Match Preview

This weekend it is a Friday night under the lights, as Grays Athletic travel to north-east London to take on New Salamis, looking to build on their four league points gained in the last week.

This is New Salamis’ second season playing at this level and they have adapted well. They currently lie two places above the Blues in the league table. Five wins this season have included good victories against Brightlingsea and Gorleston, interspersed with several heavy defeats, notably against Lowestoft and Bury Town. What does mark out New Salamis fixtures is the number of goals per game, so expect some entertainment. So far, their 21 games have seen a total of 81 goals, almost four every game.

At the start of the season, Blues fans will hide behind the sofa at the memory of our FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round encounter with New Salamis. Looking to set out on a cup run, New Salamis had the last laugh. After a 1-1 draw at Chadfields, when Callum Leahy’s last minute goal equalised Micah Jackson’s earlier effort. New Salamis then won the replay 3-1 with tormentor-in-chief Derek Asamoah bagging a brace. He then went one better, in our first league meeting of the season, when he scored a first-half hat-trick in a 4-2 victory.

Last season was a different story with Blues winning 3-2 at Coles Park and the two teams playing out a poor goalless draw at Parkside.

Grays will take some comfort from the fact that Asamoah now plies his trade elsewhere. Blues too are a much changed side from those encounters earlier this season and are clearly on the up. That said the two sides are side-by-side in the current form table, so this one could go either way.

Come on you Blues !