Grays Athletic 1 v 0 East Thurrock Utd

With other fixtures waterlogged off, Grays Ath were presented with the chance to put pressure on their rivals by bagging another three points in another local derby, this time against East Thurrock Utd. And whilst the performance wasn’t a memorable one, winning ugly at this point of the season is just as important as any free-flowing show.
Blues started well and an early Lewis Clark pass found Callum Watts but his shot was a tame one. Mitch Hahn then produced a great cross that former Blue, Adalberto Pinto did well to clear. On the quarter hour, Aron Gordon went on one of his long mazy runs and let fly from a full thirty yards, but the ball rolled just wide of the upright.
Pinto and Watts were having a feisty battle in midfield, with neither giving an inch. But it was the East Thurrock man who turned villain when, just before the half hour mark, he upended Aron Gordon in the box and gave referee, Mr Wood, his easiest decision of the day, to award the spot kick. With Sam Bantick still suffering from his clattering at Great Wakering two days earlier, Ronnie Winn took over as penalty taker. His kick was a poor one, saved comfortably by Rocks’ keeper Anthony Page. But the rebound fell kindly for Winn and he tucked the ball home for a 1-0 lead.
Soon after Roman Campbell found Joe Gardner close in and his toe-end was pushed round the post by Page, to prevent a quick double strike for Blues.

Half time: Grays Athletic 1 v 0 East Thurrock Utd

The second half was a rather dour affair and as time wore on, Grays became more content to manage the game and preserve their lead. For the visitors, it was a more recent ex-Blue, Jesse Olukolu, who looked the most dangerous. Several times he made good progress down the left wing, cutting in with menace but failing to find a quality finish.
Macauley Joynes came as close as he has probably ever done, to opening his Grays scoring account, when his hooked cross evaded Page but just cleared the far top corner of the goal. Campbell then ran the length of the field with the ball, but the pacier Rocks’ defenders managed to shut him out at the last. As Blues brought players off the bench, Marlon Agyakwa moved from his temporary berth at right back to a more forward position and linked up with the other Grays forwards, keeping possession well and running the clock down to maintain the lead.
The visitors had no answer to Blues tactical play and Danny Sambridge in the Grays goal had a relatively untroubled afternoon. Not that the home fans could breathe easy until Mr Wood’s final whistle.
The three points take Grays back into the final playoff place with just two games left. Rivals have games in hand but these include fixtures against one another. So, the permutations remain too many to catalogue. All Blues can do is keep winning. Next weekend’s visit to Bury Town will be another serious challenge.
Final score: Grays Athletic 1 v 0 East Thurrock Utd
Grays Ath: Sambridge, Agyakwa, Joynes, R.Winn, L.Clark, Leahy, Gordon (Homans, 73), Watts, Hahn (G.Winn, 86), Campbell, Gardner
Subs not used: Griek, Bantick, Stagg