Grays overcame a first leg deficit to make it to their second successive FA Trophy final after a pulsating game that will live long in the memory.
Trailing Exeter 2 – 1 after the first 90 minutes, Blues put in the sort of performance will be a talk of the New Rec terraces for years to come. Fans will not necessary remember the quality of play shown by Grays, but instead of the character and commitment that oozed out of every single player that took to the field.
Spurred on by a passionate crowd, the Blues players, quite literally ran themselves into the ground. They chased every ball, blocked every shot, jumped for every header and even as Exeter bombarded their goal in the closing stages they refused to buckle.
It seems harsh to sing out players given them whole sides unflinching commitment, but there are two men who deserve special mention.
Jamie Stuart and Ashley Bayes have both had their troubles season but both men were absolutely immense when they were needed the most and I don't think it exaggeration to say that Grays would not have made it through without them.
Stuart was like a pillar at the heart of the Blues defence, taking it upon himself to handle Lee Phillips and the man who Mark Stimson calls the best striker in the league hardly had a sniff all game.
I say hardly because Phillips did have one golden opportunity to hit the back of the net when Exeter were awarded a dubious penalty midway through the second half.
With Stuart unable to be anything to stop Phillips this time the responsibility fell on the shoulders of Bayes - the man who effectively won Grays the Trophy last year when he saved a Hucknall spot kick in the decisive shoot out.
And what a fairytale story. Against his former club, against a player he knew as a youngster at Plymouth and with a cup final date against another his ex-club’s riding on it we should have all sensed that Bayes would not disappoint.
Diving to his right, as instructed by Stimson, the player his team-mates have taken to calling Daddy, parried Phillip’s kick away and in that moment you can almost see the Exeter players’ belief ebb away.
The Grecians started with plenty of determination though their intentions seemed to be “to hold what we have” as they strung five men across the midfield in an effort to stifle Grays.
But the visitors’ best-laid plans went awry after just nine minutes when Glenn Poole wiped out their first-leg advantage.
Jamie Slabber rose magnificently to flick on Christian Hanson's free-kick and Poole ghosted in unmarked at the back post to fire a crisp volley into the far corner.
Exeter could have been back on level-terms inside a minute when Andy Taylor found himself in acres of room in the box only for John Nutter to deny him just as he looked set to pull the trigger.
While Blues looked potent every time they went forward, the Grecians threatened only from set pieces though Dean Moxey will be wondering how he fluffed his lines when Matt Gill’s huge throw evaded everyone and landed at his feet six yards out.
Spurred on by the majority of the 2693 crowd most stood on the club’s new Ballcourt terrace, Blues doubled their advantage just past the halfway mark.
The tireless Slabber latched onto another lofted ball from Hanson before cutely laying off to Thurgood. Without a moment's hesitation, the Grays skipper unleashed a fizzing volley that Paul Jones struggled to hang on to and Aaron McLean was on hand to collect, swivel and fire home the rebound.
McLean almost put Grays out of site minutes later when Bayes’ long clearance put him clean through but Paul Jones stood up well and forced the ex-Aldershot man to hook his shot wide.
John Martin thought he had given the hosts an unassailable advantage when he volleyed home Poole's free-kick but referee Steve Chittenden, spotted a Thurgood foul on Jones.
Exeter boss Alex Inglethorpe ditched the five-man midfield straight after the interval and introduced veteran Steve Flack for full-back Billy Jones.
Flack joined Phillips upfront and the reshuffle immediately forced Grays on to the back foot and Andy Taylor came a whisker away from halving the arrears just three minutes later when his curling effort flashed wide of the upright.
Jon Challinor then thought he had equalised the aggregate score when he twisted on a Flack knock down and screwed a left-footed shot across goal that looked for the world to be destined for the bottom corner but veered away at the last second.
Then came what both managers agreed was the turning point in the game.
Mr Chittenden awarded a controversial penalty when he adjudged Martin to have tugged back Gill as he picked up Phillips's lay-off and headed towards goal pass.
It seemed a harsh call to say the least especially as no Exeter players really appealed and I’m sure there would have been a much bigger fall-out had the kick been converted.
Phillips’ penalty was fiercely struck but had been read by Bayes who got a big paw to it to parry it away. Even then the chance hadn’t gone but as the ball fell back to Phillips, the ex-Weymouth man lost his balance and could only hook the rebound wide.
Minutes later Bayes made another great save to thwart Wayne Carlisle’s 20-yard drive that was heading like an arrow for the top corner.
Sensing it was going to be their day Grays began to re-establish themselves and as the game neared its conclusion it was they are and not Exeter who looked the more likely to score.
Martin,
Michael Kightly and Gary Hooper all missed golden one-on-one chances to kill the tie off, but a combination of poor finishing, good goalkeeping and great defending
From Gary Sawyer denied the Grays trio.
Exeter couldn't do enough to carve out one last chance and after an agonising five and a half minutes of injury time the referee put a stop to it and sent the home fans into dream landReport by Ryan Goad
Thanks to the Thurrock Gazette for the match report
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