Cray are up to fourth in the table and back in the play-off zone again, after Leigh Bremner returned from injury to slam in a hat-trick against Croydon Athletic.

Fresh for action again after a six-week lay-off, Bremner reacted quickly to twist the ball into the net after John Guest's header came down from the crossbar in the fifth minute.

Cray doubled their lead after nine minutes when Chris Saunders played Tyrone Sterling into the box on the left and his drilled-in cross was stabbed over the line by Bremner.

With the Wands seeming to take their foot off the pedal, Croydon couldn't profit from some long spells of possession, with Dan Moody shooting straight at Charlie Mitten and Cody Best volleying wide from their best chances of the first half.

The Rams introduced all three substitutes in the early stages of the second half but Cray stayed content to play on the break, looking comfortable with their two-goal lead.

Cray defender Alex Bentley marked an excellent afternoon's work when he blocked a Bentley Graham shot during a goalmouth scramble in the 68th minute.

A strong finish from the home side brought a spell of one-way traffic towards the Croydon goal, with Guest heading over the bar and Sterling shooting wide after a strong run from the left.

Bremner completed his hat-trick in the 88th minute with another close-range finish, after Laurent Hamici forced a delivery in from the right.

The final agony for bottom of the table Croydon came in the 90th minute when a defensive mix-up gave substitute Nathan Ashton an open invitation to score Cray's fourth on his debut for the club.

The Wands are away to Thamesmead Town on Tuesday night in the Ryman League Cup 4th round (7.45pm).

Cray: Mitten, Cottrell, Bentley, McLeod (Bellamy 68), Willy, Guest, Lover (Ashton 80), Saunders (Mesade 90), Hamici, Bremner, Sterling. Subs not used: Perkins, Wright.