Your writer starts this report with a humble apology - in the match preview, I noted that games between Grays Athletic and Heybridge Swifts are invariably blessed with plenty of goals. The curse of the commentator ! The fault is all mine.

Firstly the positives, a second clean sheet in a row, another point in the bag, up to ninth in the table and still with a positive goal difference.

This was not though a game to get the pulse racing. A strong wind blowing straight down the pitch made it difficult to judge passes and neither team really got to grips with the conditions. Both defences were well-marshalled and it was one of those games where for long periods your granny could have kept goal.

The early skirmishes were fast and furious, with few clear chances. Aron Gordon nicked the ball in midfield and crossed beautifully but the ball just evaded Albert Perry in the box. At the other end, Scott Sloots found himself free fifteen yards out but missed the target. Then, Manny Osei-Owusu and Alfie Cutbush combined well but the latter was denied by a fine late block by Sid Walker - who worked tirelessly in midfield all afternoon.

Louie Remi, pressed into emergency service at left back, also belied his inexperience in the position by working well down the flank with Aron Gordon and he fashioned several presentable chances that weren’t finished.

Then just before the break, the visitors’ Nick Brown found himself clear on the left and from a narrow angle let fly a fierce shot that forced Danny Sambridge into his only meaningful save of the afternoon.

Half time: Grays Athletic 0 v 0 Heybridge Swifts

The second half was, unfortunately for the fans, more of the same, although in truth Heybridge might feel they had the better of the chances that came and went.

It took almost twenty minutes for a presentable opportunity to take shape. Jack Adlington-Pile, so often in the past the scourge of the Blues, off the bench, set up Nick Brown but he spooned the chance. For Grays, Luke Hirst finally managed to break through the visitors’ defensive line but couldn’t find the shot at the end of the run.

Adlington-Pile then volleyed over from distance before Kenedi Dariri came to Blues rescue with a great goal-line clearance from a Kane Munday cross.

Blues manager, Darren Manning, even gave Joao Carlos ten minutes off the bench at the end to try to break the deadlock, bringing smiles to the terraces, but to no effect on the pitch.

With Grays throwing players forward late on, the best chance of the game came when Heybridge broke with speed but at the end of the move, Brown failed to hit the target from close range.

And that was that. In truth, these are the kind of games that not long ago, Blues might well have lost - so a point and a clean sheet are clear positives to take forward.

Final score: Grays Athletic 0 v 0 Heybridge Swifts

Grays Ath: Sambridge, Toussaint, Remi, Walker, Finneran, Dariri, Gordon, Sartorius, Hirst (81, Carlos), Craddock, Perry (61, Unwin)

Subs not used: Henry-Rose, Long, Sandhu-Nelson