Grays came away from East London with a vital three points that see them leapfrog back into 4th place in the Isthmian North table. Despite their lowly league position, Barking proved to be lively opponents, but whose failings in front of goal let them down badly on the night.
The Blues started briskly and an early free kick on the left was whipped into the box by the returning David Knight but no Grays player could find a finish. The first ten minutes saw a succession of Blues corners, expertly delivered by Ryan Melaugh, brought back from Saffron Walden to cover for the injured Macaulay Joynes; with Barking keeper, James Shaw, being kept busy.
Blues fans who saw the County Cup defeat last month were well aware of Barking’s ability to break at speed and this was again their main weapon all evening, with the Grays defence having to remain on their guard.
The breakthrough came on the quarter hour. A free kick for the Blues out wide right was perfectly placed into space by Melaugh, with Lewis Clark glancing a beautiful header into the net for a 1-0 lead. Five minutes later it could have been two, when a long ball by Geof Okonkwo was chased down by Kai Brown, who beat the offside trap. But in trying to round the keeper, he just failed to keep control of the ball and the chance was gone.
For Barking, the diminutive Tom Salter was a constant menace on the right wing, and on 23 minutes his good work created an opening for another of the home side’s willing runners, Osaretin Otete, but his shot was deflected just wide. An even better chance fell shortly after to Charley Heatley who put the ball wide of an open goal, under pressure from Lewis Clark, who was injured in the attempt. The half finished with Lewis Dark winning the ball well in midfield, making good ground and shooting just over from distance.
Half time Barking 0 v 1 Grays Ath
The second half was a less eventful affair, with Barking pressing but the Grays back line stood firm. Paxman and Moncur had replaced Clark and Smith after the break, causing the Blues to shuffle the pack in defence and midfield but it didn’t seem to affect the run of the game.
Too often though Grays were guilty of losing the ball in the middle of the park, allowing the home side to use their pace and width. But too many shots were either straight at Blues keeper Danny Sambridge or smothered at source.
Just after the hour, Anointed Chukwu chased down a short back pass and was unlucky to see yellow for a challenge on the keeper, Shaw, when he had every right to go for the ball. On 72 minutes, Grays could have doubled their lead when Shaw struggled to deal with another stray pass. Kai Brown and David Knight both tried to intercept the ball it would just not roll right for either to get a clean strike.
As the half wore on, Grays resorted increasingly to “Row Z” defending but it was just the sort of game management the situation demanded. Makeshift fullback Paxman and Knight did a good job of running down the clock. And there was a sense of relief at the final whistle.
Another clean sheet in the bag maintains an impressive run of defensive performances and winning ugly is a good sign. But things could have been so different had Barking brought their shooting boots with them.
Grays Ath: Sambridge, McQueen, Melaugh, Dark, Okonkwo, Clark (Paxman 45), Brown, Smith (Moncur 45), Chukwu, Knight, Gordon (Lucan 82)
Sub not used : Griek