News - February 2008

Results

Under 16

Chelmsford League

Chelmsford City Youth 1 Grays Athletic A 1

A good performance by a make shift team

Woodham Radars 2 Grays Athletic B 0

A much improved Grays who ruled the game throughout and played very well but unfortunately couldn't make the most of it and made 2 costly mistakes which Woodham made the most of.

Man Of The Match: Afun

Under 15

Chelmsford League

Brandon Groves 2 Grays Athletic 4
Goalscorers: Fenn(14, 19, 22), Johnson(44)

Grays Athletic played some great football and had Brandon Groves on the back foot for the majority of the game, Fenn opened the scoreline on 14 minutes but Brandon Groves came back and leveled the score two minutes later, Grays dug deep and played some fantastic passing football and took the lead again on 19 minutes courtesy of Fenn, 3 minutes later Fenn completed his hattrick to give Grays a 3-1 lead at half time.

Following the break Grays came back out fighting, and within the first minutes had a controversial goal disallowed, the ball hit the underside of the bar and bounced up hitting the top netting inside the goal, the referee indicated that it was a goal but the linesman said it had not crossed the line, this fired Grays up and responded by scoring almost a minute later.

Brandon Groves got a second goal on 57 minutes but Grays continued to push forward and stifled any attack that was thrown at them.

Under 10

Echo League Trent Division

County Park 0 Grays Athletic 5
Goalscorers: Price(2), Edmunds, Bearman, S.Pumfrett

Grays struggled to overcome a stubborn County Park side in the first half with the game being goalless at half-time.

The second-half though was dominated by Grays and they struck 5 past the County Park keeper to secure a valuable 3 points. Price opened the scoring ,4 minutes into the second half, by collecting a ball from Stopher and driving into the box to finish well. Just a minute later and Price had his second after tucking away a ball by S.Pumfrett.Ten minutes later a Price shot was blocked and the ball rolled to Edmunds on the edge of the area to thump it into the top of the net. A couple of minutes later came the fourth after a neat 1-2 on the wing between Edmunds and S.Pumfrett gave Edmunds time to cross for Bearman to finish low into the net.Grays were rampant at this point and a fifth soon came when Stopher put S.Pumfrett through and he coolly rounded the keeper to slot home.

A great 3 points and with results today going in the boys favour a win at Rippleway in the next game sees the boys crowned as champions with a further game to play.

Man-of-the-Match: The Whole Team for a Great Performance

Thundermite League

Corringham Cosmos 0 Grays Athletic Blue 2
Goalscorers: Smith, Bundock

Under 8

Grays Athletic U8 Lions (sponsored by Frankie and Benny's Lakeside)

Grays Athletic Lions 2 Lee Chapel Dynamos 1
Goalscorer: Samuel (2)

Grays played another great game again this week with Samuel scoring both goals. The first within the first few minutes and the second in the 6th minute.

Both teams came out strong in the second half and Lee Chapel managed to get a goal back, but the Grays defence held strong and bagged the goal they deserved.

Well done boys, keep up the hard work.

Under 7

LTD 4 Grays Athletic 1
Goalscorer: Billy

Not a good day today totally outplayed by a great team. Grays looked nervous from the off and we stuggled with their passing, we did take the lead with a penalty, Billy sloted that one away. We hung on to the lead and battled well. Liam our keeper made some good saves before tipping one over the bar..superb. Eventually they scored and they had us. All the boys battled well especailly at the back but we were just simply outclassed.

Man Of The Match: Liam... Some great saves.

::Link::

Results

Under 18

Billericay Town 0 Grays Athletic 3

Under 16

Chelmsford League

Grays Athletic “A” 3 Corringham Cosmos “A” 2
Goalscorer: Wade(3)

A great performance against the top of the division team. Good teamwork throughout the match and a superb hat-trick from Wade. We still need to talk to each other more on the pitch though.

