where they were based from 1973 to 1998 , was waved through when Cray joined the Kent League in 1978 , despite its lack of covered seating . Conscious that a better ground was needed , Cray announced plans in 1985 to buy a site at Rectory Lane , Foots Cray , and a scheme was hatched that included two stands , floodlights and a gymnasium , but despite some preliminary work , in 1990 the project was abandoned . Meanwhile , the Kent League threatened the club with expulsion in 1991 due to the lack of seating at Oxford Road , a deficiency which was corrected when 100 seats were acquired from Charlton Athletic . Though other improvements were carried out at Oxford Road , Cray were unsuccessful in their attempts to erect floodlights , forcing them to leave the ground in 1998 and move to Bromley ’ s Hayes Lane .
Left & Below : The stand at Oxford Road , both before and after seats were added Photos : Mike Floate
One advantage of playing at Hayes Lane was that ground grading problems were no longer a worry , meaning that after winning the Kent League in 2004 / 05 , Cray were able to join the Isthmian League . Behind the scenes efforts to find a new home continued , though once again these come to nothing when combined plans to build a 5,135 capacity stadium and 182 houses at Sandy Lane , St Pauls Cray were turned down in 2012 because of concerns about the loss of green belt . Perhaps more realistic than building an entirely new ground was repurposing an already existing one , and such a candidate was lurking
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