The result may not look the most positive but Grays' performance against Forest Green on Saturday showed enough to suggest a return to their early season form may not be too far off.
True, anything would have been on improvement on Blues' last outing when they were hammered 4-2 by Tamworth, but despite only picking up a point against a side likely to be fighting relegation this season, boss Frank Gray can take plenty of positives from the game.
His side created enough chances to win three games, let alone the one, and but for profligate finishing and a rare gaffe from stand-in-skipper Jamie Stuart, they would have had the game sewn up by half time.
Other plusses include the performance of debutant centre back Chris Plummer, who is on a month's loan from Peterborough and another cameo performance from skipper Stuart Thurgood who is now likely to start next week's game at St Albans.
"We created as many chances today than we have at home all season and you can't legislate for missed chances," said Gray. "They were gilt-edged chances today. We felt we deserved and should have won the game but goals win games and if you don't score you don't win.
"But I was pleased with the overall attitude and spirit shown today and the way the players reacted to a poor performance at Tamworth. I thought we came back well. We went 1-0 up and I thought if we had got the second goal we would have gone on to have been comfortable winners.
"I would say it was a 100 per cent better performance than the Tamworth game. We had a good talk in training after that game, a few home truths have come out and I thought the reaction was first class."
However, for all the positives the dropped points mean Grays have collected just six points in nine games and the reality is they must start winning again soon if they are to stay in play-off contention.
"I would have taken a scrappy 1-0 today just to get back to winning ways," said Gray. "It wasn't scrappy today, I thought we played well, but that's what we need to get back into the winning habit."
Grays started out full of purpose, determined to put their nightmare performance against Tamworth four days previously well and truly behind them.
John Martin and Ashley Nicholls set the tone in midfield by not giving their opponents a second to settle while Dennis Oli and Aaron McLean ensured that the defending started from the front.
Martin's early eagerness won him a free kick on the edge of the box inside the first two minutes which Glenn Poole curled exquisitely over the wall only to be denied by Steve Williams in the Rovers' goal.
Minutes later, top scorer Aaron McLean really should have opened the scoring when he scampered on to Plummer's header forward but, on his weaker left foot, he dragged his shot wide with just Williams to beat.
It was no surprise then when, in the 12th minute, the hosts did eventually break the deadlock. Ashley Bayes's huge clearance up field was flicked on by Oli into the path of Michael Kightly who was making one of his trademark bursts forward.
With Kevin Nicholson frantically trying to get back goalside and Williams sprinting off his line, the ex-Southend youngster showed both poise and intelligence to hoist a cunning lob over the Rovers keeper and into the back of the net.
Rovers recovered well after the goal and Alex Meechan twice had chances to capitalise on Grays mistakes and put his side level.
The ex-Dagenham and Redbridge striker first latched on to Andy Sambrook's slip but was denied a certain goal by Jamie Stuart's last-gasp intervention.
Stuart could only watch on anxiously minutes later when he misjudged a bounce and allowed Meechan to scamper clear and fire a fiercesome shot across goal that swerved away from goal at the last second.
At the other end, Blues continued to look dangerous with Plummer thumping a header from Kightly's corner over the bar and Kightly himself missing a gilt-edged chance to double the advantage and score one of the goals of the season to boot.
A wonderful passing move involving Poole and Martin ended with Kightly exchanging passes with McLean but then pulling his shot just past the post when clear through on Williams.
Forest Green grabbed the leveller five minutes before the interval when Nicholson's hopeful free kick into the box caused all sorts of trouble in the Blues' defence and under pressure from Adriano Rigoglioso, Stuart looped a header into his own net.
Having collected their thoughts at the interval, Blues started the second half in the manner of the first.
Williams had to make a routine save to deny Oli after he span on Sambrook's throw and fired goalwards and a falling McLean rippled the side-netting from the same man's cross.
Oli missed the best chance of all in the 55th minute when, after setting McLean free on the right, he powered into the middle to collect the return but stabbed horribly wide from no more than 10 yards out.
At the other end Les Afful skipped past both Martin and Poole to work space for a shot but scuffed his shot straight at Bayes.
But the traffic was all one way and Oli, who bar his miss was having an impressive game, twice tested Williams and sub Jamie Slabber went desperately close to converting Poole's cross.
The way things are going for Grays right now you almost expected them to lose all three points and they nearly did so when Mark Preece headed Simon Clist's corner just over the bar in the closing stages.
By Ryan Goad
Thanks to the Thurrock Gazette for the report.
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