Team Pen Pics

Neil Smith – Manager

Cray Wanderers announced on 22nd March, 2022 the appointment of Neil Smith as manager. Neil came in for the remaining six games of the season and helped to stave off relegation and from that helped build a much more successful 2022-23 season which saw Cray finish in their highest ever league position of 5th, most points and goals in an Isthmian Premier season. After a difficult start to last season Neil managed to guide the Wands away from relegation to help the club start life at Flamingo Park in the Isthmian Premier.

Neil had a distinguished Football League and Non-League career as a player and coach and later as a manager.
He started out in the Tottenham Hotspur youth system and was signed as an apprentice in 1990 but never got a chance to play so initially went on loan to Gillingham in 1991 and remained there for six years making over 200 appearances for the Medway club. He moved on to Fulham in 1997 for two seasons and scored against Tottenham in the FA Cup. In 1999 he moved to Reading and all three Football League clubs he gained promotion as a player.

He had a short spell at Stevenage Borough and then on to Woking in 2002 for five seasons and became interim manager for a spell. He continued in player management at Welling United and after short spells as a player at Bromley and Maidstone United he called time on his playing career.

He went into coaching at Grays Athletic, Croydon Athletic and Lewes and then to Bromley in 2011 and was Assistant Manager when Bromley won the National South title in 2014-15. He became first team manager in 2016 and established Bromley as a credible National League force and took them to the FA Trophy final at Wembley in 2017-18. He remained at Bromley until March 2021 until his departure from the club but has taken on a new challenge at Cray Wanderers with gusto where he helped introduce a new Academy side and the prospect of the new stadium at Flamingo Park.

Tim O’Shea – Assistant Manager

Tim joined Neil Smith as Assistant Manager of Cray Wanderers after arriving in March 2022. Tim is an experienced manager and coach who took the reins at Grays Athletic, Croydon Athletic and Lewes.

Tim represented Republic of Ireland at Youth level and came through the Tottenham Hotspur youth system and went on to make 3 appearances for the first team between 1983-88 which included a loan spell at Newport County and went on to Leyton Orient for the 1988-89 season. He went on to star at Gillingham as a defender making 112 appearances between 1989-1992. After later playing in Hong Kong he went into non-league football with Farnborough Town and Welling United and from here went into management at Grays, Croydon and Lewes where Neil Smith was a coach.

Shaun Rowley – Goalkeeper

Cray Wanderers are delighted that Shaun Rowley has been retained for the 2024-25 season. Shaun has had a fantastic two seasons with the Wands missing just one Isthmian Premier League game and his performances in goal earned him the Supporters Player of the Year for 2022-23 and runner up last season. Shaun kept fifteen clean sheets in 2022-23 as the Wands finished in 5th place in the league and reached the playoffs for the first time and eleven last season. Shaun is just one game away from making 100 first team appearances.

Shaun came through the youth system at Shrewsbury Town turning professional in 2005. Whilst with the Shrews he went out on loan to Halesowen, Chorley and Tamworth then signing for Halifax Town in 2018. From here Shaun went on to Solihull Moors and Kettering Town before joining Matlock in September 2020 spending the latter part of the 2021-22 season with Carlton Town.

Quade Taylor – Defender

Cray Wanderers are delighted to announce the signing of defender Quade Taylor to the club. Quade comes to the Wands from Corinthian Casuals whom he joined from Hastings United in January 2024.

Quade came through the youth systems at Dulwich Hamlet and Crystal Palace and signed for Palace in 2012 but never broke into the first team but spent a loan spell with Welling United. In 2014 he joined Bolton Wanderers where he made one first team appearance on the final day of the 2014-15 season and had a loan spell at Dagenham & Redbridge. In 2016 he joined Dulwich Hamlet where he remained until 2023 making 169 appearances and scoring 8 goals. At the start of the 2023-24 season he joined Hastings after starting the season at Carshalton Athletic before joining Corinthian Casuals.
We welcome Quade to Cray Wanderers and hope he enjoys his time with the Wands.

Tom Bonner – Defender

Tom is an experienced central defender who joined Cray Wanderers in November 2023 and made 22 appearances scoring twice against Haringey Borough and Hashtag United finishing the season in impressive fashion.

Tom came from the QPR Youth system and signed professional forms with Northampton Town in 2005 but went into non-league football joining Rushden & Diamonds after earlier loan spells at Bedford Town & Nuneaton Borough. He later went on to Hinckley United and Ilkeston before joining Dartford for the 2010-11 season and was part of their National South promotion winning side. He made 125 appearances up to 2013 before going on to Cambridge United where he won the FA Trophy in 2013-14 going on to play in the Football League for the U’s. He served Dover Athletic on loan during the 2014-15 season before joining Ebbsfleet United the following season making 37 league appearances. He returned to Dartford in 2016 and remained at Princes Park until 2023 announcing his retirement before joining Havant & Waterlooville this summer.
Tom has also represented Scotland at U19 level.

