The oldest football club in London will hope to create history in the world's oldest cup competition on Sunday afternoon when seventh-tier Cray Wanderers welcome League One side Stockport County to a sold-out Flamingo Park.

The Wands have progressed through several qualifying rounds to reach the FA Cup First Round Proper, earning a tie against a Hatters side who climbed to second in the league after beating Wimbledon 2-1 last weekend.

Match preview

Having played seven matches in the FA Cup this season, four of which ended level after 90 minutes, with three requiring replays, Cray Wanderers have reached the First Round Proper for the first time in their 166-year history, having been founded before the competition itself.

Entering the competition in the First Qualifying Round, the Wands overcame Lewes, Maidstone United, Chippenham Town and, most recently, Bedford Town to set up Sunday's historic encounter.

Led by Tim O'Shea, who made three league appearances for Tottenham Hotspur during the 1980s, Cray's most recent tie saw them draw with Bedford after 90 minutes before finding another equaliser in extra time to take the contest to a penalty shootout.

The Wands subsequently prevailed 4-3 on penalties to create a moment of history and have since returned to league action, where they compete at Step 3 of the National League System and currently sit just one place above the relegation zone in the Isthmian League Premier Division.

However, their league position does not fully reflect the four wins, three draws and three defeats they have recorded from their opening 10 matches, with their impressive FA Cup run forcing several fixtures to be postponed and rearranged.

As a result, O'Shea's side have as many as seven games in hand on some of their fellow seventh-tier sides. 

As for Stockport County, they make the journey to Chislehurst looking to avoid what could prove to be one of the biggest FA Cup upsets of the season.

Led by Jimmy McNulty, the Hatters have enjoyed an impressive run of form in League One, with four victories from their last six matches lifting them to second in the table, just three points behind the league leaders.

Stockport's FA Cup campaign came to an end in the second round last season following a 5-4 penalty shootout defeat to Cambridge United, although they faced Premier League opposition in Crystal Palace during the 2024-25 campaign, eventually suffering a narrow 1-0 defeat to the eventual cup winners.

More recently, the Greater Manchester outfit have been adjusting to life under new manager McNulty after long-serving boss Dave Challinor departed in the summer following their playoff final defeat to Bolton Wanderers.

The Hatters are hoping to return to the second tier for the first time since 2002 and, with a long season still ahead, will be determined to keep their promotion ambitions on track while avoiding an unwanted cup exit this weekend.

Cray Wanderers FA Cup form:

Stockport County form (all competitions):

Team News

Ade Yussuff scored two of Cray's four goals in their most recent outing, and the striker, who has found the net 12 times this season, is expected to lead the line for the hosts on Sunday afternoon.

The Wands are also likely to retain JJ Briggs in goal, while captain Frankie Raymond is expected to continue at full-back.

As for visiting Stockport County, McNulty could make wholesale changes as his side prepare to face opponents who sit 111 league places below them in the football pyramid.

The Hatters boss may choose to rest key players such as Jack Diamond and Kyle Wootton, potentially opening the door for teenage forward Che Gardner and French striker Mikael Mandron to feature from the start.

Regular goalkeeper Oliver Whatmuff could also make way for Luca Ashby-Hammond, who has featured twice in the EFL Trophy this season.

Brad Hills and Kyron Gordon will, however, play no part in this weekend's cup tie due to injury. 

Cray Wanderers possible starting lineup:

Briggs; Lema, Strachan, Morgan, Raymond; McLeod, Adaja, Ogunwamide, Hernandez; Yusuff, Ufuah

Stockport County possible starting lineup:

Ashby-Hammond; Jobe, O'Connell, Pye; Dacres-Cogley, Norwood, Fiorini, Ennis; Gardner, Mandron, Edun

We say: Cray Wanderers 0-5 Stockport County

While Sunday promises to be a historic occasion for one of the country's oldest football clubs, we expect Stockport County to have far too much quality for their non-league opponents.

The League One outfit boast one of the most prolific attacks in the English Football League, and we expect McNulty's men to demonstrate the gulf in quality by securing a comfortable victory and booking their place in the next round.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.