After a run of five consecutive victories, Grays Athletic came well and truly unstuck against a determined Wroxham side, who’s performance belied their lowly league position. The conditions for the game were truly awful, with a strong gale and driving rain blowing straight down the pitch - but in truth, Wroxham mastered Storm Bert much better than the Blues and deservedly took the three points back home to Norfolk.

The early exchanges were very scruffy as both sides worked out how to play the game in these conditions. There were chances for each team but it was Wroxham who made the breakthrough, when Ryan Miles controlled the ball in the area and let fly an unstoppable shot on the angle, for a 1-0 lead.

This seemed to wake the Blues up, recognising that they had a fight on their hands. Aron Gordon and Alejandro Machado both set about teasing the visitors’ defence and it was the latter who got the final touch from close range, to a George Craddock free kick, after a game of head-tennis in the six yard box - to bring the scores level on 20 minutes.

And soon after, Grays took the lead, when another deep Craddock set play was met by Michael Finneran, sliding in at the back post and forcing the ball over the line, to make it 2-1.

The home fans would have expected the Blues to kick on from here and take control of the game, but unfortunately, this was as good as it got, with Blues wasteful in possession and the changes to the line-up from recent games seemingly upsetting the previously well-oiled machine.

Wroxham were better at keeping the ball on the grass and adapting to the gale-force conditions. Wide men, Asa McGeachy and Ryan Miles were a danger all afternoon. And the visitors were back level on 38 minutes, when striker Ryan Hawkins was presented with a tap-in that he simply couldn’t miss. And worse was to come for Blues, just before the break, when a Hawkins corner was met unchallenged by Harvey Peters to regain the lead for Wroxham, 3-2. For a side that has had the best defensive record in the league, this was a strange performance.

Half time : Grays Athletic 2 v 3 Wroxham

Blues came out for the second half with greater purpose. Reon Smith-Kouassi creating a good chance for Machado and he, in turn, setting up Aron Gordon. But both finishes were well off the mark.

The game was as good as over as a contest ten minutes into the half, when Tyler Brampton brought down Miles in the box and Hawkins despatched the resulting penalty with aplomb to make it 4-2 to the visitors.

There then came one of those moments that goes down in the annals and these days becomes a social media sensation. Keeper Ollie Sutton launched a kick from hand downfield with the wind right in his back. The ball travelled almost to the Grays penalty area before bouncing once, high in the air and, still being propelled by the gale, cleared the back-pedalling Danny Sambridge. Few goalkeepers have the honour of scoring in a competitive game, but Sutton now joins the list. Something I’ve never seen in 50 years watching live football and probably never will again !

At 5-2 the game was up. However, there was still time for Sid Walker to see red for a tackle on Shaun Taylor in the midst of a midfield scrum-down for the ball. Walker had been on the wrong end of a number of challenges from Wroxham players all afternoon that had gone unpunished, so the player must have felt aggrieved at this decision.

But over the 90 minutes, Blues could have little to complain about at the outcome. For a side that had conceded just eight goals in thirteen games this season, to then ship five in one game was bizarre - but football is a fickle mistress. The near-impossible conditions certainly didn’t help but they were the same for both sides.

However, Grays have a quick chance to restore some order with a tricky game on Tuesday evening away at Brentwood Town. Hopefully, Bert will have subsided.

Final score : Grays Athletic 2 v 5 Wroxham

Grays Ath : Sambridge, Brampton, Skarna, Machado, Finneran, Dariri, Gordon (79, Gould), Walker, Hirst, Craddock (72, Sartorius), Smith-Kouassi (59, Remi)

Subs not used : Moss, Henry-Rose