‘I was so excited,” says Kyrell Lisbie, as he comes to terms with the boundless magic of the FA Cup. “I said to my dad prior: ‘Imagine getting Charlton away’ – and we did. I couldn’t believe it.” For the Cray Valley Paper Mills forward Sunday’s tie is a dream come true for a variety of reasons.
A 10-minute drive separates eighth-tier Cray Valley’s ground in Eltham, south-east London, from League One Charlton’s 27,000-capacity stadium, making it the most local of local derbies and arguably the most attractive game anyone in the non-league side’s squad could have hoped for. But for Lisbie it has even greater resonance. His father, Kevin, played 176 times for Charlton from 1996 to 2007, including 113 times in the Premier League. Kevin will be at the Valley, where he scored a hat-trick in a 3-2 defeat of Liverpool in 2003, to watch his son.
The Isthmian League club’s links with the Lisbies do not end with Kyrell. Kevin played for the club towards the end of his career, notably scoring 53 goals in 65 appearances across the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons, and Kyrell’s twin, Kyreece, also had a stint there. The team’s journey to the first round proper has been eventful. Under the guidance of Steve McKimm, appointed as manager in the summer, they have won five qualifiers, including three that went to replays.
Kyrell has taken on an important role as his end product has developed. He has 13 goals this season and scored twice in the final qualifying round against Enfield to help turn a 2-1 deficit into a 5-2 win. “The manager’s given me licence to go and express myself and use it to boost my confidence,” Kyrell says. “And when you score one or two goals, you enjoy the feeling and you want to keep on doing it. We knew we could go all the way and get into the first round proper. [The manager] helped us massively and he’s harsh on us but he pushes us to get the best out of every single one of us, especially me, so he’s helped me a lot.”
The value of pushing hard for what you want is evident from Kyrell’s journey. Non-league stints at Welling United and Woodford Town came after a period in Watford’s academy and a trial at West Ham. Kyreece is at Brentford B after time with Leyton Orient and Watford as well as Cray Valley. “All the disappointments that they’ve had leading up to these moments, I think you sort of wonder whether or not your kids really want to play football or they just enjoy it,” says Kevin. “The fact that they’re really positive about all the disappointments showed me that they wanted to play at a high level, despite all the negative feedback that they’ve had coaches telling them they’re not good enough. It shows their dedication.”
Kevin says almost 20 years ago he received a call while at a club event for Charlton. It was his wife, telling him she was about to deliver twins. That season (2003-04) Charlton had their highest Premier League finish, under Alan Curbishley.
Charlton, at the time, benefited from a fruitful youth setup, which Kevin came through. He has never stopped being part of the furniture. “It’s my club,” he says. “People don’t know the history: the two clubs I love the most are Charlton and Cray Valley – it’s been like that for the last six or seven years. So for them both to be playing each other at the Valley is going to be a special day for me, the club, my family and Kyrell.”
Kevin remains involved at Charlton as part of their media output. Since the club’s relegation from the Premier League in 2007, instability has prevented them from returning. A series of takeovers over the past four years after Roland Duchâtelet’s chaotic stewardship and a constant turnover in playing staff hampered hopes of improvement. Michael Appleton took over as head coach in September and Kevin says for the first time in a while he can see cause for optimism: “From the games I’ve watched and commentated on this year I think this is a real turning point. I’ve spoken to the manager, he is really on board with getting the heart and soul back into the club.
“It has been spoken about bringing old players back in to interact with the fans again, to bring those good time feelings back. If everyone stays fit we have a good chance of getting promoted. I’m actually quite excited to see where this season ends.”
Kevin, who appeared with his twin boys for Cray Valley’s under‑23s as an overage player, is trying to pursue coaching. He runs a finishing summer school at Leyton Orient, another of his former clubs, and describes coaching as something he is “desperate” to do.
In 2001 a Premier League Charlton squad including Kevin needed a replay and a goal in extra time to beat fifth-tier Dagenham & Redbridge, and he warns “if you’re not on it” as a bigger team you can be punished. Kevin points out the counterattacking threat Cray Valley have in players such as Denzel Gayle and Freddie Parker.
Kyrell says “it will take a lot to win” – but after being gifted this dream tie why shouldn’t he dream again?