Match Balls sponsored by Night Shift Roadshow 01375 858724

Eastern Junior Alliance

Benfleet 2 Grays Athletic 0

Under 15

Chelmsford League

Gidea Park Rangers “B” 3 Grays Athletic 2
Goalscorer: Fenn(20, 32pen)

Grays Athletic pulled out the stops today against a team that beat them 8-0 earlier in the season, Grays went down 1-0 within the first 10 but fought back and Fenn equalised on 20 minutes, a defensive error cost Grays a goal one minute later, Sculfor was set on goal but was bought down in the area, Fenn dispatched the resultant penalty to bring the scores back even which they remained up to half time.

Second half was very similar to the first half with Grays battling against Gidea Park Rangers, both teams had opportunities to raise the score but it was in the 62nd minute that Gidea Park got the winning goal after a goalline tussle which saw the Grays keeper man handled to the floor, unfortunatley this was not seen by the referee due to no clear view through the players.

Grays seem to have turned the corner and if they continue to play the football that they know they are capable of the results will come.

Eastern Junior Alliance

Grays Athletic 2 Woodbridge Town 2
Goalscorers: Spicer, Bazely

Under 14

Eastern Junior Alliance

Grays Athletic 1 Dagenham & Redbridge 1

Under 10

Echo League Trent Division

Grays Athletic 1 Cowley Boys 1
Goalscorer: Edmunds

The boys gained another point in their quest for the championship and in truth a draw was a fair relection of the game. Grays had a few half chances in the first half but we finally took the lead through Edmunds. A floated pass from Bearman was collected by Edmunds who slotted calmly past the keeper. The game was tough and the midfield tussles were keenly contested but it was Cowley Boys who equalised just before the break and the score was even at the interval. The second half went the way of the first and it was Cowley who had the better chances to win the game but Dale stood firm in goal.

The boys need to up their game next week and 3 points is vital against relegation-threatened County Park.

Next Game is away to County Park

Man-of-the-Match: Dale

Under 8

Grays Athletic Under 8 Lions (sponsored by Frankie and Benny's Lakeside)

Aveley Youth Lions 1 Grays Athletic Lions 2
Goalscorer: Ben.W(2)

Grays played another great game of football earning them another 3 points. Ben.W opened the scoring just 3 minutes in but Aveley being a strong team made a good first half with both goalies making some great saves.

Grays came out strong the second half with Ben.W getting his second goal 7 minutes in. Aveley continued to be strong and battle hard making it another great half of football to watch. Aveley continued pushing forward and managed to put a great goal in the back of the net making the score 2 -1. With a great save from Charlie, pushing the ball round the post in the last few seconds kept it as the win they deserved.

Well done boys, keep up the hard work.

Under 7

Grays Ath 0 Aveley Yth 0

It was a close game today with few chances. Both teams were trying to get that all important goal, with Grays going the closest. We had to be very strong as they are quite a physical side and we had to stand up to that and we did. Well done boys keep going....

Man of the match.. Elliot.. Great defensive work superb...

::Link::

Results

Under 18

Essex County Cup Quarter Final

Grays Athletic 4 Bowers & Pitsea 1

Under 16

Eatern Junior Alliance Southern

Bowers & Pitsea 1 Grays Athletic 0

Under 15

Easter Junior Alliance, Presidents Cup

Stotfold 2 Grays Athletic 1
Goalscorer: Bonner

Grays Athletic played well today apart from the final 10 minutes

Chelmsford League

Barn Sports 0 Grays Athletic 2
Goalscorers: Horgan, Fenn

Grays made hard work of the game today, with some weak finishes in front of goal and several missed chances it looked like it was going to be one of those days, Grays should have been at least 5 infront at half time rather than 0-0

Grays dominated the game and played some great football, thankfuly both Horgan and Fenn found the back of the net to give the team their second win in the league, hopefuly this will inspire some confidence in the team and we can progress from here.

Under 14

Eastern Junior Alliance Southern Central

Maldon Town 1 Grays Athletic 4
Goalscorers: Olufemi(2), Adesshoetan, Goldstone

Under 12

Echo League Premier Division

Ridgeway Rovers 3 Grays Athletic 0

The 3 - 0 scoreline would suggest a one sided match, but this was far from the case.

