Redbridge 1, Grays Athletic 2

GRAYS Athletic made it a nine Isthmian North wins in a row with a hard-fought away victory against a skillful and well-drilled Redbridge side on Saturday (19 April). 

But they left it oh so late to seal the win, when most of the travelling fans would probably have settled for a point. This Grays side is though made of stern stuff and, as good sides do, found a way to win.

It was a real game of two halves. Redbridge were much the better side in the first half, passing the ball crisply on their excellent 3G pitch but Blues turned it round after the break and eventually pushed their hosts to breaking point. With another game on Monday afternoon, manager Darren Manning shuffled his pack, resting a few players and giving others the chance to shine.

Kenedi Dariri created the first chance of the game, with one of his trademark charges forward. He fed Harry Hope whose chip over the defence found Shane Temple who shot straight at home keeper, Max Spence. Hope himself then had the next chance, from a Matas Skarna cross but leaning back, his shot cleared the crossbar.

On the quarter hour mark, there was controversy when Hope's ball sent Aron Gordon clear through on goal and he was downed by Spence, as he went for the ball. Referee Mr Maher applied the "double jeopardy" rule awarding the penalty but only showing Spence a yellow card, when he could very easily have seen red. 

And to make things worse for Blues, Spence then pulled off a fine save to deny Elliott Sartorius's spot kick.

Redbridge took strength from this and started to dominate possession, with ex-Blue Karl Kayembe and Solomon Ogunwojomu controlling things in midfield. There was danger when Tendai Quamina found himself in the clear - he rounded Danny Sambridge in the Grays goal, but Dariri was on hand to snuff out the chance. But Redbridge were soon in the lead thanks to another former Grays man, Nidal Berri who took advantage of some slack defending to create space for himself and pick his spot for a 1-0 lead.

Quamina then had a chance to double the lead but his shot was wild. Redbridge were playing some nice football. Napa shot straight at Sambridge and Jack Chawner was only stopped by a fine block tackle from Dariri.

Whatever Grays manager Darren Manning said during the break clearly struck a cord with the Blues players, as their second half performance was different again from the first 45 minutes.

Great work by Aron Gordon set up Sam Bantick whose scuffed shot wrongfooted Spence in the Redbridge goal and he just managed to turn the ball round the post. And Bantick then profited from another long run with the ball from Dariri but he saw his shot blocked for the first of a succession of Blues corners. His third chance was a fine very long range rocket that just went the wrong side of the woodwork with Spence rooted to the spot.

But eventually the pressure told - and it was Bantick's corner that found Harry Hope's head and he buried the chance for his first Grays goal to bring the scores level at 1-1.

The goal only seemed to wake up the home side who started to look as if they might retake the lead. Joseph Elliot fizzed a ball across the Grays six yard box but there was no home shirt on hand to apply the finish and then Olamiji Ayoola the forced a smart save from Sambridge from distance.

Redbridge were then again lucky to keep a full complement of players on the pitch when Henry Day committed a wild lunging challenge on Aron Gordon but again Mr Maher chose only to brandish a yellow card.

Louie Remi, off the bench was seeing a lot of the ball and causing real consternation down the right side for the home defence. And as the clock ticked towards 90 minutes his cross was met by Aron Gordon's toe-end that fell safely into Spence's hands, as did a long effort from Sartorius.

With the game in its dying moments, Matas Skarna produced a moment of magic out wide left, squeezing a fine cross through a virtually non-existent gap. The ball fell to Alejandro Machado by the penalty spot and he lashed a shot into the net to break Redbridge hearts and send Blues fans wild. 

Rarely this season have Grays won when conceding the first goal but in this mood it seems that anything is possible.

Now the big question is whether Grays can make it a perfect ten out of ten in the El Chavico derby on Easter Monday - a game that is coming to the boil nicely.

Grays Ath: Sambridge, Brampton, Skarna, Machado, Dariri, Jude, Gordon (90, Moss), Hope, Temple (90, Hirst), Sartorius, Bantick (75, Remi)

Subs not used: Finneran, Walker.