vehicle recharging zone.
And, not to forget the Cray Wanderers Ladies' team, which has been playing for more than half a century now in the Women's Super League. The day they secured promotion and replaced Arsenal in that league was something to behold. Arsenal later regained their place in the top tier and the games at Foxbury Park between the Wanderettes and the Arsenal Ladies are always very well attended.
The bronze statue of former junior Wand, England central defender and mid-21st century Cray Wanderers first-team manager, Marc Guehi, stands just outside of the turnstiles, beside the steps that lead up from the ever-expanding car park.
This is a football club that is steeped in history. Long may the club continue for another 365 years and beyond.
Trevor Mulligan