It really doesn’t matter if it’s raining or it’s fine, Just as long as you’ve got time, To C-R-A-Y Crayaway-Cray, Crayaway, Cray-a-Cray, Crayaway.

When Dulwich last took on the Crays at their adopted home on Hayes Lane in Bromley, it produced an evening of sparkling football and raining goals that lit up what has otherwise been a dark season for one of football’s most venerable clubs. Since dishing out that 5-1 mauling to a second string Dulwich Hamlet side in the Robert Dyas Cup, points have been as rare as rocking horse manure. Five straight defeats, a sickening seventeen goals conceded and just one scored, that away to fellow strugglers Thamesmead in a narrow Boxing Day reverse that, combined with Carshalton’s thrilling 3-2 win in the wilds of East Thurrock, conspired to drop the Amber Army into 24th and last place in the Premier Division.

Times have been tough for the Wanderers since the denial of their application to construct a ground of their own back in their spiritual home of St Paul’s Cray by Bromley Council. With prospect of homelessness hanging over the club when their ground sharing agreement with Bromley ends at the conclusion of this season, the rejection saw swingeing budget cuts for the management and the departure of a number of key players. On the field, the effect was obvious as the team toiled to keep out of the clutches of the relegation zone, those struggles eventually proving fatal for the career of manager Ian Jenkins whose 14-year tenure in the hot seat was reluctantly brought to an end in September of this year. Keith Bird and Mike Paye, managers of Bromley FC reserves, were swiftly installed as manager and assistant manager respectively. Bringing a raft of new players from the landlord’s reserve team, the new pair got off to a flying start with a 4-1 at home Metropolitan Police in their first game in charge before repeating the trick with a 2-0 win away to Three Bridges in the Robert Dyas Cup. However, the magic quickly wore off and, bar an unexpected 2-0 win away to Lowestoft Town, a hard fought point at Wingate and Finchley and that League Cup victory that shall not be mentioned, further victories have proved elusive.

The new management duo's pruning of the struggling side they inherited saw just six players remain from Jenkins’ squad with Aaron Day, Tommy Whitnell, Jack Clark, Alex Stavrinou, Rhys Coleman and Danny Young retained to create a backbone through the team. Long serving goalkeeper Andy Walker was one of a number of stalwarts to feel the axe, moving across the Thames to Thurrock. New arrivals Carlos Talbot, Helge Orome, Dmitri Larin, Gary Beckett, Anthony Bardon, Dan Hughes & Mac Owusu, all of whom had been part of the Bromley Reserves and most had featured to some degree or another in the Conference South for the Lilywhites’ First XI.

This was closely followed by the signing of three highly talented young players on loan from Leyton Orient - Charlie Grainger between the sticks, striker Elyon Marshall-Katung and Jack Sharrat who signed a one-year professional contract with the O’s after winning the "Samsung Win a Pro Contract" competition. The pair also picked experienced Non-League players Jason Henry from Merstham, Adrian Stone, previously with Faversham and Hasting United as well as Nathan Simpson who spent some time with the Hamlet under Craig Edwards.

The strengthening of the squad continued with the signing from Bromley of Irish under 21 international Steve Smith on loan along with experienced defender Ugo Udoji and Bromley prodigy Tom O'Connor.

This afternoon’s game kicks-off at 3.00 pm at Bromley Football Club, Hayes Lane, Bromley, Kent, BR2 9EF.

ADMISSION PRICES

• Adults: £10
• Concessions & Under 16s: £4
• Students presenting Student Cards: £4