Fightback fails to make up for first half woes

Once again on Friday night at New Salamis, Grays Athletic were their own worst enemies, producing a very poor first half performance and handing the home side a comfortable lead before producing a fightback that nearly earned a point.

The opening exchanges were end-to-end, with Phil Roberts having Blues first chance that was cleared by the New Salamis defence. Then, as is becoming customary, Grays conceded the early goal this time after 10 minutes - something that has to change if Blues are to make progress. New Salamis passed the ball around pleasantly and it fell to Joe Waight inside the box and he finished smartly for a 1-0 lead.

New Salamis were now playing much the better football, using the 3G surface to pass the ball around sharply, keeping wide and switching play with ease. Blues were not at the races and it should have been worse for them when Tommy Boxer planted a free header over the bar.

Grays then woke up for five minutes, but home keeper Reuben Rabstein produced two saves out of the very top draw to deny Blues. Firstly from an Alejandro Machado shot through a host of players, and the keeper must have seen the ball very late; and then standing strong to push out an Aron Gordon piledriver.

But at the other end, New Salamis looked dangerous every time they went forward. Waight and Kyle Lynch both missed very presentable headers before Wraynell Hercules used his pace for the umpteenth time against Kyan Gulliver, cutting in and firing low and hard between Danny Sambridge and the near post, to double the lead. Blues could have few complaints at the scoreline.

Half time: New Salamis 2 v 0 Grays Athletic

Manager Darren Manning reacted to the performance by shuffling his pack, moving the pieces and changing the shape, in an attempt to shore up the defence. But all the thinking was soon undone when a cross from Christos Batzelis was spilled by Danny Sambridge under little pressure, leaving Waight with the simplest of tap-ins to put New Salamis 3-0 up.

For some reason, this seemed to spark Grays unexpectedly into life. Bobby Unwin, off the bench went on a run and produced a fine through ball for Phil Roberts who scored his first goal in a Blue shirt with a clinical finish (the first of many to come ?) to make it 3-1.

Machado then picked up the ball in midfield and drove forward, finding Unwin who should have hit the target. Machado, himself, then had a shot deflected for a corner, before a long ball out of defence found Aron Gordon in space and he smashed the ball past Rabstein to make it 3-2.

Somehow, New Salamis were though able to regroup and stem the Blue tide. Sambridge was called into action twice, keeping out shots from Lynch and Herclues.

In the final ten minutes, Grays threw everything at the home side but it was all too little too late. Giani Ashley shot was fumbled by Rabstein but cleared by the home defence before he saved again from Unwin.

By the end of the game, Blues might have been lucky not to leave with a point but the situation was of their own making.

Final score: New Salamis 3 v 2 Grays Athletic

Grays Ath: Sambridge, Ashley, Gulliver (Unwin, 46), Matyar, Finneran, Humphrey, Toussaint, Machado, Roberts (Sartorius, 84), Cosgrave (Stimson, 84), Gordon

Subs not used: Crook, Dacus