Enfield FC 3 v 0 Grays Athletic

No titles were ever won nor anyone relegated on the first day of the season and this year is no different. Grays travelled to Bishops Stortford, home of big-spending Enfield FC, knowing their opening league game would be a major challenge. The opposition’s line-up include several players who appeared in Grays blue last season and others of real pedigree, recruited in the close season.
But the first clear chance of the game fell to Grays after just seven minutes. Good work on the right by Chris Miller and Aron Gordon disturbed the Enfield defence and the ball fell to Blues returnee David Knight, who blazed over from ten yards. Had that chance been taken, the game may have been very different.
Enfield slowly worked their way into the match. In midfield, Godfrey Poku and Jamie Dicks were gaining control, with Blues being too slow to close down space. Several times, Enfield were able to get the ball across the Grays penalty area but couldn’t find a finish.
For Blues, Jordan Peart made a great run out of defence, the length of the pitch and the resulting attack led to the ball falling to Chris Miller on the edge of the box and he volleyed sweetly but straight at home keeper, Jarvis Monk. For all their pressure, Danny Sambridge was largely untroubled, but just before the break, Aaron Greene out wide left found a good cross and Luke Hirst reacted quickest at the near post to flick the ball home for a 1-0 lead.

Half time: Enfield 1 v 0 Grays Athletic

Blues produced a more combative second half but lacked the clinical touch to break down the home defence. Their best chance came on the hour mark, when from a very long way out, Rob Clark saw Monk off his line and went for an audacious chip, which the keeper, back-peddling, tipped over the bar. Osei-Bobie on as a half-time sub worked the channels well but failed to find a clear chance.
Grays were then complicit in their own downfall. On 76 minutes, the defence failed to deal with a regulation Enfield attack and the ball fell to the unmarked Samrai Gebrai and he finished calmly for a 2-0 lead. And to make things worse, last season’s Blues marksman, Sam Bantick, came off the bench late on for Enfield, and he profited from an Apeniji mistake, to break clear and finish, as we know he can, to make it 3-0, which was somewhat harsh on Blues.
Manager Mark Stimson will have learned a lot from his opening encounter against a team spending heavily on talent. He will hope that next week’s FA Cup encounter with New Salamis will light the season’s Blue touchpaper.
Final score: Enfield 3 v 0 Grays Athletic
Grays Ath: Sambridge, Apeniji, Peart, Peel-Evans (Osei-Bobie, 46), L.Clark, Leahy, Gordon, R.Clark, Stimson, Knight (Chibudem Onokwai, 73), Miller
Subs not used: Thakway, Damrell, Sery