- Team form: Cray Wanderers have won seven of their last ten matches.
- Recent form: Stockport have won six of their last ten in all competitions, but have dropped two.
- Home stats: Cray Wanderers are averaging 3.33 goals per-game at home this season.
Cray have the home advantage
Stockport County are odds-on favourites for this FA Cup 2026-2027 clash with Cray Wanderers FC at 1.15, but it's hard to get away from the fact that the seventh-tier side will have all the running on Sunday. The Wands are outsiders and the draw is priced up at 7.4 in this fixture.
That's a lot of odds for the Hatters to cover, even if they are the much better side on paper. There will be plenty of time for The Wands to get the ball into their own box at Flamingo Park on Sunday, so there is a chance for an upset in this cup tie.
Wands are on a roll
Form and setup
Cray have won three of their five recent games, drawing the other two, and they come into this cup game off the back of a 4-1 win away at Brentwood Town and a 0-0 away at Stanway Rovers. Tim O'Shea has set up a pragmatic, defensive-minded 4-2-3-1, which looks to spring forward on quick breaks and can be dangerous on set plays.
Tactical notes and key players
This is a game Cray have to make open, so there will be an onus on Stockport to take the ball early and suffocate any space behind them. But Cray can be lethal on the counterattack, especially if Ade Yusuff is on song.
- The forward has three of the club's six goals in their last five games, and he is more than capable of punishing any mistakes in behind the Hatters defence.
- Kyle Wootton is Stockport's goal machine, scoring two of his side's six in the last five, and he gives them a reliable target man if they do get Cray pinned deep.
Hatters will have to earn their spot
Jim McNulty is a great coach and has instilled a front-foot, pressing structure on Stockport County, but this looks like a game they can't afford to lose and they will probably win. Stockport have won two, drawn two and lost one of their away games this season in all competitions, so they can't be trusted to run away with it.
Stockport did win their most recent home game against AFC Wimbledon 2-1 after losing to Oxford United away, so there is a bit of mixed-to-strong form in their most recent five games. We'll take the Hatters to nick it here, but not in a blowout.
Over 2.5 goals is 1.29 and Both Teams to Score is 1.88, but Stockport's defensive strength keeps the shutout bet alive. Stockport average just 0.40 goals conceded per-game away. An away win looks a good choice of correct score.
