Cray Wanderers FC is the senior football club in the district of the Crays, Bexley, Orpington and Sidcup. Cray Wanderers hold the distinction of being the second oldest football club in the world, and the oldest in London. ( Sheffield , in 1857, is the oldest club. Notts County, founded 1862, is the oldest Football League club).

The 150 th anniversary of the Wands coincides with the team playing at the highest-ever level in the club’s history. Cray were promoted into the Ryman Premier League in 2008/09. Last season 2009/10, the first ever in the Ryman Premier, saw the Wands secure a finishing place of 15th in the table. This ensured that Cray would be in the Ryman Premier for their landmark 150th season 2010/11.
The first origins of Cray Wanderers are linked to the construction of the London , Chatham & Dover railway line during 1858 to 1860. During their leisure time, workers kicked a ball around, and that is how the club originated in the St Mary Cray village. The pitch at Star Lane is now a cemetery, and is located beneath the nine-arch railway viaduct that spans the Cray Valley . The industrial belt of the River Cray, especially the paper mills, provided much of the club’s support up till the 1950s.

The Wands enjoyed plenty of post-war success, building up a following in the commuter towns of Bexley, Orpington and Sidcup and drawing big crowds to their games at Grassmeade. In 1973, after the loss of Grassmeade for housing development, the club moved to Oxford Road on the borders of Sidcup and Footscray. Oxford Road is still the club’s headquarters, but since 1997 the Wands have played their first team matches at Bromley FC.

A new club chairman Gary Hillman arrived in 1994/95 and in partnership with Ian Jenkins, a Cray player since 1993, the club has prospered ever since. Ian was appointed manager in 1999 since which time the Wands have literally gone “onwards and upwards”. As champions of the Kent League in 2002/03 and 2003/04, the Wands achieved promotion into the Ryman League Division One. Five years later at the end of season 2008/09 came further promotion into the Ryman Premier League.

Now the Wands want to return to their original area and are trying to obtain permission to develop a site in St Paul ‘s Cray to build their own stadium.