Grays Athletic 1 Cambridge United 1 (Away)
Tue, March 7, 2006. Kick off: 7:45 PM
Match Report by Martin Candler
On a miserably wet night at the impressive Abbey stadium the Blues came close to recording yet another away win but in the end had to be content with a nonetheless valuable point. After a scrappy start by both sides, Grays conceded a bizarre goal in the 13th minute when Nicky Eyre played a ball across his own penalty area intended for Cameron Mawer. To his horror the pass only reached as far as Cambridge?s Craig Westcarr who needed no second invitation to knock the ball home.
Grays took a while to recover from this howler but slowly they steadied and began to take a grip on the match, amply illustrated by the fact that they forced eight corners in the final 15 minutes of the half. This incessant Grays pressure finally paid off in the 38th minute when from one of these corners man-of-the-match Stuart Thurgood?s delivery was palmed out by home custodian Scott Howie to Michael Kightly who fed Jamie Slabber to tuck away his 10th goal of the season.
The second half produced few chances, Nicky Eyre saving from Westcarr and Courtney Pitt, and Kightly shaving the post after a mesmeric run and shot, although Grays?s more measured football always looked more likely to break the deadlock than Cambridge?s more direct approach. However, late in the game, Glenn Poole had two fine opportunities to grab a win for the Blues. Firstly, on a slippery surface, he failed to control a peach of a pass from Thurgood when right in front of goal; then he drew a fine save from Howie who somehow beat away his rasping cross-shot and Slabber, following up, could not quite reach the loose ball. Urged on by the raucous support from the 100 or so travelling fans, the Blues could not find that elusive winner and had to settle for a draw.
Grays Athletic: Eyre, Mawer, Stuart, Hanson, Nutter, Kightly(Hooper 70), Thurgood, Martin, Poole, Oli(Williamson 84), Slabber
Subs not used: Bayes, Sambrook, Battersby
Goalscorer: Slabber(38)
Ref: Mr D Whitestone
Attn: 1821
Fans Man of the Match: Thurgood
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