Ridgeway started brightly, and were more up for it than Grays. Maybe being knocked out of the cup by Grays spurred them on.

All three goals were conceded from set pieces, and apart from these, neither keeper was tested from open play.

The referee played a big part in today‘s match, maybe seeing him laughing and joking with the home team before the match showed they were familiar with each other, but who can say for sure?.

However, for the first twenty minutes or so he was top notch, even waving away ridiculous offside flags from the home teams linesman who had decided anyone in front of the ball was offside even if they were on the opposite side of the pitch to where the ball was played.

This all changed with one minute of the first half left. A clear cut goal kick was awarded to the home team as a corner, only the ref knows why. From the resulting corner an unmarked Ridgeway player had a free header on goal, result, one nil up to Ridgeway.

Grays heads were understandably down.

Half time Ridgeway 1 - 0 Grays Athletic

The second half was much the same, curious decisions, including a corner awarded to Grays by the opposition linesman being given as a goal kick by the ref!, scrappy play, and no clear cut chances for either team.

Another Ridgeway corner resulted in another goal, scrappy defending being the culprit.

A free kick to Ridgeway near the corner flag resulted in goal number three for Ridgeway.

This was never a dirty match, but James was booked for what the ref deemed to be repetitive fouling, to be honest it was competitive and no worse than anyone else on the pitch for either side.

Grays performance today didn‘t deserve a victory, but it also didn't deserve a three nil defeat.

Defending is a team responsibility, from front to back, nobody can be blamed for today‘s conceded goals but lessons can, and hopefully will, be learned.

Under 10

Echo League Trent Division

Grays Athletic 4 Pegasus “A” 0
Goalscorers: Edmunds (2), Klessa-Smith, M.Pumfrett (pen)

A good performance today against a dogged Pegasus Team who were strong in the tackle and certainly made the boys work for the win.

Grays had a number of chances in the first half but failed to capitalise on them and it wasn't until 3 minutes before half-time that they took the lead. A Price free-kick was launched into the area and a flick on by Klessa-Smith saw the ball land at Edmunds‘ feet on the goal line and he tapped the ball into the net unchallenged. In the second half Grays quickly doubled the lead when a Price corner was header in by Klessa-Smith. Two minutes later and the lead was 3-0 when a Price throw in was knocked on by Klessa-Smith and Edmunds was on hand at the far post to meet the ball amongst several Pegasus defenders. The final goal came from the penalty spot after Edmunds was taken down in the area after a superb run. M.Pumfrett was asked to take it and “Little Legs” opened his account for the season by blasting the spot kick past the keeper.

Next Game is at Home to Cowley Boys

Man-of-the-Match: Edmunds

Under 8

Grays Athletic Lions Under 8 (sponsored by Frankie and Benny‘s Lakeside)

Grays Athletic Lions 4 Basildon Boys North 1
Goalscorers: Samuel(2), Ben.W, Ben.O

Grays pulled through what was a dodgy start and played a great game of football. Basildon Boys being strong and started off the scoring with a goal 2 minutes in and went on to win by scoring 4 good goals.
Samuel opened the scoring for Grays with a great header off a brilliant corner.

Grays came out fighting in the second half. The boys put together some excellent passes which led to Samuel tapping in his second and Ben.W getting the 3rd. Ben.O went out wide and crossed in the 4th which went straight in the back of the net.

Another 3 points that were well deserved.

Well played boys, keep up the hard work.

::Link::

Results

Under 16

Eastern Junior Alliance Cup

Grays Athletic 3 Clapton 1
Goalscorers: Brien, Glover, Yamani

Chelmsford League

Grays Athletic U16“A” 4 Intersports 0
Goalscorers: Glandfield, Wade, Webb, Thwala

A great all round performance in awful cold, windy conditions - well done!

