Cray Wanderers, London’s oldest club, reach FA Cup first round after Bedford replay

Cray Wanderers, the oldest club in London still in existence, reached the FA Cup first round for the first time in their 166-year history after beating Bedford Town on penalties in a fourth qualifying round replay at Flamingo Park three days after a 0-0 draw on 17 October. The replay finished 2-2 after extra time and Cray won the shootout 4-3 when teenager Jakob Lowe converted the decisive spot-kick.

Formed in 1860, Cray are one of the four oldest clubs in England and this season represent the club’s 78th FA Cup campaign, having failed to progress to the first round in their previous 77 attempts. The club helped form the Kent League in 1894, served as a nursery club to Woolwich Arsenal between 1895 and 1907, and the Cray youth setup is where Marc Guehi began his career at the age of six.

The tie required a replay after a 0-0 draw at Bedford on 17 October; the replay at Flamingo Park was 1-1 after 90 minutes, went to extra time, Bedford took the lead in the 101st minute and Cray striker Ade Yusuff levelled to make it 2-2, forcing penalties. Wands goalkeeper JJ Briggs, who is on loan from Cambridge United, made two saves in the shootout and Lowe’s successful penalty sealed the 4-3 victory.

Cray captain and midfielder Frankie Raymond reacted to the achievement, saying: "It means a massive amount to us all," Raymond told BBC London. Ade Yusuff, an ex-Hornchurch and Folkestone Invicta striker who has scored in all four qualifying rounds so far, said pupils at his school were "really excited" about the match and added: "They're really looking forward to it, they're really proud." He also said: "I don't see why not," and: "The team are in really good form and when the boys are creating chances the way they are, I always back myself - no matter who it's against - to score."

Yusuff, 32, has scored 11 goals in all competitions for Cray this season and will spend Friday in the classroom where he works as a teacher before the weekend’s tie. On the run to the first round he said: "I think it's all about momentum," and: "We've beaten higher teams in different positions in the earlier rounds. I think it's about believing in ourselves." He added: "A lot of the boys here have really good careers ahead of them. They have to have these occasions and these moments so they can say: 'I can do it and I can achieve something myself'."

Cray sit 18th in the Isthmian League Premier Division - the seventh tier of the English football pyramid - and Tim O'Shea's side are only outside the relegation zone on goal difference while having at least four games in hand on the teams around them. Their progression required three replays across the four qualifying rounds, a sequence that involved seven matches totalling 660 minutes of football.

Attendances at Flamingo Park typically fluctuate between 130 and 900, but Sunday’s tie sold out in five minutes with 2,500 fans expected. Longtime supporter Mark Hunt, who has been following Cray Wanderers since 2010, said: "Anything could happen," and: "There's always a David and Goliath story. We had one last year when Macclesfield beat Crystal Palace. "There's a big, big gap between Macclesfield and Palace. Why can't it be Stockport v Cray? "Most people expect the underdogs to fail, most times they will, but a few slip through the net. "You get one shot at it. And the fact it goes straight to a penalty shootout, no replay, no VAR, artificial pitch - it could go in our favour." He added: "It means the world," and: "It's been such a long time coming. It's something we've been waiting for for so long, just to get a shot at a Stockport County. "It's going to be an incredible occasion."

Cray will host League One's second-placed Stockport County in the FA Cup first round on Sunday, 8 November; kick-off is 14:15 GMT and the match will be shown live on BBC Two and BBC iPlayer.