Stanway Rovers 1, Grays Athletic 1

GRAYS Athletic went to up the A12 to north Essex for the second time within a few days on Saturday (11 October) and came back home with another hard-earned away point to add to the three gained at Brightlingsea on Tuesday evening.

Since their promotion to step 4 at the start of this season, Stanway have invested heavily on the pitch and play a very physical game, which for a while Blues struggled to come to terms with.

But with so many players missing through injury, it is a matter of getting through these games as best they can.

The first serious chance of the game fell to Tuesday's hero, Sam Bantick, put through by a header from Jack Turner but his attempt to hook the ball over his shoulder missed the target. But he did test home keeper, Joshua Blunkell, a couple of minutes later who produced a good low save to keep the scores level.

Blues found themselves on the wrong end of a number of heavy challenges and were getting little help from referee, Mr Reece, who seemed to speak incessantly to home players but refused to get his cards out of his pocket, much to the annoyance of the usual array of visiting Blues fans - the worst probably being an industrial challenge by Reece Harris on Jayden Silcott-Brown, which went unpunished.

Stanway were playing quick long balls especially out wide to George Okoye who used his pace and physicality to worry the Grays defence.

However, it was Blunkell who had to be alert again when a long Tyler Brampton clearance almost found Callum Fitzer.

But the deadlock was broken at the other end just before the half hour mark, when a Conor Hubble corner was forced home at the near post by the head of Joe Turpin.

Sid Walker was then the next to feel the warmth of a Stanway challenge when he was clattered by Orlando Bethmann but still no sanction.

Fortunately, for Grays, it didn't take them long to get back on level terms. 

Brampton produced some nice footwork on the right edge of the box before crossing the ball.

A deft touch by Joe Paxman found Callum Fitzer, who finished from close range to make it 1-1.

Blues were having their best period of pressure all afternoon, although Stanway still looked dangerous on the break and Nat Mardell forced a save by George Marsh. Harry Hope had a shot cleared off the line and Oscar Shelvey-Negus, off the bench, fed Jayden Silcott-Brown who cleared the crossbar.

As the clock ran down, both sides pressed for the winner with Stanway coming closest twice. Mardell couldn't convert a double chance and then another, last minute, Hubble corner caused alarm in the Blues defence and Shelvey-Negus cleared off the line.

After the game, manager Darren Manning felt that there was still so much more to come from his squad and they had allowed themselves to be muscled out of too many challenges. But another away draw makes it five league games unbeaten for the Blues, with another fixture on Wednesday (15 October) night to come. They will be at home to Walthamstow.

Grays Ath : Marsh, Brampton, Joynes, Walker, Jude, Turner, Fitzer, Hope, Paxman (58, Shelvey-Negus), Bantick (59, Hurst), Silcott-Brown

Subs not used : Drew, Wellens, Gjonbala