3pm 1 January 2025
Isthmian League, Premier Division
Cray Wanderers 1 Dulwich Hamlet 0 (att 827)
I had hoped to begin the year with a visit to Cambridge City's new stadium, but wet weather and a grass pitch made we wary of the potential for a late postponement.
Instead I made a longer journey to the south of London, but with greater certainty of the match being on. That was thanks to the artificial pitch at Cray Wanderers' new ground, which opened at the start the season.
Cambridge City played, but plenty of other games on grass were either postponed or abandoned. The rain at Cray's Flamingo Park was relentless, only easing as the game neared its conclusion.
Given the tricky conditions it was a decent encounter. The home side won it with a well-taken goal seven minutes from the end. They'd come closest to scoring earlier, hitting the post, and looked just the better of evenly-matched teams.
I saw Cray Wanderers at their previous Oxford Road ground in Sidcup in 1987. For many of the years since they shared Bromley's ground, but now have a home of their own.
Flamingo Park has been built on what was a pre-existing sports ground. An impressive two storey clubhouse is behind the goal, and also provides some shelter from the rain.
At present the only other structure for spectators is a stand that includes seats and covered standing. There's plenty of space for further stands to be added though, and overall it's a decent ground.
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