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06.08.2005 @ 15:00 The Recreation Ground |
Crowd:
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Grays Athletic
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3 - 1
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Charlton Athletic
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Referee: Graham Monk
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Friendly-Match
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Grays’ pre-season ended in style on Saturday with an emphatic 3-1 victory over a Charlton Athletic XI at the New Rec.
Glenn Poole, Gary Hooper and Michael Kightly weighed in with the Blues goals but it was the manner of victory that will have excited Grays fans the week before the start of the biggest season in the club’s history.
Charlton’s mixtures of reserves and youth simply had no answer to the home side’s crisp passing game and can consider themselves fortunate to have left the New Rec having conceded just the three goals.
With Dennis Oli and Jamie Slabber nursing minor knocks, Mark Stimson fielded a new look strike partnership in the form of Tony Battersby and Hooper and both turned in stellar performances.
Indeed, it was a neat inter-change between the pair that led to Grays’ opener, which came after a somewhat lethargic start from both sides.
Battersby released Hooper down the right-wing with a neat lay-off in behind left back Nathan Ashton and the 17-year-old’s cross picked out Poole at the back post who made no mistake from six yards.
The Addicks line-up was mostly unfamiliar but their strike partnership pairing of Kevin Lisbie and Shaun Bartlett had plenty of Premiership pedigree though they didn’t get much change out of Lee Matthews and Jamie Stuart.
Hooper went close to doubling Grays’ advantage when he broke clear in the box but he couldn’t beat keeper Rob Elliot and shortly before the interval Battersby had cracking header disallowed for offside.
Ashley Bayes got his second assist in as many weeks early in the second half when his long punt bounced over the entire Charlton defence and Hooper lobbed over Elliot – an identical goal to Slabber’s against Southend a week earlier.
Skipper, Stuart Thurgood and Battersby went close before Kightly grabbed Blues’ third after a quick free kick by the Grays captain released him in the area.
A wonderful 70 yard run and finish from Addicks’ winger Ali John helped Charlton restore some pride but John Nutter twice went close to adding a fourth with fizzing drives from distance.
Afterwards, Stimson picked out his front pairing for particular praise. He said: “Oli and Slabber both had minor knocks and we decided to rest them but the two boys who came in, Battersby and Hooper, were absolutely fantastic. We scored three goals against a quality side, the defence did what they had to do and it was a good test all round. Now we can look ahead to Burton next week”.
Report by Ryan Goad
Thanks to the Thurrock Gazette for the match report
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