Blues hold firm to deny Swifts
Heybridge Swifts 0 v 1 Grays Ath

Games between the Blues and the Swifts over recent years have produced some memorable encounters and this one was no different. From the Grays point of view, there are good wins and there are very good wins – and this was undoubtedly a very good win. Swifts though will wonder how they went home empty handed. It was a real nailbiter.
The match started at a furious pace. Blues won two corners in the opening couple of minutes but failed to capitalise. For the home side, Ross Wall, Jack Mochalski and Lee Noble all had good chances in the first quarter of an hour, but none gave Blues keeper Danny Sambridge any real alarm. Grays also had signs of trouble to come in just the 8th minute when Rob Clark was booked for a strong man-and-ball challenge on Noble, whose theatrics all afternoon were unnecessary and out of character in this fine match-up.
Just after the half hour, Grays really should have taken the lead. Trickery on the right wing from Aron Gordon found in-form marksman Sam Bantick in the clear. His first shot was well saved by home keeper Callum Chafer. The rebound fell back to Bantick who then rattled the crossbar with a fearsome drive. The ball came out to Rob Clark on the edge of the box and he fired over.
For all their possession, it took Heybridge 40 minutes to win their first corner and soon after they caused their own brand of chaos in the Blues penalty area. One goal-bound shot hit their own man and Grays were relieved to hack the ball away.
Just before the break, home striker Ross Wall was cautioned for an ugly headlock challenge on Mitch Hahn. Of which more later.

Half time: Heybridge Swift 0 v 0 Grays Ath

Of late, Grays have been very much a second half team and so it looked again. Almost straight from the kick off, Mitch Hahn crossed and Roman Campbell produced a cute header that Chafer was alert to in the home goal.
Then came controversy when Wall, having already seen yellow in the first half, went in very late on Campbell but the referee chose only to administer a stern lecture. The official (who will remain nameless here) was very poor the whole afternoon, refusing to let the game flow, making petty bookings and giving several bizarre decisions. The best referees are those you never notice.
The deadlock was finally broken by Grays on 55 minutes. Campbell found the ever-lively Cheyce Grant on the left wing. He cut in and his shot beat Chafer into the far corner for a 1-0 lead.
Soon after though Grays were in trouble, when Rob Clark again upended Noble, giving the referee little option but to administer a second yellow – which this time he chose to do, although not before seemingly trying to book Mitch Hahn for the offence, before having the error of his ways pointed out.
For the final half hour, Blues had to dig increasingly deep, as Heybridge threw the kitchen sink and any other available domestic appliance they could find, in search of an equaliser. It was a superb period of play from both sides – no quarter asked, none given. For the home side, Rob Harvey scuffed a shot, when better contact might have hit the target; whilst out wide, Andrew Fennell was seeing ever more of the ball and driving the play forward. As the clock ticked towards 90 minutes, the visiting fans became increasingly nervous, as Heybridge refused to give up the chase. Six minutes of injury time didn’t help the blood pressure and only a great last-ditch tackle by Macaulay Joynes prevented one last chance for the Swifts.
At the final whistle, players from both sides dropped to the ground, the visitors in ecstacy, the home side in despair that they couldn’t find the opening to breech a fine Grays rearguard action. Picking a Blues man-of-the-match would be an impossible ask.
With games elsewhere postponed, the win lifted Grays into third place in the table and must provide a huge confidence boost for the games to come. Swifts remain in the hunt as well and no-one will write off either side’s chances of being in the shake-up come season end.

Final score: Heybridge Swifts 0 v 1 Grays Ath
Grays Ath: Sambridge, Toussaint, Joynes, R.Clark, Leahy, Gordon, Bantick (Watts, 63), Hahn, Campbell, Grant (Okonkwo, 88), G.Winn
Subs not used: Griek, Dambrell