Darion Dowrich – Defender

Darion is a new arrival at Cray Wanderers having joined the club from near neighbours Glebe and made his league debut against Hashtag United on the opening day of the season.

Full back Darion joined Glebe for the 2023-24 season but also played seven games for FC Elmstead. He returned to Glebe and made seventeen SCEFL Premier appearances and played in their Playoff Semi-Final with Erith Town.

Darion is a player with huge potential and we welcome him to Cray Wanderers.

Harrison Sodje – Defender

Full back/defender Harrison Sodje has returned to Cray Wanderers after a couple of successful loan spells during the 2022-23 season. Harrison had come to Cray from Leyton Orient and was released by the club after the end of the 2023-24 season. Harrison made his return in the league game at Hendon on 17th August.

Harrison initially made his debut for Cray Wanderers against Brightlingsea Regent on 19th October and had a fine game playing the full 90 minutes and after returning to Orient he made his return in the 2-1 win at Bowers & Pitsea on 4th March and notched his first goal against Horsham on 25th March and also scored crucial goals against Enfield Town and Kingstonian in April. He made 24 appearances scoring three goals.

Harrison played for Cray as a young youth player twelve years ago and went on to Chelsea and Charlton Athletic before joining Leyton Orient as a 16 year old two years ago and signed his first professional contract this season. Harrison has played for Aveley on loan last season and a spell at Heybridge Swifts this season. Harrison returned to Leyton Orient in early January and was part of their first team squad as an unused substitute before coming back to Cray in March. Last season he had loan spells at Bishop’s Stortford and Dartford.

David Ijaha – Midfield

Cray Wanderers are delighted to announce that David Ijaha has been retained for the 2024-25 season. David had an outstanding 2023-24 season making 44 appearances either at the back or in midfield for the Wands, scoring twice and was voted Supporters Player of the Year as well as Manager’s Player, and Player’s Player of the Year.

David joined the Wands in September 2022 and the midfielder has made 73 appearances scoring four goals includingin the Isthmian Premier Playoff Semi Final at Hornchurch on 26th April, 2023. David has also shone as a central defender at times since joining the Wands.

David was a youth team player at Chelsea and Wolves where he played for the U18s before going into the non-league game with Harrow Borough in 2010. He went on to play for St. Albans City, Tonbridge Angels, Hayes & Yeading United and Whitehawk where he made 62 appearances between 2014-16 before being signed by Plymouth Argyle where he made three appearances during the 2016-17 season.

After a short spell at Wealdstone, David returned to Whitehawk for the 2017-18 season and then on to Welling United, Dulwich Hamlet and Dartford at the end of the 2021-22 season and another short spell at Whitehawk.
We welcome David back with the Wands for our historic first season at Flamingo Park in the Isthmian Premier.

Nyren Clunis – Midfield

Cray Wanderers are delighted to announce that Nyren Clunis has been retained for the 2024-25 season. Nyren is a versatile midfielder/winger who signed for the Wands from Kingstonian in the summer of 2022 and bounced back from injury last season to make 25 appearances scoring 8 goals.

Nyren came through the Dulwich Hamlet youth system and made his league debut in 2009 and went on to make an impressive 486 appearances for Hamlet scoring 117 goals and was part of two promotion winning sides and a former player of the year. Nyren had a testimonial game for Dulwich Hamlet in May 2023. After being released at the end of the 2019-20 season Nyren moved on to Carshalton Athletic and then joined Kingstonian at the start of the 2021-22 season going on to make 44 appearances scoring 3 goals.

Nyren has made 62 appearances for Cray Wanderers scoring 14 goals including scoring in the Isthmian Premier Playoff semi-final at Hornchurch in April 2023.

Frankie Raymond – Midfield

Cray Wanderers are delighted to announce Frankie Raymond has been retained for the 2024-25 season. Midfielder Frankie had a very consistent 2023-24 season joining the Wands from Dulwich Hamlet making 40 appearances and scored four goals and also netted on the first day of the 2024-25 season.

Frankie adds considerable experience to the midfield and began his career in the Reading Academy spending loan spells at Horsham, Basingstoke Town, Eastleigh and Hungerford Town before joining Gillingham’s Development side in 2012. In 2014 he moved on to Eastbourne Borough making 70 appearances over two seasons in the National South. From there he moved into the Football League and the National League with Dagenham & Redbridge for three seasons making 56 appearances. He stayed in the National League in 2017 when he signed for Bromley for whom he made 171 appearances in four seasons including reaching the FA Trophy Final in his first season and reaching the National League playoffs in 2020-21.

The following season he signed for Boreham Wood and was part of the side which reached the 5th Round of the FA Cup making 42 appearances before joining Dulwich Hamlet at the start of last season.
We welcome Frankie back with the Wands for what will be a historic season for the club in our new home.

