The scoreline tells only half the story of this enthralling FA Trophy tie which for nearly an hour was balanced on a knife’s edge.
Three second half goals ultimately secured Grays' passage into the next round but they were made to sweat by an impressive Windsor & Eton side who defied the one league gap between the teams.
Conference South table-topping Grays came into the game with confidence riding high, but they would have been well aware that their last defeat in all competitions came at the hands of lower league opposition.
Keen to exercise the ghost of losing to Wealdstone in the FA Cup, Blues set the tempo early on and got off to the perfect start when midfielder Dean Brennan netted within three minutes.
A searching cross from Joe Bruce found Mitchell Cole at he back post and his cross-cum-shot was fumbled by keeper Chuck Martini, allowing Brennan to sneak in and bundle the ball home.
Grays’ joy was tempered five minutes later, however, when Windsor & Eton went up the other end and scored an unlikely equaliser.
Following a free kick, which was half-cleared by the Grays defence, Peter Holsgrove crisply shot home from the left hand angle of the penalty box.
Buoyed by their goal, the away side started to impose themselves on the game and Grays lost their fluidity. With only Stuart Thurgood playing anything near to his best, it was Windsor’s midfield that was proving most decisive, with Morgaro Gomis, Guy Ekwalla and, in particular, Lewis Cook excelling.
Indeed, Cook and Gomis combined to great effect when Cook’s run down the left setup a gilt-edged chance for Gomis, but from ten yards out he shot narrowly past Ashley Bayes’ post.
At the other end, Grays threatened sporadically and it was fast dawning on the home fans that this would no walk in the park for their team.
Despite some long range efforts from Thurgood and Brennan, the closest Grays came to scoring before the break was when Windsor defender, Lee Kersey, almost diverted a Gary Hooper cross into his own net.
Grays emerged for the second period with increased vigour, but despite some neat build-up play their final ball wasn’t quite accurate enough and the prospects of at least a replay were growing by the minute.
Windsor were well organised defensively and despite not showing as much as an attacking force in the second half they were proving difficult opponents to break down.
That was until full-back, John Nutter, took it upon himself to inject some much-needed urgency into the Grays side and surged down the left flank.
His deep cross found teenager, Gary Hooper, who had ghosted in from the opposite wing and he nodded past Martini to the evident relief of all.
That goal knocked the stuffing out of the away side who were visibly tiring and with Cole coming increasingly into the game on the left flank the signs were looking ominous for the clutch of travelling support.
The third goal duly arrived soon after when Leroy Griffiths powered his way through the Windsor defence and laid it off to Brennan who thumped the ball past Martini from 12 yards.
Brennan should have claimed his hat-trick shortly after, but he failed to connect with Steve West’s knock-down.
And it was West himself who made it four, eight minutes before the end with a trademark header past Martini from a Dennis Oli cross to rub salt into the Windsor wounds.
Report by Ryan Goad
Thanks to the Thurrock Gazette for the report
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