Matches

Stern Test For Blues by Carol Smith-Allen

After a fairly easy stroll against Leyton Orient in mid-week, Blues were brought down to earth by Coca Cola Football League Division One side Colchester United. The Layer Road outfit proved much sterner opposition than the O’s, but although defeated, Grays will take heart from avoiding a repeat of last season’s ‘friendly’ 5-0 reverse, and will have been pleased to restrict a talented side to a single-goal victory.

Blues began the match with trialist Ademole Bankoli in goal, Leroy Griffiths on the bench, and without the injured pair of Stuart Thurgood (ankle) and Danny Hayzelden (thigh)

The visitors began strongly, dominating the early stages, and duly took the lead on 19 minutes when Wayne Brown turned smartly to fire his shot into the top left-hand corner of the net. Grays tried to counter, but came up against a solid back four.

Despite some hard midfield work, Blues were unable to fashion any chances of real note and it was Colchester’s Wayne Andrews who popped-up just before half-time to net what proved to be the decisive goal of the game, beating keeper Bankoli with a low drive from the edge of the box.

Both sides made a number of substitutions at the break, the sun came out, and Grays picked-up with the introduction of Leroy Griffiths on the hour mark. Although the visitors continued to be the dominant passing side, Blues now began to look more dangerous, sending one shot crashing against the bar and another just wide.

With ten minutes remaining, Tony Taggart drove a free-kick home for Blues to set-up what could have been a tense finish, but though Grays pushed forward looking for an equaliser, it was United who looked the more likely to score towards the end of the game.

Teams:

Grays Ath:
From: Bankoli, Brown, Bruce, Robinson, Lunan, Youds, Carthy (Capt), Eastwood, Griffiths, Barrett, Bradshaw, Remy, Olayinka, Haule, Nutter, Vaughan, Wild, Taggart.

Colchester United:
From: Davidson, Halford, Keith, Johnson, Watson, Duguid, Andrews, Fagan, Izzet, Cade, Gerken, Hunt, Johnston, Bowry, Chilvers, Crouch, White, Baldwin, Stockley, Brown.

Your comments

Average game. At times Colchester where out shined the Blues but in other times we out shined them. Ellis Remy and Freddie Eastwood done well in the first half and Jeff brazier was good in the second.

WAyne Andrews scored Colchester`s second. Well done Grays, you put on a good show

Have we got jeff brazier playing for us now??

Thanks Larry, am not totally on the ball at the moment. Asked one of the Colchester fans for the scorers (got the impression he thought I was barking) - I must have misheard him in thinking it was Burnett!!

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