Imran Kayanı – Midfield

Imran is a striker who came to Cray Wanderers at the end of August 2024 from Whitehawk FC.
Imran is a Pakistan International who has been capped six times and made his debut in November 2023 in a World Cup Qualifier in Saudi Arabia.

Imran was with Chelsea as a youth player and also came through the Sutton United youth system. He joined Slough Town as an U23s player in 2021 making 45 appearances for the first team up to 2023. After loan spells at Kings Langley, Hartley Wintney, Kingstonian and Hanwell Town he joined Dover Athletic briefly in the summer of 2023 before joining Whitehawk in September 2023 making 46 appearances including four this season and scored 14 goals. We welcome Imran to Cray Wanderers and hope he enjoys his time with us.

Charlie Edwards – Midfield

Cray Wanderers are delighted to announce the signing of midfielder Charlie Edwards to the club. Charlie joins the Wands from Potters Bar Town where he finished last season after two seasons at Canvey Island.

Charlie started his career with Hertford Town, Harlow Town and Waltham Abbey joining Potters Bar briefly in 2021. He went on to Corinthian Casuals and then joined Canvey Island in November 2022 and went on to make 64 appearances scoring 8 goals before joining Potters Bar Town in late March 2024 playing the remaining 9 games of the season.
We welcome Charlie to Cray Wanderers and hope he enjoys his time at Flamingo Park.

ANTHONY COOK – Midfield

Cray Wanderers are delighted to announce that Anthony Cook has been retained for the 2024-25 season for his fourth campaign with the club making him the longest serving player.

Hugely versatile midfielder Anthony has also played in a number of positions throughout his career and for Cray has also turned out as full back and even in goal on a couple of occasions. Anthony joined Cray in the summer of 2021 and made over a century of appearances for the club having made his 100th appearance in the Kent Senior Cup tie vs Phoenix Sports last September and has now made 139 appearances scoring 33 goals. He scored his 100th career goal against Cheshunt in March 2022. Anthony was also part of the Wands side which reached the Isthmian Premier playoffs for the first time in 2022-23 under Neil Smith.

A stylish midfielder who also played out on the wing made his league debut for Dagenham & Redbridge in December 2007, Anthony via an appearance on Sky TV’s Football Icon series had a spell at Cardiff City as a youth team player. After spells at Concord Rangers, Carshalton and Braintree Town he really came into his own after signing for Chelmsford City where he played for four seasons scoring 22 goals in 93 league games.

Anthony moved on to Ebbsfleet United for the 2013-14 season but then signed for Bromley in January 2015 where he helped Bromley to the Conference South title before returning to Ebbsfleet in the summer of 2015. He remained at Stonebridge Road until 2018 and then after a loan spell at Woking signed for Dulwich Hamlet in the summer of 2018 and then onto Welling United ahead of the 2019-20 season.

We welcome Cookie back with the Wands for what will be a huge season for the club at Flamingo Park.

Lateef Adaja – Winger

Lateef is a new arrival at Cray Wanderers having joined the club from Potters Bar Town.

Lateef came through the Bromley youth set up and played for the U18s and in the FA Youth Cup for the Ravens during the 2021-22 season. During the 2022-23 season Lateef made six appearances on loan at Chatham Town and had a short spell at Burgess Hill Town. He joined Potters Bar Town in November 2023 and made 22 appearances, scoring one goal.

Lateef made a positive impact during pre-season and we welcome him to Cray Wanderers.

David Smith – Striker

Cray Wanderers are delighted to announce the signing of striker David Smith who joins the Wands from Folkestone Invicta where he scored 15 goals in 44 appearances last season.

David came through the Maidstone United youth system before joining Sittingbourne and then Dover Athletic for the 2018-19 season with loan spells at Sevenoaks Town and Sittingbourne and then on to Ashford United for the 2019-20 season. He joined Folkestone in the summer of 2020 scoring 41 goals in two seasons before joining Bromley in the summer of 2022 with loan spells at Hornchurch, Margate and Hastings United. He rejoined Folkestone last summer and has been a consistent Isthmian league goalscorer.

We welcome David to Cray Wanderers and hope he enjoys his time with the club.

Kenny Coker – Striker

Kenny is a new arrival at Cray Wanderers having joined the club from Norwich City.

Kenny was born in Atlanta but grew up in the UK and came through the youth systems at Bowers & Pitsea, Billericay Town and Southend United. He came through the ranks at Southend and made four appearances for the Shrimpers in the Football League making his debut on 1st February 2020 vs. Lincoln City. He made four appearances in two seasons before joining Norwich City in 2021 signing professional forms. He went to Chelmsford City on loan last season before joining the Wands in August 2024.

Kenny made his debut in the opening day victory at Hashtag United and we welcome him to the club.