Two goals out of the very top drawer were enough for Grays Ath to see off the challenge of Ipswich Wanderers on Saturday. Both were of the kind of quality that if they had been scored by Erling Haarland in the Premier League, they would have been replayed on Match of the Day over and over again and would feature on the end-of-season highlights roll, without any doubt whatsoever.. It’s why we love watching football at this level - the joy and excitement when both hit the net was electric.

Blues started the game brightly, with Alex Moss restored to the starting XI after several weeks out injured and Aron Gordon on the bench, to be used as an “impact substitute” in the words of manager Darren Manning (more of that later !)

But the first chance of the game fell to Ipswich after just three minutes whenKenedi Dariri was deemed to have handballed by referee Mr Ronland, five yards outside the area. But as throughout the game, the Blues defence held firm.

Then after ten minutes, Alejandro Machado made his bid for Goal of the Season when he picked up the loose ball fully 35 yards out and, seeing visitors keeper Warren Burwood, off his line, executed the most perfect lob over the Ipswich back line, into the net. Pure footballing perfection.

Machado then almost set up Danny Gould with a defence-splitting pass that was just a yard too long for the winger to get on the end of.

Blues were then somewhat guilty of not pressing home their advantage and allowed Ipswich back into the game, although too often the visitors passing was not precise enough to trouble the home side. That said, Kai Fletcher and Kobi Yeboah were lively up front for the Wanderers and we have all seen too much of Tom Richardson over the years, today playing in a deeper lying role, to know that he can hurt any defence in an instant. And on 25 minutes, it was only some last-ditch defending by Grays that prevented a melee in their penalty area leading to a clear chance for the visitors.

Grays did manage to create some half chances, as the clock wore down but nothing to trouble Burwood unduly.

Half time: Grays Athletic 1 v 0 Ipswich Wanderers

Ipswich came out at the start of the second half looking to make amends and almost equalised two minutes in. A corner found its way to the far post and in a jumble of bodies, keeper Danny Sambridge shovelled the ball round the post for another corner. This one found the head of Richardson, whose attempt was only kept out by Sambridge’s fine reflex save.

From that chance, Blues broke quickly down the other end and Luke Hirst found himself one-on-one with Burwood, but the keeper made himself large and denied the Grays striker his goal. Hirst then whipped a great cross through the six yard box which only evaded the on-rushing Danny Gould by a whisker.
With 30 minutes left, manager Darren Manning executed his plan to bring on Aron Gordon, to weave his magic against a tiring Ipswich defence. And it almost paid an instant return when Gordon was found by Machado and he finished neatly, only to see the linesman’s offside flag rightly raised.

To Grays’ credit, they kept pushing for the second goal to seal the game, but couldn’t create the opening they needed. Louie Remi was seeing a lot of the ball out wide left but was tightly marked throughout and Elliott Sartorius, also off the bench, saw his late shot blocked in a crowded area.

Then deep into injury time, if Alejandro Machado thought he already had one hand on the Goal of the Season trophy, he might just have to think again. An Ipswich corner was cleared upfield by Remi, finding Aron Gordon, wide out on the left touchline by the half way line. A drop of the shoulder and spin away saw him leave his marker for dead and then it was the run towards goal, jinking this way and that and then finally rounding the keeper before finishing clinically to double the Grays lead and post his own entry in the Top Goals competition.

It wasn’t the prettiest of games over 90 minutes, but the entire Blues squad rolled up their sleeves and pocketed the three points thanks to two moments of beauty. Strangely, as Darren Manning commented afterwards, the performance against the excellent Bury Town a couple of weekends ago was probably much better but went unrewarded. “It’s a funny old game, Saint !”

Final score: Grays Athletic 2 v 0 Ipswich Wanderers

Grays Ath: Sambridge, Toussaint, Moss (71, Sartorius), Machado, Finneran, Dariri (52, Skarna), Gould (61, Gordon) , Walker, Hirst (74, Smith-Kouassi), Craddock, Remi

Sub not used: Henry-Rose