Grays at home

[SaintsInHeaven]

I was disappointed to note our next home game is against Grays as I drove past the ground earlier today. We don't have a lot of luck against them do we.

 

I wonder why tonight's match against Royston is not advertised. Perhaps the club feel we don't need money from the gate after Saturday's windfall in the FA Cup 1st Round draw.

[AFF]

A touch of irony in there, SIH?

 

Grays. I remember the 9-1 at their place a couple of years ago. Steve Castle hade been confirmed as Manager that day as I recall, and it was awful that night. The Walrus was sent off early doors, first half and the youngster who took his place did realy well. If it wasn't for him, it would have been about 15. Freddie Eastwood scored three if I remember, but we silenced their massed hordes with a fightback when Simon Martin scored direct from a free-kick from 30 yards out. That was the 81st minute and we were 8-0 down as I remember. Time ran out on us, however.

[Laz]

Quote:

SaintsInHeaven said:
Perhaps the club feel we don't need money from the gate after Saturday's windfall in the FA Cup 1st Round draw.

The gate was about 350 @ £8.

If we get a third of that then City must be due about £900..1,000.

That's quite a haul.

[Rob_the_Saint]

376. It looked less than that (imo) so fair play to Yeading for no funny business over the gate.

[saslufc]

As a relatively recent settler in the Albans, my first match at CP was to see the visit of Grays on a dark and coldy night a couple of years ago. I managed to convince the Mrs and another couple of friends to come along.

 

I sent her the match report the next day to confirm the score (we missed a large chunk of the second half due to an extended half time interval in the bar) and she replied with her own review. If only the Non League Paper had this quality of journalism its future would be assured. I also hadn't realised until now that it was the gypsy Eastwood banging them in for them that night....

 

The Official Report

 

[color:"red"]St Albans City 0 Grays Athletic 3 Tue 2 Mar 2004 [/color]

Grays Athletic showed the benefit of full-time training with three clinical strikes to punish a brave performance by the Saints. In fact, City were arguably the better side for the first twenty minutes before Freddie Eastwood struck, taking advantaqe of a slip by a defender to waltz his way across the six-yard box before firing home into the opposite corner.

 

City continued to take the game to Grays but were cruelly punished once again just before half time, when a long cross from the left was mis-controlled and Danny Hayzelden nipped in to score with some ease.

 

The second half continued much the same as the first, with Saints pushing forward and creating chances but lacking the decisive killer blow. Eventually they were caught out with five minutes left when a breakaway left Eastwood clear to claim his second with a powerful strike to give the scoreline a rather flattering look.

 

The Mrs's Version

 

[color:"red"]St Albans City 0 Grays Athletic 3 Tue 2 Mar 2004 [/color]

 

From very early on in the game, even to this disinterested girl, it was apparent that the ones in garish blue and yellow were really crap. All of them had their shirts untucked, a sure sign of a man trying to hide a beer gut, and No 11 had curiously plump lady hips and ran with his hands flapping about. Any fool could see they'd been spending too much time in the Albans Tandoori. The other ones, despite being called Grays Athletic, had a lovely dark blue strip, which gave them the style edge, even though they were apparently from Essex.

 

After a bit of fumbling around the goal one of the blue ones scored (either Leroy or Hazel was in some way involved in this). Then we went for some nasty cheap sausages and a wee.

 

During one of the boring bits, we tried to find the bar, but walked into the director's box by accident. Before being ejected, this reporter noticed that the only half time snack was rich tea biscuits, which was poignantly reflective of the St Albans team. Dull, cheap, yet full of fat and liable to crumble when moist.

 

Then it was the second half. During the first half, all the players had jumped about like spotty youths at a Clash gig and had even occasionally come into contact with the ball, but those early signs of a lack of form in the blue and yellows were confirmed when they seemed to stop moving at all. They then sent someone on with a shiny head who may have been Portuguese or even Brazilian, but he was crap too.

 

Did the blue ones score 2 more goals? Possibly, as the nasty rough men from Essex sang some songs.

 

Then we went to the pub, hurrah!

[Little Miss Urchin]

Quote:

The other ones, despite being called Grays Athletic, had a lovely dark blue strip, which gave them the style edge, even though they were apparently from Essex.

Oi! <img src="/forum/images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" />