Grays manager Frank Gray has warned his side they must improve if they want to stay in the hunt for promotion after Saturday's less than convincing win over struggling Crawley Town.
Aaron McLean's ninth goal of the season handed Blues a scarcely deserved victory over the troubled Sussex club who may be in a false league position but were quite clearly there for the taking.
The hosts, who sit bottom of the table despite overcoming a 10 point deduction for going into administration, were without three first teamers and fielded a defence that included a 38-year-old and a centre half who was playing for Billericay Town last season.
But despite Crawley's backline, which looked just as shaky in reality than it did on paper, Grays made painfully hard work of the game and in the end can consider themselves fortunate to have left Broadfield Stadium with all three points.
Gray said: "We were disappointed with the performance, we didn't feel we played anywhere near the level we can do, but we have come away with the three points.
"We were off the pace today and they could have got something from a game that I felt we could have won quite comfortably."
The Scotsman added: "We need to improve, we can't continue with performances like that every week but the lads know it. They know they haven't played well and they are disappointed."
Once again it was Blues' two star men Michael Kightly and McLean who bailed Blues out of trouble. The two combined for the only goal of the game and Kightly in particular looked menacing whenever he had the ball.
But, pleasing as their form is, Grays cannot keep relying on the pair who have scored all bar three of their goals this season.
"It's not a concern as long as they can keep scoring," said Gray when quizzed on the situation. "I wouldn't mind if they scored 25/30 goals a season but you can't guarantee that obviously. It would be nice if other people chipped in but when you win 1-0 that can always happen in the next game.
Summer signing Lee Boylan is one of the men who needs to find his scoring boots and lighten the load from Kightly and McLean's shoulders.
The ex-Canvey Island is still searching for his first goal in the blue of Grays and missed a gilt-edged chance when clean through in the opening minutes of the game but Gray is confident the ex-Canvey Island man will come good.
"Lee needs a goal," he said. "He is working hard for the team but he is a goalscorer. That's what he has done all his career and he just needs that one goal to get himself going."
As well as Boylan's opportunity, which was saved well by Ben Hamer, Blues carved out a number of other chances in the opening stages without making the breakthrough.
McLean tested Hamer at his near post with a crisp drive after good work from Cameron Mawer and from the ensuing corner Jim Sangare towered above the hosts' defence but couldn't direct his header goalwards.
Bursting with confidence, McLean then tried to lob Hamer from all of 40 yards and was then gifted a great opening by Michael Bostwick who sold his keeper horribly short with his back pass.
McLean fired up his afterburners and intercepted the pass a split second before Hamer got there, but the young keeper's presence was enough to put the league's top-scorer off as he fired wide.
Despite carving out these chances, Blues were not playing well and were conceding possession to a Crawley side who may be bottom of the table but lack nothing in character.
John Hollins's men, who would sit in mid-table were it not for the points penalty, did not make full use of the ball, however, and despite the skills of Tony Scully lacked any real potency up front.
But the Grays players had their hearts in their mouths on two separate occasions, shortly before and after the interval, when Crawley were denied only by the woodwork.
First, in the dying seconds of the first half, the unmarked Pat Sappleton clattered the bar with a thumping header from Gary Mills's corner kick.
Then, five minutes after the re-start, Ashley Bayes produced yet another remarkable save to tip Scully's shot against the post after he was released by Scott Rendell's flick-on.
Grays always looked threatening on the counter and they eventually got the breakthrough just past the hour mark when Kightly robbed Danny Brown on the right and prodded the ball through to McLean on the edge of the box.
McLean was given the freedom of the box by the Crawley defenders and he made sure he punished them by firing into the bottom corner with the aid of a slight deflection off Sappleton.
Crawley refused to give in and Scully went close again when he combined with substitute Ben Strevens and blazed over from the edge of the box while Bostwick should have done better when he headed straight at Bayes from six yards out.
With the hosts throwing men forward in their pursuit for an equaliser, Grays made hay on the counter attack and should really have extended their lead in the closing minutes.
Kightly was foiled by a good stop from Hamer after an incisive ball from McLean, Jamie Slabber, on as a late substitute, skimmed the base of a post and McLean slashed over after a wonderful free-flowing move.
By Ryan Goad
Thanks to the Thurrock Gazette for the report.
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