Blue Square Premier
At: Recreation Ground
Kick-off: 7-45 pm
Attendance: 512
Three goals inside the opening 26 minutes did much of the damage as Grays extended their own unbeaten run to six games. Once again Danny Alcock was in fine form and produced several fine saves. Jamie Taylor, Danny Kedwell and Barry Cogan all found the net in the first half with both Taylor and Cogan scoring again after the break. Damion Jarrett headed home Rangers' consolation in the 75th minute.
Manager Steve Bull MBE named both an unchanged starting line-up and bench with Neil Grayson and Kevin Street not quite fit enough to return. Djimi Sangare missed out of a game against his previous club as he completed a two-match ban. Grays made a late change to their substitutes with Michael Standing dropping out after his wife went into labour.
Grays got the game under way and, in what was a fast and furious start, Rangers won a early corner. However, the home side started to threaten. Adam Gross' initial shot was blocked and Kedwell's follow-up suffered the same fate. Grays took the lead in the 6th minute. Kedwell whipped a cross from the right to the near post where Jamie Taylor fired across the face of goal and into the far bottom left corner of the net.
Kedwell sent a 25-yard shot flashing past the Boro goal. A throw from Alex Gibson set up a chance for Samy Mawene in the 17th minute which was fired wide from the edge of the area. Gibson was booked two minutes later for a foul on Cogan. Alcock produced an outstanding save to backpeddle and tip over a clever chip from Kedwell.
Wayne Daniel brought down Gross inside the area and Kedwell converted the resulting penalty to extend Grays' lead in the 23rd minute. After Jamie Taylor fired over from the right, Grays added a third goal in the 27th minute. Cogan fired a low right-foot shot from the edge of the area into the bottom right corner.
Jamie Taylor fired just wide of the right-hand post. Bull made a tactical change with Seb Arnolin coming on for Chris Flynn in the 37th minute. The home side were forced to make a change themselves with Scott Taylor replacing the injured Jon Ashton.
As the interval approached Arnolin won a second corner for Rangers. However, at the other end, Alcock turned round a low shot from Cogan who had taken the ball forward and Scott Taylor sent a header across the face of the Stafford goal.
Grays made a second change at the interval with one of their first-half scorers, Kedwell, replaced by Jeff Goulding. Soon after the restart, a mistake by Simon Downer led to an opening for Nick Wellecomme but Jamie Stuart cleared the danger. Mawene got forward and fired over from a narrow angle. Richie Sutton was the next Stafford player to try and reduce the deficit, firing wide from 20 yards.
Just after the hour mark, Rangers had a goal disallowed for offside. Wellecomme had put the ball into the net after good work by Nathan Smith. However, Grays hit back to score a fourth goal in the 63rd minute. A neat passing move put Jamie Taylor clear who slotted past Alcock from inside the area. The Stafford keeper then produced a diving save to parry Scott Taylor's shot and tipped over a rising drive from Gross. Cogan headed wide at the far post.
Grays scored again in the 68th minute. Aaron O'Connor's initial shot was blocked and Cogan forced home the loose ball at close range. Jarrett and Alan Dodd replaced Mawene and Gibson three minutes later before Alcock left his line to block Scott Taylor's shot. The ball looped out for a corner.
The small loyal band of Rangers fans had something to celebrate in the 75th minute. Ishmale Reid delivered a free-kick from the right to the far post where Jarrett rose with Nicky Eyre and headed home. Dodd did well with a saving tackle to prevent O'Connor from breaking clear. Stafford wanted a second goal. Smith fired over and fired another low shot from the right which took a deflection. Arnolin curled a 30-yard free-kick just wide of the right-hand post.
The home side completed the evening's substitutions in the 81st minute when O'Connor was replaced by Ashley Barnes. Alcock's clearance was charged down but Jamie Taylor could find the empty net from a narrow angle. In stoppage time, Alcock prevented Jamie Taylor from completing a hat-trick with a good save in a one-on-one.
Teams
Grays Athletic (sky blue / sky blue / sky blue): 1. Nicky Eyre, 5. Simon Downer, 14. Jon Ashton, 4. Jamie Stuart (capt), 3. Adam Gross, 8. Aaron O'Connor, 33. Neil McCafferty, 6. Stuart Thurgood, 19. Barry Cogan, 9. Jamie Taylor, 10. Danny Kedwell. Subs: 7. Jeff Goulding (for Kedwell, ht), 12. Jake Whincup (gk), 20. Toran Senghore, 25. Ashley Barnes (for O'Connor, 81), 34. Scott Taylor (for Ashton, 39)
Stafford Rangers (black and white stripes / black / black): 1. Danny Alcock, 38. Alex Gibson, 5. Wayne Daniel (capt), 2. Richie Sutton, 7. Chris Flynn, 22. Samy Mawene, 17. Ross Draper, 43. Jonathan Loukes, 30. Ishmale Reid, 42. Nick Wellecomme, 15. Nathan Smith. Subs: 18. Alan Dodd (for Gibson, 71), 19. Seb Arnolin (for Flynn, 37), 24. Steve Hopkinson, 33. Danny Allen (gk), 35. Damion Jarrett (for Mawene, 71)
Referee: R. Whitton (Essex)
Attendance: 512 (11 away fans)
This match report was originally written for and published on the now defunct www.staffordrangers.co.uk
