Grays Athletic 0 v 1 Bury Town

GRAYS Athletic went toe-to-toe with high-flying Bury Town on Saturday (5 October) and more than matched them in every department, except the one that counts at the end of the day.

Only the clinical finishing of leading marksman, Cemal Ramadan, late in the game prevented the Blues from taking at least a point - which was the very least they deserved.

Grays fans' main grouuse after the match was the performance of referee, Mr Dennis Torres Miranda, which left a lot to be desired. Both sides were regularly bemused by his inconsistent decision-making and lack of appreciation of the game. Both were keen to play, quick attacking football - but too often the game was stopped by unnecessary whistles from the referee, who seemed minded to ignore the advantage rule and to have free kicks taken from his chosen blade of grass. Refereeing is a thankless task but best appreciated when it is invisible.

Grays played a fine first 45 minutes, taking the game to their well-regarded opponents. In just the fifth minute, Louie Remi made a strong run into the box, holding off two defenders but his shot was comfortably saved by Charlie Beckwith.

And then Beckwith turned saviour for the visitors when Elliott Sartorius crossed onto Alejandro Machado's head. Beckwith would have seen the ball late but he tipped it onto the bar and over to safety.

Both sides were playing a high line, pushing up on the defences and challenging the efforts to play out from the back. It was a fascinating watch, with two sets of players clearly relishing the chance to test their skills and organisation.

Blues were given their first warning when on the half hour, Ramandan had the ball in the net but was stymied by a linesman's flag. And soon after, Remi again bore down on goal but was stopped by an excellent block from Joshua Curry.

As the half wore on, Tom Thulborn tried his luck for the visitors but any sting was taken out of the shot by a deflection, making it easy for Danny Sambridge in the Grays goal. Beckwith was also unchallenged by another header from Machado from a Remi cross.

Remi started the second half in the same vein as the first and his cross just evaded the head of Aron Gordon, who was simply not tall enough !

For long periods, the game was a contest in midfield, with neither side unable to unlock the other's defence. On 70 minutes Ramadan got on the end of a long clearance and his ball into the box sped across the pitch and Ethan Mayhew sliding in at the far post just failed to make contact.

Then came the afternoon's most controversial moment - Elliott Sartorius was played through one-on-one with keeper Charlie Beckwith, who appeared to bring down the Grays man - but the Blues' strident appeals for a penalty were waved away by Mr Torres Miranda.

And soon after there was a period of panic in the Bury penalty area with the visitors unable to clear the ball and Grays not able to land a clear shot. The final attempt came from Kenedi Dariri which hit the crossbar.

And with seven minutes to go, Blues' hearts were broken when ace striker Ramadan stole in at the near post ahead of the home defence and guided the ball past Sambridge for the only goal of the game.

Blues tried everything in the last five minutes but to no avail. Remi pushed a free kick just wide of the post and Machado's late strike was cleared away downfield.

The result was very harsh on Grays who were well worthy of at least a point and similar performances to this will see the Blues flying up the table.

With another blank Saturday next weekend, it will be a fortnight before Blues have the chance to put into practice more of what they showed on Saturday.