Matches

Match Report by Martin Candler

The match was overshadowed by a serious first-half injury to influential Grays skipper, Stuart Thurgood. In an attempt to dispossess Orient's Donny Barnard, he turned his ankle and in the process fractured his distal fibula. The game was held up for 10 minutes while Blues physio, Steve Snelling, and other medical staff attended to him before he was rushed to hospital.

If anything, the stoppage inspired the home side to play their most fluent football of the whole match. The visitors probably were at a loss to explain why they were two goals down at half-time after dominating the game. This was down, in no small measure, to the burgeoning partnership between strikers Aaron McLean and Lee Boylan. Both showed clinical finishing with a goal apiece to establish a two-goal advantage at the interval and rock the O's back on their heels.

In the second half, the impressive Orient side slowly reasserted their conrtol and although the Blues were denied a stonewall penalty when Michel Kightly was hauled down yards inside the box, referee Mr.Yeo only gave a free- kick on the edge of the area. Goals from subs Daryl McMahon, Paul Connor and a cracking winner from Gary Alexander consigned the Blues to their third defeat on the bounce. However, there were enough signs of all round improvement to give home fans plenty to look forward to in the forthcoming campaign.

Grays Athletic: Eyre (Bayes), Green, Thurgood (Canham), Smith (Skelton), Boylan (Turner), McClean (Slabber), Williamson, Kightly, Poole, Sobers, Ricketts

Leyton Orient: Morris, Barnard, Lockwood, Simpson, Mackie, Steele, Keith, Tann, Corden, Ibehre, Saah.

Ref: Mr. K.Yeo

Official Match Pictures

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