Blues back on track
Dennis Oli’s first goal in five months sent Crawley crashing to the bottom of the Conference table and brought to an Grays’ miserable run of home form.
The Blues had not won at home since they thrashed Scarborough 5-0 on October 15 but they got that monkey off their backs with a dogged victory that more to character and determination than to the sort of free-flowing football we saw from them during the first few months of the season.
Nevertheless the win meant that Grays moved back into the play-off spots after falling down to their lowest position of the season last week and boss Mark Stimson hopes his side can build on the win and cement their place in the top five.
”I’m pleased to put an end to the run of home form and hopefully we can get a few more scrappy 1-0 wins here before the end of the season,” he said afterwards.
”We set a really high standard for ourselves after our first 15 games, which were absolutely amazing. We always knows that trying to keep that up would be difficult but hopefully we are back on track now and I know that the boys are desperate to stay up there.”
Stimson also hopes that his match winning goal will give the enigmatic Oli some much-needed confidence as the club approaches the run-in of their debut Conference season.
Oli’s 69th minute winner may not have been the best goal he’s ever scored but his celebrations betrayed the fact it meant more to him than the majority of his previous strikes.
The 21-year-old, who replaced the hopelessly out of form Jamie Slabber at half time, hadn’t scored since he netted a brace against, ironically against Crawley, on September 24 and Stimson says he’s had to work hard to keep the ex-QPR youngster’s head up during the barren run.
Stimson said: “Dennis is a young lad and confidence is a big thing with him. We try and build it up in him during the week but once a player crossed the white line there’s not much you can do as a manager. Hopefully that goal will give him some belief and he can kick-on from here.”
The Blues boss had less kind words to say about Oli’s early season strike partner, Slabber, who along with Brett Johnson, was ignominiously hauled off at half time.
”Both those players were poor today and I’ve told them,” said Stimson. “Slabber just lacked any enthusiasm today and it’s something I don’t like as his manager. He told the Non-League paper just a day earlier that he was looking at his team-mates to get the club back into the play-offs but he needs to be looking at himself and no one else.”
Stimson made one change from last week’s fine 1-0 victory at Hereford with Jamie Stuart suspended for the eighth game this season and Johnson coming in to take his place.
Grays started the game brightly and had a great chance to open the scoring in the 11th minute when Aaron McLean’s knock-down found Slabber alone in the box but the ex-Aldershot man made a right hash of his finish.
With just the keeper to beat Slabber, who has not scored himself since the victory at York on November 5, tried to dink the ball over Smith but his effort was scuffed horribly and it enabled Ben Jude to hack the ball clear from his own goal line.
Minutes later Kightly, who was Grays’ star performer on the day, came within inches of scoring when he ghosted in at the back post to meet John Martin’s corner only for his header t whistle past the upright.
The visitors weather the early storm and came more into the game as the half progressed and came close to capitalising on a couple of defensive howlers from the Blues.
First Lee Blackburn almost turned the ball home from close-range, after a mix-up between Andy Sambrook and John Nutter and then Brett Johnson gifted the ball to Tony Scully who crossed for Daryl Clare but Town’s top scorer couldn’t find a way past Ashley Bayes.
Blackburn then headed a wicked cross wide from Clare wide as the visitors finished the half strongly.
Blues boss Mark Stimson didn’t hesitate in making changes at the start of the second period as Cameron Mawer replaced Johnson and Oli took the place of Slabber.
And the substitutions nearly paid instant dividends when Oli made a clever run to the near post to meet Stuart Thurgood’s free kick but his glancing header just flew wide of the post.
Full back Judge then made his second crucial intervention of the game when he blocked Martin’s goal bound effort after McLean did well to hold off a posse of defenders and tee the midfielder up.
But the goal eventually did come two minutes later when Oli made the most out of a defensive mix-up.
Kightly’s weaving run looked to have won a free kick on the edge of the area but, as the players appealed and the referee waved play on, Leo Mendy’s rash clearance smacked against one of his team-mates and Oli reacted first to the rebound to slot the ball past Phil Smith.
Grays could have doubled that advantage minutes later when a swift break from the electric Kightly was thwarted at the last second by a lunging tackle from Paul Armstrong and Oli again went close shortly after when he fizzed a half-volley inches over the bar.
Crawley boss John Hollins then went for broke and threw on two attackers, Danny Ekoku and Omari Coleman, for a midfielder and a defender, but despite much effort his side couldn’t find a way past Grays’ backline.
By Ryan Goad
Thanks to the Thurrock Gazette for the match report
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