Grays Athletic welcomed Redbridge FC to Tilbury under the Friday night lights and produced a show of two very different halves, with a first 45 minutes that was unacceptable in so many ways but a second that showed what the squad is capable of.

Blues actually had the first chance of the game after only three minutes when Louie Remi played in Luke Hirst but he waited too long before getting his shot away and the ball was deflected for a corner.

However, the next few minutes were a horror show for Blues and left them chasing the game. Firstly a ball straight down the middle, evaded Kenedi Dariri and the Michael Finneran failed to clear, leaving in-form marksman James Barlow with the opportunity to slot home past the helpless Danny Sambridge for a 1-0 lead. And just moments later it was 2-0 when Tyler Dolan was allowed to rise unchallenged in the box to plant a looping header into the net.

Blues were shell-shocked and it could have been worse as Soumen Nandi and Solomon Ogumwomoju both missed very presentable chances to extend the lead.

Too often, Grays were wasteful in possession and, as in recent matches, resorted to the long ball out of defence. It took the home side until five minutes before the break to mount a meaningful attack on the Redbridge goal, and then just before the half-time whistle, Alex Moss found Hirst inside the box and his shot was saved by the outstretched leg of visitors keeper, Connor Wheatley.

Half time: Grays Athletic 0 v 2 Redbridge

The half time break gave Blues the chance to begin again and whatever manager, Darren Manning, said paid an immediate return. Blues suddenly decided to get the ball down and play the football that fans know they can. Aron Gordon jinked through the defence and played in Luke Hirst whose first time shot from close range halved the deficit, making it 1-2.

For a while, the Blues tails were up. Sid Walker found Elliott Sartorius who tried his luck from distance and Wheatley did well to palm the ball out for a corner. And then Jack Humphrey, in an advanced position fed Hirst, who again called the keeper into action.

But then for some reason Grays seemed to ease off, allowing Redbridge to slow the game and dent any attempt by the home side to equalise. With twenty minutes to go, Gordon went on one of his long, mazy runs and linked up with Hirst who was upended just outside the box; Sartorius putting the free kick over the bar.

Then with ten minutes left a passage of play summed up Blues fortunes at the moment. A Grays corner was met strongly by the head of Finneran but cleared off the line by the home defence and immediately after, George Craddock, off the bench, fired in a shot that cannoned off the crossbar.

So, whilst a much better first half, Blues simply cannot afford to make early mistakes in defence against any team at this level and leave themselves running to catch up from the outset.

The next two games see further ventures into cup competitions, midweek away at Walthamstow in the League Cup and then next weekend away at Hadley in the FA Trophy (in which I recall, we have a bit of history to uphold).

Final score: Grays Athletic 1 v 2 Redbridge

Grays Athletic: Sambridge, Dariri, Humphrey (79, Unwin), Walker, Finneran, Moss, Gordon, Toussaint (83, Perry), Hirst, Sartorius (73, Craddock), Remi

Subs not used: Long, Damrell