Cougars U16“B” 2 Grays Athletic U16“B” 0

Grays played well in having 80% of the game but was unable to score.

Man of the Match: Dann

Under 15

Eastern Junior Alliance

Maldon Town 1 Grays Athletic 2
Goalscorers: Cranfield, Doe

Chelmsford League

Grays Athletic 2 Hutton 7
Goalscorer: Johnson

Some defensive and positional errors in the first half saw Grays score 3 own goals form Hutton set pieces, the Blues were 4-0 down at half time, it was going to be one of those days as Grays who were playing the better football were unable to take their chances in front of goal, had they been more clinical they could have reduced the scoreline considerably.

Under 10

Echo League Trent Division

Cobra “B” 0 Grays Athletic 3
Goalscorers: Stopher (2), Klessa-Smith

Grays racked up another 3 points to keep them at the top of the table , with only 5
games left to go in the season.

The boys struggled against the cold blustery conditions in the first half and it was no surprise that the score was goalless at half-time. Grays had several chances to score but were unable to break through the stout Cobra defence.

With the wind in the second half Grays took full advantage. Stopher scored a quick fire brace with identical moves from right wing crosses from Price. The first was thumped home emphatically by Stopher into the top of the net and his second from a glancing touch that deceived the keeper. Grays defence were strong again at the back and were able to frustrate the speedy Cobra striker , reducing him to shooting tamely from long range. Three points were finally secured towards the end when S.Pumfrett collected the ball inside the penalty area and laid the ball back to Klessa-Smith who thumped the ball home.

A good ,solid performance from all the boys today and the confidence is high going into the final few games. The next two games are at Home to Pegasus and Cowley Boys.

Man-of-the-Match: Stopher

Thundermite League

Grays Athletic Blue 1 Corringham Cosmos 0
Goalscorer: Birch

Under 8

Under 8 Tigers sponsored by May Interiors Ltd

Bowers & Pitsea 1 Grays Athletic Tigers 3
Goalscorer: Daniel (3)

A great game dispite the very windy conditions and us being down to seven players through injuries to Conner and Harry grays came out flying in the first half with some brilliant shots and finaly 3 great goals coming from Daniel.
in the second half Bowers stole a penalty and scored.

A great game was had by all.

The team woud also like to thank Harry for coming and supporting us dispite a broken collar bone and we wish Harry and Conner a speedy recovery

Man of the Match: Daniel

Grays Athletic Lions Under 8 (sponsored by Frankie and Benny's Lakeside)

Grays Athletic Lions 2 Basildon Boys North 0
Goalscorers: Samuel. Harry.

Grays played another great game this week, even with the terrible weather and strong wind, Grays came out with another win.

The first half was a close match, Basildon Boys had their chances with one of them being a great shot from the half way line, high in the air, it looked like it was going in but Charlie kept his eye on the ball and made an outstanding save. The first half finished 0-0.

Grays came out battling in the second half and within a couple of minutes Samuel opened up the scoring making it 1 - 0. Harry finished the scoring with another goal shortly after making it 2 - 0. Basildon boys kept battling but the Grays defence stood strong and Basildon were unable to get through.

Another 3 points, well deserved.

Keep up the hard work boys, well done.

Under 7

Lee Chapel Rockets 2 Grays Athletic 2
Goalscorers: Tyler, Alfie

Grays played well today, we went down 1-0 early on with the wind messing about with our play. They are a good team and the boys were in for a tough game.

As we chased the game in the first half we were caught on the counter, we stuck in there and in the second half got a vital goal, Tyler popping up with that one.

Now Grays finally woke up and played we looked pretty solid at the back and started to create chances.

After some good play on the wing, Jack was failed just outside the box and got a free kick, Alfie then hit a great shot, the keeper had no chance. Well done boys never give up. Well done boys keep it up.

Man of the Match: Alfie...great hit...

::Link::

Grays Athletic Under 15 Eastern Junior Alliance team require players in all positions, you must be of a good footballing standard, if you are interested in joining the team please contact Ray on 07984801758

::Link::