Maldon & Tiptree v Grays Athletic (FA Cup) by Duplexity Artwork

MALDON & TIPTREE

GRAYS ATHLETIC

EMIRATES FA CUP SECOND ROUND QUALIFYING SATURDAY 3RD OCTOBER 2020 KICK-OFF: 3.00PM

MALDON & TIPTREE FOOTBALL CLUB COMPANY NAME: MALDON & TIPTREE FOOTBALL CLUB LIMITED

Chairman Eddy Garty MANAGER Wayne Brown COACH Adam Flint

REGISTRATION NUMBER: 07479835

CONTENTS

PHYSIO Ollie Reardon SPORTS ANALYST Dan Hurwood GENERAL MANAGER Ron Dangerfield SECRETARY Roger Stapleton TREASURER Stewart Fussell HNR VICE-PRESIDENT Bob Baker COMMITTEE MEMBERS Bob Baker Darren Gibbons Dave Garwood Dave Wilsher Michael Hunt Neal Myers Roger Stapleton Tony Williams PROGRAMME EDITOR Duplexity Artwork SOCIAL MEDIA EDITOR Richard Buckby IMAGES Ben Pooley @Pooley_Pitchside

06 04 06 08 10 12 16 20 22

12 WAYNE BROWN MATCH ACTION: BRENTWOOD TOWN MALDON & TIPTREE: CLUB HISTORY MALDON & TIPTREE: PLAYER PROFILES GRAYS ATHLETIC: CLUB HISTORY GRAYS ATHLETIC: PLAYER PROFILES FIXTURES & RESULTS ISTHMIAN LEAGUE STATS

MALDON & TIPTREE vs GRAYS ATHLETIC

IN CHARGE:

WAYNE BROWN WELCOME BACK TO PARK DRIVE, OUR SECOND HOME GAME IN SUCCESSION HAVING STARTED THE SEASON WITH THREE AWAY GAMES. I WOULD LIKE TO GIVE A WARM WELCOME TO JIM COOPER AND HIS GRAYS TEAM, ALONG WITH THEIR SUPPORTERS AND TODAY’S MATCH OFFICIALS. Last Saturday, we faced a strong Brentwood side who I believe will be in and around the top of our table. Managed by Adam Flanagan, who is well respected within the non-league circuit having managed at a higher level, we knew it was going to be a tough contest. The weather on Saturday was horrendous, with the wind blowing straight down the pitch. Brentwood had the wind in their favour in the first half, but I was disappointed with our performance in the first forty-five minutes, we were way off it and in some ways, fortunate to only be a goal down at the break. I thought we were much better in the second half however, we looked more solid in defence and restricted Brentwood to very few opportunities. We created lots of chances ourselves in the second period and if we want to win football matches, we must start taking our chances and punishing teams when we are top in the game. Moving forward to today, we welcome a Grays side who we now play three times over the next few weeks. Today, we welcome Jim and his players in the FA Cup, we then welcome them back to Park Drive in two weeks in the FA Trophy before we travel to Parkside in the league a few weeks later – similar to last season when we played Felixstowe a number of times in quick succession. After two away ties in the competition against Hertford Town & Haverhill Rovers, I was delighted when we were drawn at home and with teams

joining the competition from the Conference South in this round, the draw could have been a lot worse for us. That said, we know Grays are a quality side and will provide us with a difficult test, however we go in to the game with positivity & confidence, but we are under no illusions as to how tough today will be. I wanted to finish today with a thank you. Last season was a record making season for the club, with the FA Cup & Trophy runs, our league performances and the number of goals we scored throughout the season, before it was disappointingly, deemed null & void. Our supporters played a massive part in our successes last season, taking over 600 supporters to Leyton Orient, joining us on the road for our league games, supporting our FA Trophy run which ended away at Enfield, to filling the stadium when Newport County arrived – it made huge difference not only to me, but to the players within our squad and the whole club. So on behalf of the players who were here at the time, those players who are still with the club today, our management team and the entire club, thank you for your brilliant support last season! Please, keep up the good work over the coming months. Enjoy the game, Wayne

MALDON & TIPTREE vs GRAYS ATHLETIC

MATCH ACTION

MALDON & TIPTREE BRENTWOOD TOWN

1 1

SATURDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER | ISTHMIAN LEAGUE DIVISION ONE NORTH | ATT: 173

After three away games in a row, the Jammers welcomed Brentwood Town for their first home game of the season. After Tuesday’s comprehensive win over Haverhill Rovers, Wayne Brown named exactly the same starting eleven and substitutues, with Kraig NoelMcLeod still absent. In difficult conditions, it was Brentwood who controlled the majority of the first half with the wind in their

