Grays edged closer to confirming a play-off spot on Monday after a devastating frst half salvo blew Aldershot away.
Strikes from Michael Kightly, Glenn Poole and Aaron McLean, during a whirlwind 17 minute period, leaves Blues needing just two wins from their four remaining games to guarantee a top five finish.
Victories for Morecambe and Stevenage, the two sides directly below them, means this is by no means a formality but, with the form Grays are in, it would take a brave man to bet against them.
This comprehensive win stretched Blues’ unbeaten league run to nine games and the confidence oozing out of the team is palpable.
The Shots could certainly find no answer to the pace, power and movement of Mark Stimson’s men who were in such command they were able to take their foot off the gas in the second half and conserve energy for the hectic run in.
”First half in particular, I thought we were absolutely outstanding,” said Stimson. “Aldershot may not be doing so well at the moment but they are a big team in this league, and I thought we came, scored three fantastic goals and controlled the game.”
”We just need to keep it going now because there’s a massive prize at the end of this.
”If we keep getting a win here and a point there I’m sure we will have enough points to compete in the play-offs.”
The one negative to come out of the game was a second half injury to Jamie Slabber who landed awkwardly and jarred his knee.
The set-back had a knock-on effect because Stimson had planned to give McLean, Kightly and Poole a rest in the second half but had his hand forced because of Slabber’s withdrawal.
Poole, who himself is nursing a slight back injury, was the man forced to see out the 90 minutes though his knock is not thought to be too serious.
Stimson made two changes from the side the were held to a disappointing draw by Forest Green Rovers two days’ earlier with Tom Williamson replacing John Martin - who was not deemed fit enough to play two games in such a short space of time – and Slabber coming in for Dennis Oli.
Williamson has only played a handful of appearances this season but has impressed more often than not and yet again he turned in a terrific performance.
He was bright and busy, wanted the ball at all times and retained possession expertly.
It was no surprise then that he was involved in the first goal scored just after 10 minutes.
Poole picked up the ball on the left and worked a neat give and go with the ex-Canvey Island man before squaring the ball to Kightly.
The pass was by no means the best but Kightly did brilliantly to take it into his stride and run at the Shots’ defence. In a blink of an eye the 20-year-old had burst past Darren Barnard and Ian Simpemba and as keeper Nikki Bull rushed from his line he managed to dink the ball over him into the back of the net.
Williamson then fizzed a shot wide from the edge of the area and Slabber latched on to a huge clearance from Ashley Bayes and forced Bull into making a smart save at his near post.
A second goal for Blues looked inevitable as the Shots struggled to stem the pressure and it arrived , almost odds on, from the man who can’t stop scoring goals.
Poole made it eight goals in seven games when he ghosted in behind full back Lewis Hamilton to head Andy Sambrook’s searching cross over the stranded Bull and into the back of the net.
It was typically first-class finish from Poole but questions have to be asked of the Aldershot defending which was nothing short of woeful.
It got even worse seven minutes later though Grays effectively killed the game off and McLean celebrated a scoring return to this former side.
Christian Hanson, who is not noted for sweeping 60 yards passes, did exactly that to pick out Poole alone at the back post and the ex-Thurrock man cushioned a wonderful first-time pass into the path of McLean who slammed the ball into the far corner.
It was a sublime goal and was appreciated by the Shots’ fans who warmly applauded the man they once used to idolise.
The home supporters were not the only ones saluting a former idol, however, because Blues fans got a chance to pay tribute to Leroy Griffiths who was playing against his old club for the first time since leaving them in the summer.
It is certainly a case of the King is dead long live the King for the Grays fans though as McLean is well on the way to becoming an even bigger cult hero than Griffiths.
Whether or not Aldershot fans would express the same sentiment I’m not so sure.
Slabber was replaced by Oli two minutes after the re-start and the substitute nearly got himself on the score sheet soon after when his shot was well blocked by Simpemba after a cute pass from John Nutter.
Grays had total control of the second period and only looked like conceding when Griffiths’ cross was met by Mazin Ahmad but Bayes was on hand to push the shot brilliantly away.
Skipper Stuart Thurgood strolled around in the spring sunshine completely running the game and you got the impression that his side could have upped the tempo at any minute.
They didn’t’ need to though and with the play-offs within touching distance they moved onto Wednesday’s game with Scarborough in bullish mood.
Report by Ryan Goad
Thanks to the Thurrock Gazette for the report.
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