Matches

MATCH REPORT VS BOGNOR REGIS TOWN (AWAY) by Carol Smith-Allen

After the excitement and prestige of the FA Trophy Quarter Final on Saturday a trip to the south coast on a Tuesday evening was never going to equal the glamour and atmosphere of an important cup game. However, although the match was a rather lacklustre affair with Grays producing a below par display, the thirty or so ardent Blues fans who made the trip to Nyewood Lane were rewarded with some delicious food, an immaculate pitch and excellent hospitality.

Bognor started the brighter of the two sides with Blues taking a little while to settle and get into the game, and on four minutes they came close to opening the scoring. A slick three man move involving Hudson, Beck and Piper saw the latter’s twenty yard shot hit the crossbar.

Aaron McClean then had a couple of chances for Grays sending one effort wide, and then a second shot was saved by Rock’s keeper Craig Stoner.

Around the half an hour mark Hudson put the ball through to Luke Nightingale, having dispossessed John Martin in midfield, but the Rock’s leading scorer was thwarted by the resolute Jamie Stuart.

Minutes later, Stoner fumbled a Martin cross and then blundered two shots by McClean, and an innocuous challenge by the striker on the keeper sparked a twenty man melee. The man in black swiftly calmed matters and regained control.

As the interval approached Grays had their best chances of the half. Firstly Stoner blocked Stuart Thurgood’s powerful drive from the edge of the area, and then Tony Battersby collected the rebound but saw his fierce close range strike cleared off the line by Rock’s Captain Piper.

The second half was uneventful with very little goalmouth action apart from a late flurry by the home side.

On 52 minutes Grays made their first substitution replacing Battersby with Dennis Oli, and eleven minutes later made a second bringing on Steve West at the expense of Gary Hooper.

In between these changes Hudson had a good opportunity for Rocks, but headed straight into the arms of Ashley Bayes.

Cole then set up Oli, but the angle was too acute and the versatile player headed into the side netting.

As the match progressed it was looking ever more unlikely that Blues would find the back of the net, and this was summed up when John Nutter’s twenty-four yard free kick flew ten yards over the crossbar and out into the surrounding neighbourhood.

In the 78th minute Grays made their third and final change replacing McClean with Vill Powell.

The last ten minutes of play saw the home side applying a bit of pressure, and as a result of which they were awarded a succession of corners. Bayes, who had barely been tested all match, produced a good finger tip save from Hudson’s corner, and then Kevin Murphy shot narrowly wide of the near post.

So it finished all square, and Blues now require eleven points from their nine remaining matches in order to be crowned Conference South Champions.

Teams:-
Bognor Regis Town:- Stoner, Piper (c), Rowland, Howell, Rutherford, Murphy, Russell, Birmingham, Hudson, Nightingale, Beck Subs:- Mountford, Budd (used), Hunt, Hunwich
Grays Athletic:- Bayes, Bruce, Nutter, Stuart, Matthews, Thurgood (c), McClean, Hooper, Battersby, Martin, Cole Subs:- Oli (used), West (used), Powell (used), Brennan, Emberson

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