Ryman Div One North
Grays ath 4 v 2 Needham Market
GRAYS put themselves right back in the play-off picture with a barn-storming comeback against promotion rivals, Needham Market with a 4-2 victory at Rookery Hill last night (Wednesday).
Once again, it was all one way traffic with Grays in an enforced 4-5-1 calling the shots.
But it was Needham that went ahead after 19 minutes when defender Grant Cooper headed against his own bar and Danny Bloomfield scrambled in the rebound.
The silence around the ground was deafening as if every Grays fan realised that it was the end of their season.
But the team plugged away and plugged away.
Grays continued to attack with much of the work coming from Nathan Gordon on the right but everything else was a punt up front or a misdirected pass.
Harry Agombar and Joao Carlos continued to work well but were operating in some two touch bubble.
The best moves came just before half time. It was neat work by Jake Hall on the edge of the box that saw two shoots parried away by the Needham defenders.
And then talisman, Junior Baker scored the equaliser just before half time when he sailed above the Needham defence to head the ball into the net from a Harry Agombar corner.
Grays came out for the second half like the Grays that terrorised teams from August to December.
Joao Carlos supplied the goals for Nathan Gordon and James Bunn which made it 3-1 by the 56th minute.
It could have been much worse for the Marketmen: in between the goals Liam Jones saved at point-blank range from Gordon and Harry Agombar, and was in the right place to field a sliced clearance by Gavin Johnson as it cannoned down from the bar.
Gordon got his second goal on 69 minutes and was denied his hat-trick by another fine Jones save just after Bradley Barber’s free-kick had reduced the arrears in the 76th minute.
After that Needham applied plenty of pressure and would have been right back in it had Cooper not cleared a Scott Chaplin shot off the line in the 83rd minute.
Grays looked like a team re-born. Hakan put his reputation on the line with his changes and has come out on top. The decision to play Jake Hall was an inspiration as was Nathan Gordon’s signing. Next stop, Ilford at home on Saturday.
Grays Ath: Kamurasi G, Pope C, Flynn L (Bunce D), Cooper G, Baker J, Agombar H, Beaney K, Carlos J (Sweeney J),Gordon N, Hall J, Ryan A (Bunn J 45)
Subs not used: Thomas B,
