Cray Wanderers vs Bowers & Pitsea
Isthmian Premier – Saturday 22nd March – Match Report
Cray Wanderers 4
Orji 45+1, Clunis 69, 78, 85
Bowers & Pitsea 0
Cray Wanderers condemned Bowers & Pitsea to relegation after a clinical and efficient performance on Non League Day as Nyren Clunis scored his first career hat-trick in sixteen second half minutes after Ike Orji gave the Wands the lead just before half time.
It had been an emotional 24 hours for the club following Neil Smith announcing his departure to join Crawley Town as Assistant Manager in the early hours of Friday morning. However, Tim O’Shea a long time friend of Neil’s and Assistant for three seasons stepped into the breech with incredible grace and out of love for the playing and coaching staff.
For the visitors from Essex, Bowers & Pitsea were nineteen points off 18th place Canvey Island and in effect even with a result at Flamingo Park could still have been relegated but definitely had pride to play for.
On Non-League Day, Tony Cascarino was a guest of the club and the Wands U15s Girls, London FA Cup winners last Sunday displaying the impressive trophy before hand and leading a guard of honour for the teams as they emerged onto the pitch.
For Cray there was a newcomer to the side in loanee striker from Millwall U18s, Kivalli Heywood with the Wands until the end of the season. In the absence of Tom Bonner, Quade Taylor stepped in as usual with authority and confidence.
Bowers & Pitsea had lost eight in a row and without a win in 2025 and made one change from the side which were beaten at home by Horsham last Saturday with Freddie Price coming in for Luke Reeve and had two ex-Wands in their starting lineup in Luca Albon and Alfie Evans.
With the Wands safe in 11th place and Bowers perhaps playing for pride the match on a very mild afternoon it was no surprise that the pace to begin with was sedate but Cray made the first real incision in the 7th minute when Nyren Clunis played a pass through to Darion Dowrich down the left and into the area but his shot was pushed out superbly one handed by Joe Whitney.
From here it was a case of both teams feeling each other out until the 24th minute when Cray came close again from a corner and Remi Sutton’s header was cleared off the line.
In the 33rd minute Cray came close when Quade Taylor on a foray down the left set up Clunis who from just outside the box curled a shot wide of the right post.
Four minutes later Cray continued to up the pace and Josh Williams down the right found Eze Ebouzeme who from 20 yards hit a cracking shot on target but Whitney again did brilliantly to push the ball one handed over for a corner.
Bowers & Pitsea looked to threaten themselves and five minutes before half time had their first shot on target when George Scales who was possibly their most positive attacker hit a low shot which Shaun Rowley got down to save. At the other end Frankie Raymond fired over from a free kick.
Cray though took the lead a minute into added on time when down the right Josh Williams played a pass to Ike Orji who cut into the box and placed an exquisite finish wide of Whitney and into the net for his first Cray Wanderers goal.
There was still time for Raymond to fire over from another free kick and Cray led at the break.
HT: 1-0
The second half was a more open affair with Bowers & Pitsea having to go for it as no use losing 0-1 and was a much better game.
For Cray, Raymond saw a shot charged down but the visitors came close when down the left Scales set up Max Fidders who from close range saw his shot deflected round the right post possibly by Rowley.
The match went from end to end but not too many opportunities with Evans shooting wide for Bowers & Pitsea.
Cray though you felt could up the gears when they felt like it and in the 69th minute added a second goal when down the right Orji did well once again to cut into the box and squared the ball into the six yard box for Clunis whose first shot was saved but following up knocked in the rebound from a few yards out for his 8th goal of the season.
The hard working Kivalli Heywood saw a shot go over the top but in the 78th minute it was all over when Dowrich down the left found Clunis who made no mistake from seven yards to make it 3-0.
From here four young players who have excelled in the U23s side came on with Tom Borders in particular looking sharp and his first touch almost saw a fourth goal with a Bergkamp like first touch and shot over the top. The Josh Williams run ended with Whitmey making a smothering save.
In the 85th minute Clunis completed his hat-trick with perhaps the only mistake of the match made by Whitney when his shot from outside the box seemed to squirm off his hands and into the net for his first club hat-trick of his distinguished career.
With Victor Damyanov, Freddie Warwick and Michael Ihiedi on for the last knockings, Ebouzeme shot over the top and the match finished with Cray on top and after the raw emotion the team must have displayed after Friday’s activity absolute credit must go to them for the performance and scoreline. It must have been a shock to so many but they went about their task with professionalism and deserved the win. Bowers & Pitsea gave it their all but now have to play out the last six games knowing they will be returning to the Isthmian North but can rebuild and go again and be a contender.
Cray who kept their faint playoff hopes alive remain 11th on 54 points will now look ahead to an end of March cracker against promotion chasing Dover Athletic on Saturday and can do so with confidence.
Cray Wanderers: Shaun Rowley, Ike Orji, Quade Taylor, Remi Sutton, Darion Dowrich, Lateef Adaja (Michael Ihiedi, 89), Frankie Raymond, Eze Ebouzeme, Nyren Clunis (Freddie Warwick, 87), Josh Williams (Victor Damyanov, 87), Kivalli Heywood (Tom Borders, 79): Sub: George Clark
Booked: Heywood 55, Orji 80
Bowers & Pitsea: Joseph Whitney, Quentin Monville (Max Dorilli, 87), Kacper Gruszczinski, Luca Albon, Yannis Ambrosiene (Charlie Campling, 77), Igor Sani (Reon Smith-Kouassi, 66), Max Fiddes, George Scales, Freddie Price (Emmanuel Shana, 75), Alfie Evans, TQ Addy: Sub: Luke Reeve
Booked: Monville 29, Sani 53
Referee: Joshua Evans
Assistants: Thomas Nicholls, Kennedy Kikulwe
Att: 706
