Popular Portuguese winger Joao Carlos is set to make his 300th appearance for the Blues tomorrow (Saturday 7 October 2017) against Norwich United in the FA Trophy, and it is fitting that he should reach this milestone on Non League Day .

Joao quickly established himself as a fans' favourite after joining the club in the 2011/12 season with a series of exciting performances. He has to date registered 277 starts with 22 appearances as a substitute scoring 76 goals . His first goal for the club came when he notched the first in a 4-0 home victory against AFC Sudbury on 14th September 2011. His most productive season in terms of goals scored was in 2013/14 when he netted 25 in 52 starts.

In an age when players move from club to club, it is testament to Joao that he has remained loyal to Grays Athletic over the years, apart from a short sojourn last season at Conference South Concord Rangers . This was occasioned by the perilous state of the Blues' finances at the end of the previous season, which saw the majority of the first team squad depart, he rejoined Blues midway through last season following a tweet where he stated "he was coming home".

He will go down as a club legend which is no mean feat given the long and proud history of Grays Athletic. We congratulate you Joao and thank you for your loyalty, and trust you will remain with us for many seasons to come.

With thanks to Chris Jones for his excellent Statistics Archive.