MALDON & TIPTREE vs GRAYS ATHLETIC

favour. However, it was Brown’s men who created the first notable chance of the afternoon, as Shomari Barnwell inventive flick after a brilliant cross from Sam Coombes, went just wide. With the wind against them, Maldon sturggled to escape their own half with set pieces proving difficult to defend against. Brentwood created their first chance of the afternoon, as a corner from the left fell to Andrew Freeman, however he skewed his effort wide of Ben McNamara’s goal, when really he should have

forced a save from the Jammers shotstopper. Minutes later, Brentwood thought they had opened their account after Sam Bantick had the ball in the net, but much to Bantick’s disgust, it was ruled out for hand-ball with Bantick collecting a yellow card for his troubles. With twenty five minutes on the clock, Brentwood opened the scoring. A cross from the left hand side, from the dangerous Freeman, evaded everyone apart from Robert Harvey at the back post. All alone, Harvey had the time and space to plant his header in the top corner, leaving McNamara no chance. With chances hard to to come by, it was the Jammers who had the final chance of the afternoon, as Barnwell created himself some space in the Brentwood penalty area, forcing Preston Edwards in to a smart save. With the wind now in their favour, the Jammers started the second half in control with a number of set pieces and they were soon rewarded. In the 51st minute, a corner from Aaron William-Bushell was only have cleared by Goalkeeper, Edwards on to the boot of Captain, Martyn Stokes. Stokes, with this first touch, struck an impressive volley in to the roof of the net to draw Maldon level. 1-1. In a match which was proving to be a game of two halves, the Jammers continued to create plenty of chances, with Scott Kemp and Barnwell putting their efforts wide of the goal. Maldon almost took the lead, in similar fashion to their equaliser. A corner from William-Bushell was partially cleared by Edwards, this time Stokes headed the ball across goal to Hamza Kaid, however Kaid’s effort from close range was blocked on the line. Brentwood’s only real chance of the second half fell to Freeman, who’s effort from close range went wide. The final chance of the afternoon, fell to forward Scott Kemp, as he broke the away sides defensive line, however Edwards in goal was on hand to make the save, to ensure his side left Park Drive with a share on the points.

MALDON & TIPTREE vs GRAYS ATHLETIC

MALDON & TIPTREE

CLUB HISTORY

The re-establishment of normal life after the war saw the formation of Maldon Town FC in 1946, with their HQ at the Rose and Crown in the High Street and home venue at Saddâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ground on the causeway. The Mid-Essex League Division Two gave them their first league trophy that season, having finished in the runners-up spot. Now transferring their home ground to the Promenade Park and joining the North-Essex League, they once again achieved runners-up spot in this league and were also runners-up in the Essex

MALDON & TIPTREE vs GRAYS ATHLETIC

Junior Cup. Returning to the MidEssex Premier Division saw them lift the league title in consecutive seasons, as well as the League Cup in 1949/50 season. Success now followed them to their newlyacquired Wallace Binder ground in Fambridge Road, joining the Essex and Suffolk Border League. That season the runners-up spot was achieved again, but the major trophy that year was lifting the Essex Intermediate Cup, secured by beating a strong Leytonstone Reserves 2-1. Ex-Liverpool hero Kevin Baron then took over the management reins,

continuing the success when his teams gained the runners-up position in the Essex Intermediate Cup in 1964/65 and 1965/66. The league-winning team of 1965/66 gained them senior status, and they joined the Eastern Counties League in 1966. After six years in this league they joined the Essex Senior League, picking up the league title in 1984/85 and almost completing the double after being beaten in the final of the League Cup by Chelmsford City Reserves. Moving to the new ground in Park Drive in 1994, the club crossed the pyramid structure to return to the Eastern Counties League in 1996

under the continued management of Ben Embery and his assistant Steve Jackson. The pair were very unfortunate not to obtain promotion in their first season in the Jewson League (ECL). The club’s second year in the league proved to be a different story, though, with the team gaining promotion to the Premier Division by finishing the 1997/98 season in the runners-up position.

a new manager, Russell Tanner, after Colin Wallington had left the club to join Tiptree United. Russell brought in Dean Parrott as his assistant and the club made several major signings during the close season. Despite missing out on a play-off berth in their first campaign, the club had enjoyed a reasonable season whilst beginning to bring through a number of talented youngsters.

Year one in the Premier League saw Maldon finish in a creditable 13th position, improving that to eighth in the second year. A new era was entered under new manager Colin Wallington, finishing fourth in the club’s third year in the Premier League and looking to progress further. In 2002/03, Maldon reached the semi -final of the FA Vase losing to local rivals AFC Sudbury.

In September 2008, former Tottenham and Millwall player Stuart Nethercott was promoted from his position of assistant manager to caretaker manager following the departure of Tanner, ultimately becoming the permanent boss in due course. Stuart’s tenure lasted a year, before he was replaced by the returning Colin Wallington who hoped to bring back some of the good times to Maldon Town.

