Cray Wanderers seek Trophy success in landmark season.
Cray Wanderers v Burgess Hill Town
The FA Carlsberg Trophy
First Round Qualifying
3pm, Sunday 18 October 2009
Winning clubs will receive £2,300 from The FA prize fund
Click here for all of yesterday's First Round Qualifying results
Few clubs competing in The FA Trophy this weekend can boast a history as impressive as Cray Wanderers, the second oldest club in the world. The Bromley-based side were founded way back in 1860 and are celebrating their 150th anniversary this season.
On Sunday afternoon, they entertain Burgess Hill Town in The FA Trophy First Round Qualifying, and manager Ian Jenkins is determined to ensure there are celebrations both on and off the pitch.
"Becoming 150-years-old is something we're really proud of and hopefully we can do ourselves justice by staying in the league and producing good cup runs," he told TheFA.com.
"The FA Trophy is a big competition for us this season and some of my best memories in football are from cup games."
Wanderers have made a solid start to the campaign in the Isthmian League Premier Division after gaining promotion last season, and Jenkins admits staying in the division remains the priority.
"Our main aim is to avoid relegation and I'm confident we'll be fine because a lot of teams are beating each other," he said.
"It's still nice to get away from the league and hopefully we can build some momentum after our 1-1 draw with Boreham Wood on Tuesday night.
"But we played Burgess Hill last year in the league and I know they are a strong side so it will be tough."
Jenkins is a one-club man, having played more than 450 games for Cray as a player before embarking on a managerial spell that is now in eleventh year.
And the confident boss is quite happy to take credit for his role in the club's recent achievements.
He said: "Without the players I have brought in as manager we wouldn't have been so successful. You don't see many managers who stay around as long as I have and there is a reason for that."