Stev packs punch as Blues are pegged back by ShotsHolders Grays showed just how much the FA trophy means to them on Saturday by courageously hanging on for a draw at the Recreation Ground – despite a late onslaught from the visitors.
Boss, Mark Stimson has made no secret of his desire to retain the trophy his side won last May and his player proved that his words are more than just lip service with a display full of determination and character.
In what was, quite literally, a blood and thunder cup tie, Michael Kightly gave the visitors a deserved first half lead, but Shots equalised from the spot five minutes after the re-start and spent much of the second half laying siege to Nicky Eyre’s goal.
Despite a few scares, notably when John Brough’s shot cannoned off a post, Grays held firm to setup a Tuesday night replay with their hosts.
But they were without Stevland Angus for that game after the centre back got himself stupidly sent off for punching Brian Tinnion in injury time, leaving his manage fuming.
”It was a stupid sending of”, said Stimson. “I’m not happy with Stev’s performance there. If the fella has done something to him, he has got to bide his time and get him back in the correct way. I think punching someone is a cheap way out of it and I’ve told him so.
”I didn’t really see what happened but I saw Tinnion’s mouth afterwards and there was blood coming from it, and you don’t get blood from just looking at someone. I can’t defend him one bit really.”
Despite his fury at Angus, Stimson confessed to being pleased at coming away with a draw, especially after being without three of his first choice starting eleven.
Said Stimson: “We always play to win but considering we had Stuart Thurgood, Andy Sambrook and Jamie Slabber missing I would have probably taken a draw beforehand.
”I thought we played very well in the first half. We got the ball down and looked bright.
”After the game I was a little bit disappointed, particularly with the way we conceded the goal, but I’ll take the draw.”
Coming in for the suspended trio of Thurgood, Sambrook and Slabber was Tom Williamson – who impressed on his full debut – Joe Bruce and Dennis Oli who had recovered from a bout of sickness.
Grays started the brighter and could have been ahead after just two minutes when Williamson’s floated free kick was headed just wide by the unmarked Angus.
Glenn Poole then fired over from the edge of the box after slick interplay between Oli, Aaron McLean and the impressive Kightly.
The ex-Southend youngster has really found his feet in the past couple of months and it’s a mark of his progress that a player of the calibre of Darren Barnard, an ex-Welsh International full back, struggled to cope with his probes forward.
One such probe saw Kightly glide past two challenges and make his way into the penalty area before being denied at the last by Brough who was lucky not to see his tackle end up in his own net.
McLean, making his first return to Aldershot after leaving them in March, then escaped down the right and unleashed an explosive shot at goal, which Nikki Bull did well to turn over as Grays piled on the pressure.
Shots’ best chance of the half fell to Ashley Vincent who got on the end of a teasing Barnard cross but couldn’t direct his header goal wards.
At the other end, John Martin strode purposefully into the Shot’s half and with his opponents backing off, crashed a shot against the base of the post and incredibly he found the same post again seven minutes later.
John Nutter found Oli with a delightful chip into the box, which the ex-QPR man managed to run into the path of Martin who had made a trademark burst from midfield.
on his weaker right side, Martin could only clip his shot on to the post but, this time, the rebound fell kindly for Grays and Kightly was on hand to stab the ball home.
The visitors would have expected a second half fight back from Aldershot but they will have been disappointed that they failed to see out the crucial 10 minutes after the interval.
Gary Holloway was allowed out of a cul-de-sac on the right and having got into the area he was clumsily brought down by Nutter.
Barnard stepped up to take the resulting penalty and drove it low into Eyre’s far corner.
Grays’ problems got worse when Kightly was forced off with a dead leg, but his replacement, Gary Hooper, came close to restoring their lea when he stretched to connect with Poole’s cross but couldn’t direct his header into the far corner.
Hooper didn’t enjoy the best of halves though, and found himself replaced with six minutes remaining by the more defensively minded Cameron Mawer.
Nutter made partial amends for his earlier error when he made a fantastic block to deny Brough but he could do nothing when Holloway was clean through with just Eyre to beat, but instead blasted his shot wide.
Eyre then somehow managed to tip a Brough thunderbolt onto the post as Blues wobbled but refused to topple.
The pulsating game ended in acrimonious fashion when Angus punched Tinnion for his reaction to a lunge from McLean and was sent from the field.
By Ryan Goad
Thanks to the Thurrock Gazette for the match report
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