A free header and a goalkeeping gaffe dumped Grays Athletic out of the FA Trophy at Hayes and Yeading last night (Tuesday).
The halcyon days of Villa Park and Upton Park seemed a distant memory as the Blues with absolutely no cutting edge made themselves look very ordinary.
Hayes, like Chelmsford a few weeks ago, looked a hungrier side - or perhaps they were simply better.
Hayes had nothing to lose and played with a freedom around the park. Grays continued to play a well structured passing game with a strong backbone in defence but Jamie Slabber and Wes Thomas looked like strangers to each other and to goal-scoring.
Therein lies a problem. Since the break-up of the Kedwell-Taylor partnership, Grays have been like desperately struggling to find a striker. So far, they have failed.
The ideas have looked good. St-Aimie impressed on his debut; Scott Forrester had a spring in his step at Kidderminster; and Collins had a burst versus Oxford. But they - as well as Slabber and Thomas - have flattered to deceive.
In the end all you see is why clubs have released you in the middle of the season. In the end you become Grays Athletic’s problem not their opportunity. It must be extremely frustrating.
This was illustrated in the 3rd minute. A neat passing move started with Thurgood slicing a pass through to Sam Sloma who in turn passed on to Wes Thomas who crossed from the right. Slabber stretched but his shot went over the bar.
For Jamie Slabber that was it for the night. The odd lumbering chance, the backward nod linking play. But each move, the move of a man released by a team a league below.
There were plenty of spaces around the park as Hayes showed a flair for attack. The defence and midfield were solid in defence but Hayes were simply faster, slicker and more enthusiastic.
In the 13th minute, Tom Cadmore rose unmarked in the box to head home from a Simon Gregory corner. It was as simple as that.
Grays came back. Sloma has become the talisman for the team. His free kick in the 21st minute was deflected away for a corner and he continued to hunt and forage.
While others look like they are struggling at this level, he looks like he should be back in League Two or higher.
Stuart Thurgood produced the odd clever pass and tackle but his game has become fitful. It could be said that he has become a karaoke version of the player of old, while Barry Cogan appeared for the second half but needs to attack the box.
The skill level was very high especially when the team went 2-0 down. But for all the peripheral interchanges around the box, the team were the same as in September against Mansfield. They simply were not going to score and that can blunt a team’s enthusiasm and desire.
Grays' game became punctuated by aimless passes and cul-de-sac attacking. Ishmael Welsh was ploughing his furrow but had nothing to pass to.
Dean McDonald came on and looked active and Wes Thomas’ game sparked into life but he was playing from such a deep position that Grays, having substituted Sloma and Davis they were now 3-7-0.
Grays were killed off in the 65th minute when Jamie Stuart was dispossessed in the middle of the park and Jamie Mulley shot from 40 yards. David Button stood rooted to the spot as it whistled past him.
Grays created half chances but nothing tangible.
As the final whistle went, Wayne Burnett stood on the touchline and activley ignored each player as they went off. Words were then said in the changing room and players drifted away, some muttering under their breath like schoolboys who are now going to get their dad to come up the school.
Relegation will not be decided over Christmas - but the realtionship between Wayne Burnett and his players might.
Last Christmas condemned Justin Edinburgh. He went from taking all the plaudits against Aldershot in a cleverly won game to laying the blame with the players when they lost at Ebbsfleet.
There again, relegation may simply be decided by the economy as Lewes teeter and Salisbury struggle.
Make no mistake, Grays were awful against York - but fortunately, York were even worse! Stevenage was the true marker. Grays dug deep and hussled the point.
So it should be over Christmas. Barrow, Ebbsfleet twice and Histon. It isn’t a matter of twelve points. Even if they get one point, if they are nearer to safety then that will be the real gauge to success.
That is where the real challenge is. The players looked distracted against Lewes with Carlisle in mind and looked elsewhere with the real job of survival in hand.
Relegation could mean a lot of things. Unemployment has reached its highest since 1991 with 1.86 million out of work.
As Grays' fan Chris Jones put it on the Fans Forum. 'Some players may need to find courses to go on.' That is the zeitgeist. Not other teams to play for - but employment courses.
Even the postmen are having to up the pace of their game as they deliver christmas cards and redundancy notices.
If a postman for a striker is good enough for Histon...
Happy Christmas!
Report by Michael Casey
Thanks to Your Thurrock for the match report
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