Grays Athletic 0, Stowmarket Town 0

Stowmarket win 4-2 on penalties

HAVING progressed through the previous round of the FA Trophy via a penalty shoot out after a goalless draw, the gods turned on Grays Athletic for Saturday's (29 October) first round tie at Parkside with the same scoreline but a different outcome from the spot kicks.

These two sides are closely matched on league performances, so there was never going to be much in it and, as expected, the first half was a cagey affair.

Stowmarket saw a lot of the ball but Grays were set up with a very tight defence bolstered by the return of captain Lewis Clark and keeper Danny Sambridge was largely untroubled throughout.

The visitors did have the best of the chances on offer though. Craig Parker missed an early header from a fine Kane Munday cross and early sub Nathan Stewart whizzed a shot across the six yard box. In between, at the other end, Malachi Toussaint had a long range shot that Aron Gordon just failed to get a toe-end to.

Stowmarket looked the more likely to find an opening but the Blues defence was up to the task, regularly catching the visitors offside. In midfield, Rob Clark was having a huge game, getting tackles in time and again and driving forward when the opportunity allowed.

The nearest the deadlock came to being broken fell just before the break when Grays defender Courteney Homans threw himself by the far post to block what looked a certain goal.

If the first half was tight, the second had much more to keep both sets of fans loud and lively, right up to the final whistle. Just six minutes into the half, the visitors' main marksman, Reggie Thompson-Lambe broke the defensive line. His shot beat Sambridge but shaved the outside of the post.

Callum Watts came off the bench and brought new drive to the Blues attack, creating a chance for Sam Bantick that landed on the roof of the net. At the other end, Grays almost made a fatal error when a long ball from visitors' keeper, James Bradbrook caused indecision between Sambridge and Lewis Clark, but Jack Wilkinson could not take advantage.

Gordon continued to look the most likely to break the deadlock in the Blues' favour. Several times, he broke down the right wing and got the ball into the box, but there was never a Grays forward in the right place to finish the chance.

The later the game went, the more Blues took control. Sub Callum Watts fired a shot from outside the area, which left keeper James Bradbrook rooted to the spot as he watched the ball roll wide of the post. Gordon then missed the goal outside the other upright.

But the real drama came in injury time. Toussaint found himself free in the box and let loose a fearsome drive that cannoned off the crossbar. Bradbrook seemed to get a fingertip to the shot but the referee gave a goal kick. And just moments later, Toussaint again shot across the goal, with the ball heading for the far corner, but Bradbrook pulled off a magnificent, match-saving stop low to his right. It just wasn't to be Grays' day.

FA Trophy rules take the game straight to penalties, without extra-time. Stowmarket took first and were clinical throughout, giving Sambrook no chance. After Anointed Chukwu had scored Blues' first spot kick, Toussaint beat the keeper but the ball cannoned off the post (rebounding to the half way line!). By the fourth round of kicks, Gordon had to score to keep the tie alive but his attempt was saved by Bradbrook, to win the battle for Stowmarket.