TOMMY Whitnell's hat-trick saw Cray move up to fourth and back into the play-off zone after seeing off Tooting & Mitcham United 4-1 at Hayes Lane.

That completed a home and away double for Cray against Tooting this season, with the Wands netting four goals in both games.

But Tuesday night was not all joy for the Wands after the sickener of full back Sam Long being stretchered off with an ankle injury near the end of the game.

Whitnell was on the mark with just five minutes on the clock, firing into the net after Tooting 'keeper Jack Giddens spilled a ferocious shot from Lewis Perkins.

Moving the ball well on the slippery surface, Cray applied strong pressure but were pegged back on 18 minutes when Jamie England boomed in a corner-kick from the right and Connor French sent a firm header into the net.

French had looked offside in the move that led to the corner, but it was a quickly-taken Cray corner-kick on the right that saw the home side regain the lead on 41 minutes.

Tooting's defence was slow to stop the cross coming in, and Whitnell reacted sharply at the far post to guide a header out of the 'keeper's reach.

Steve Ferguson had earlier hit the post in a Tooting breakaway, with Cray afterwards scrambling the ball off the line, and the Cray defence were fully tested after the interval as Tooting found plenty of attacking space.

Reece Hall couldn't hit the target to round off a good Tooting move, and Cray keeper Andy Walker came out to make a blocking save when the ball was threaded through the inside left channel.

But there was no arguing with Whitnell's ruthless finishing as the Cray goal poacher swept the ball into the net after Long's surging run into the box in the 65th minute.

Play was held up for several minutes after Long's distressing injury in the 75th minute and even though Jack Clark netted Cray's fourth with a crisp finish from Leigh Bremner's backheel, the closing minutes of the game were understanably quite subdued.

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Cray: Walker, Long (Young 75), Bentley, Saunders, Vines, Sterling, Whitnell (Power 79), Perkins, Bremner, Phillips, Clark. Subs not used: Parkinson, Dolby, Hall.