Grays regained second place in the league table with three points against a stubborn Gorleston side. But the game was in the balance until the final few minutes when a late flurry of goals sealed the victory for Blues, who took the field without the centre back pairing of Lewis Clark and Geoff Okonkwo. So the clean sheet was an added bonus.
The first half was an eminently forgettable affair. Gorleston, fighting for points at the lower reaches of the table, set themselves up to defend in numbers and executed their plan with discipline and commitment. The Blues had by far the majority of the possession but failed to show the guile needed to break down the visitors’ defence, too often resorting to hopeful long balls, much to the disappointment of the faithful home fans.
Chances on goal before the break were few and far between. Grays created a couple of early opportunities through Sam Bantick and Callum Watts. Any urgency there was for the home side came through Aron Gordon, who too often had to come deep to find the ball. Gorleston’s only real chance of the half came on 38 minutes when George Keys rose unchallenged from a corner but his header missed the target.
Shortly before the break Grays had a confident shout for handball in the penalty area, waved away by referee Mr McKay. After which there was still time for a mix-up in the Gorleston defence allowing Bantick to get a shot away that was cleared off the line.

Half time: Grays Ath 0 v 0 Gorleston

Whatever manager Lewis Dark said in the changing room at half time clearly had effect, with Blues much more on song in the second half. It took Grays just a couple of minutes to break the deadlock. A clever interchange of passes between Sam Bantick and Anointed Chukwu left the latter in the clear and he finished calmly for a 1-0 lead.
Joshua Okpolokpo came close to an equaliser for Gorleston with another misplaced header but Grays were definitely in the ascendency, as the visitors started to tire. Man of the Match, Rob Clark was finding more space in midfield and Ryan Melaugh, a second half sub for Callum Watts, attacked down the left wing. Only a last ditch tackle by George Keys prevented Bantick from extending the lead, and Rob Clark performed a similar task at the other end to preserve the home side’s advantage.
The real turning point came on 69 minutes when somewhere in the midst of a melee in the Grays box, the referee saw an infringement and awarded the visitors a penalty. Sub Jamie North stepped up, but his spot kick was saved by Danny Sambridge low to his left.
The miss seemed to deflate Gorleston and Blues took greater control of the game. George Winn delivered a peach of a cross into the six yard box, but there was no Grays boot to turn in the chance. Josh Osude also came off the bench late on and threatened with his customary pace.
Just before the 90 minute mark, Chukwu intercepted the ball in midfield. Osude carried the attack forward and Bantick netted to make the game safe with a 2-0 lead.
A late Gorleston move saw an Angus McKie cross flick the crossbar and there was still time at the other end for Chukwu to control the ball well and score his second of the evening, making it 3-0, which might have been a little harsh on the visitors.
But three points in the bag for Blues made it a good night in the end, even if the performance wasn’t the free-flowing football that the crowd were looking for. Sometimes it’s a case of knuckling down and getting job done. On Saturday, things move back to FA Trophy action and the chance for Grays to make another mark in this great competition.

Final score: Grays Ath 3 v 0 Gorleston
Grays Ath: Sambridge, Homans, Joynes, R.Clark, Toussaint, G.Winn, Gordon (Osude, 85), R.Winn (Damrell, 90), Chukwu, Watts (Melaugh, 57), Bantick
Sub not used: Karby