Tilbury 2, Grays Athletic 1
TILBURY completed a season’s double over their near neighbours with this comeback Ryman One North victory at Chadfields.
The derby was played out in front of a crowd of 326 and thankfully there was none of the trouble that marred last season’s fixture, though many Grays fans left berating their side for a lack of passion.
It seemed that was a view shared by Blues' manager Hakan Hayrettin who kept his side in the dressing room afterwards and gave them a verbal roasting.
It was the 158th meeting of the neighbours, including a dozen friendlies, and Tilbury now hold a 67-62 edge in the series with 29 drawn games.
Grays were out to avenge a 3-1 home defeat in November and after Dockers spurned an early chance when Bradley Barnes rounded keeper Tony Tucker but could only find the side netting, the visitors took an early lead when Louis Dennis converted a 12th-minute penalty after Joao Carlos was tripped by Paul King.
It became a fairly scrappy affair after that though there were some fractious moments, the most dramatic being when King was very lucky to stay on the pitch. A nasty challenge on Kenny Beaney saw him given a yellow and an even nastier challenge just a “final warning” from the referee a few minutes later.
Grays, who had lost the influential Harry Harry Agombar when he limped out of the warm-uop, seemingly content to sit on their lead.
They did it successfully for the first half and much of the second but they paid the price in the 72nd minute, when poor defence allowed Joe Nightingill to prod in the equaliser, and Steve Good fired Dockers ahead seven minutes later.
James Marrable’s superb point-blank save from Carlos in added time made sure of the points for Tilbury, who climbed into fifth place while Grays remained fourth.