Please see here more information on retained Cray Wanderers squad players for the 2023-24 season.
Photos/artwork – Ozay Booth, Jon Hilliger
Nyren Clunis Winger
Cray Wanderers are delighted to announce that Nyren Clunis has been retained for the 2023-24 season. Nyren is a versatile midfielder/winger who signed for the Wands from Kingstonian in the summer of 2022.
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 made 38 appearances last season for Cray Wanderers and finished the season in top form and scored 8 goals including scoring in the Isthmian Premier Playoff semi-final at Hornchurch.
We look forward to watching Nyren again in a Wands shirt next season.
Anthony Cook Midfield/Winger
Cray Wanderers are delighted to announce that club captain Anthony Cook has been retained for the 2023-24 season.
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 is not far off a century of appearances for the club having played 90 games over the last two seasons, almost an ever present and has scored 22 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 for the 2023-24 season and is a great crowd favourite.
Tom Derry – Striker
Cray Wanderers are delighted to announce that Tom Derry has been retained for the 2023-24 season.
Tom had a very influential first season with the Wands and made 44 appearances and scored 12 goals and also claimed a number of assists during a season where Cray finished 5th in the Isthmian Premier and reached the Playoffs for the first time.
Tom joined the Wands from Welling United in the summer of 2022 and had joined the Wings in December 2021 after earlier spells at Slough Town and Braintree Town. Tom settled nicely with the Wands and hit a purple patch scoring in successive games against Billericay Town, Margate and Herne Bay over Christmas and New Year and scored in both league wins against promoted Aveley last season.
BROMLEY, GREATER LONDON, ENGLAND – NOVEMBER 05: The Pitching In Isthmian Premier League match between Cray Wanderers and Aveley FC at Hayes Lane on November 05, 2022 in Bromley, Greater London, England . (Photo: © Jon Hilliger / HilligerPix)
Tom is an experienced striker who can also play centre-back who started out in the Gillingham youth system and was on the books for the Gills before going into non-league football. Tom has played for a handful of Step 2 clubs including Tonbridge Angels, Hayes & Yeading and at Leatherhead, East Thurrock and Kingstonian.
We welcome Tom back for the 2023-24 season with the club looking for more of the same this season.
Dan Bassett – Departure
A note for Cray Wanderers supporters that Danny Bassett has departed the Wands for and has re-joined Carshalton Athletic for the 2023-24 season.
Danny came to the Wands from Carshalton at the start of last season and made 46 appearances in league and cup and scored 15 goals making him top scorer in a side that scored the most league goals for Cray in an Isthmian Premier season. Danny also scored in the season opener at Billericay Town and the final league game at Haringey Borough. He also scored in both league games against Carshalton last season.
BROMLEY, GREATER LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 29: Cray Wanderers’s Daniel Bassett opens the scoring for Cray Wanderers to make it 1-0 during The Pitching In Isthmian Premier League match between Cray Wanderers and Margate at Hayes Lane on August 29, 2022 in Bromley, Greater London, England . (Photo: © Jon Hilliger / HilligerPix)
I’m sure I speak on behalf of all Wands fans in wishing Danny all the best and thank him for his time with our great club. We just wish he has a stinker a couple of times against us next season.
Please see here a message from Danny to the fans and club.
“I just want to say thank you to the fans and all the staff at
@OfficialWands.
It was truly a pleasure and a season I won’t ever forget , I wish the club the best for next season, thank you again for having me.”
