Grays Athletic made it a Magnificent Seven wins in a row in the league since early March, with a deserved victory against playoff chasing Brightlingsea Regent. During this run, there have been four away wins, four clean sheets and just four goals conceded. After the mid-season travails, Grays really are the form team across the entire Isthmian League. Brightlingsea themselves came into the game on a good run of results - so it is a measure of Blues’ progress that they dominated large parts of this game and thoroughly merited the win.

The opening exchanges were rather scrappy, with both sides adjusting to the blustery conditions. But things moved up a gear in the tenth minute, when from a home corner, Danny Sambridge pulled off a fine double save from Michael Okafor, initially from a firm header and then a close-range shot from the rebound. The Brightlingsea man was left with his head in his hands wondering how he hadn’t scored.

At the other end, Grays were starting to carve out chances themselves. Shane Temple had the ball in the net, but the chance was rightly chalked off for offside. And then it was home keeper Lewis Greene’s turn to produce the heroics. Firstly, Elliott Sartorius played Louie Remi through but Greene held firm and then just a couple of minutes later, he denied the same Grays man again, after good approach play by Alejandro Machado and Aron Gordon.

Brightlingsea’s best work came through Fletcher Alexander Hubbard and on the half hour he created space for himself on the edge of the Grays box, but dragged his shot wide of the far post. Kenedi Dariri then carried the ball a long way out of the back line, as the home defence retreated, but this time, it was Aron Gordon who missed the target.

Grays so nearly took the lead just before the break, when Sartorius’s cross found Temple whose header skimmed the crossbar.

Half time : Brightlingsea Regent 0 v 0 Grays Athletic

The second half started evenly but as the game wore on, Blues were more than a match for their opponents. And the decisive break came just eight minutes in. Elliott Sartorius, who had another fine, aggressive game in midfield was brought down twenty five yards out from goal, level with the right hand edge of the box. Up stepped Alejandro Machado, who produced a simply wonderful free kick that curled inside the far post, with the keeper stranded and defenders nowhere to be seen. It was the kind of moment that Match of the Day would replay again and again if it had been in a Premier League fixture.

Grays were now well in charge of affairs and Shane Temple nearly doubled the lead with a first-time shot that Greene palmed over the bar. Manager, Darren Manning, then upped the ante by sending Sam Bantick and Harry Hope off the bench into the frey, with both forcing
Greene into saves.

Chances for the home side were few and far between, with Michael Finneran and Kye Jude in commanding form at the back. But at only 1-0, things were always in the balance and the travelling Blues faithful held their breath when Alexander Hubbard fizzed the ball across the six yard box but there was no home boot near enough to apply a finish. And then it was bodies on the line for Grays to block a driven free kick just before the 90 minute mark.

And then from somewhere ,referee, Mr Morris-Sanders, found ten minutes of time to be added on, for one trainer’s appearance on the pitch plus seven substitutions. But Sam Bantick decided to use this to his advantage. Firstly, he bounced the ball off the crossbar from a very tight angle, before effectively finishing the game as a contest with a late second for Grays, via some fancy footwork and an accurate shot into the corner of the net.

But there was still time for Blues fans to chew those nails further, when in the 99th minute Alexander Hubbard let fly an unstoppable shot from distance to reduce the deficit. Fortunately, for Grays though, it was no more than a consolation as the referee finally decided he’s seen enough.

This was undoubtedly Blues best performance since that unforgettable Tuesday evening at Felixstowe back in January. It was though a thoroughly deserved win - and it is the same Felixstowe & Walton that come calling next Saturday, who will be looking to cement their own playoff place and exact revenge for the home defeat that night. Grays, of course, will be looking to make it a “straight eight” and in this form, will fear no-one.

Final score : Brightlingsea Regent 1 v 2 Grays Athletic

Grays Ath ; Sambridge, Dariri, Moss, Machado, Finneran, Jude, Gordon (Bantick), Walker, Temple (75, Hope), Sartorius, Remi (Skarna)

Subs not used : Brampton, Hirst