After 14 years as chairman, Bob Large decided to stand down as he felt he had taken the club as far has he could. The new chairman Mike Kirkham stated that he hoped to take the club to the next step up the ladder in a few years. In 2005/06, Maldon found themselves in the Ryman Premier League following two promotions and saw the club fighting relegation. Despite struggling for survival in the league, the club reached the final of the Thames Side Trophy, losing 3-1 to Canvey Island and also the final of the Eastern Floodlit Competition, losing on penalties 5-3 to Billericay Town. Season 2006/07 saw Maldon play in the Ryman North Division, finishing fourth, but were excluded from competing in the play-offs having not applied for promotion. The 2007/08 season started with

2009/10 saw mixed fortunes on the pitch, due in part to the large turnover of players during the period it took the new management to put together their own team. Away from the pitch, new chairman Alan Brockhouse and his committee entered into a groundshare arrangement with local club, Tiptree United. As the season progressed, the relationship between the two clubs grew stonger and showed obvious signs that a more formal amalgamation of the two clubs appeared to be on the cards. Ed Garty became the chairman at Maldon Town in 2009 alongside the running of Tiptree United and, one year later, both clubs were merged to form Maldon and Tiptree FC. Following the retirement of Colin Wallington, his assistants

Brad King and Glen Knight were promoted to joint-managers and put in charge of the club for the season under the new name of Maldon and Tiptree. Season 2010/2011 saw the new club placed in or around the play-off positions for the majority of the season. Despite another high turnover of players, the good standard of football was maintained and it was frustrating for the club to fall away in the latter stages of the season when suspensions and injuries eventually took their toll. Following King and Knight’s departure during that season, Mike Flanagan had come in and taken on the caretaker role, steering the club to a respectable mid-table position. At the start of the 2012/13 campaign, ex-Stansted & Redbridge boss Terry Spillane was appointed as manager. After a fantastic start to the season, the club found themselves at the top of the table but an incredible run by eventual champions Grays Athletic meant Maldon had to settle for a place in the play-offs. Disappointment came in the final when they lost a two-goal lead to draw with Thamesmead Town, who then won through on penalties. More recently, Kevin Horlock took charge of the Jammers between 2016 and 2017, but his endeavours failed to secure the coveted promotion. Replaced by Wayne Brown, his tenure in charge has so far seen the club finish as runners-up in the play-off final, reach the FA Cup Second Round and sit as runaway league leaders prior to the curtailment of the season following the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis in March 2020.

MALDON & TIPTREE vs GRAYS ATHLETIC

MALDON & TIPTREE

THE SQUAD WAYNE BROWN First team manager Brown is a former Ipswich Town, Colchester United, Hull City and Leicester City defender, now in his third season in charge of the club. A no-nonsense, uncompromising leader on the pitch, Brown played over 350 professional matches in a successful career spanning over 14 years and earned promotion to the Championship with Colchester before going on to play in the Premier League with Hull. Wayne has also had a caretaker spell in charge of Colchester United’s first team. Last season, the Covid pandemic brough the campaign to an abrupt end with the Jammers sat 14 points clear in the league whilst he also guided the club to the Second Round of the FA Cup,

MALDON & TIPTREE vs GRAYS ATHLETIC

beating Leyton Orient in the First Round and drawing with Newport County until the final minute in the Second Round.

now gone onto higher leagues as well as being involved in the club’s famous FA Cup run last season.

ADAM FLINT First team coach Flint joined the club midway through the 2018/19 season and is a familiar face across the local football scene, both as a player and manager. A hugely valuable member of the management team, Flint brings a wealth of knowledge across non-league football in the region. Previously, he managed a competitive Witham Town team before being approached by Bishop’s Stortford to take over as manager in the Bostik Premier. Since joining Maldon, Adam has helped with recruiting a number of players who have

DAN HURWOOD First team analyst, Hurwood was previously a prolific striker in the Essex County league and is now a vital cog in the club’s management team. Dan records and analyses games, recording data to continually improve the squad both individually and collectively. OLLIE REARDON A young physio, Reardon is now in his second season looking after the first team. Ollie is in the early stages of his career and is gaining vital experience, alongside his work in the professional game.

BEN McNAMARA Goalkeeper An experienced shotstopper, Ben is now in his third season at Park Drive and has more or less been an ever-present since Wayne took charge of the first team. Australianborn, Ben has previously had spells with Dagenham & Redbridge, Braintree Town and Northampton Town to name just a few. McNamara’s leadership skills have been crucial to the side over the last two seasons, with Ben being named as vice-captain for the 2020/21 season. LANCE AKINS Defender A solid central defender and impressive leader on the pitch who, after countless impressive performances against the Jammers in the past, signed for the club in 2019. Lance made his name at neighbours Witham Town under current coach Adam Flint, before spells at Coggeshall Town, Tilbury, Aylesbury and Bishop’s Stortford, respectively. MARTYN STOKES Defender Stokes is a central defender with a winning pedigree. Having arrived at Park Drive from Bowers & Pitsea in the 2019/20 season, Stokes appeared 22 times last term before the campaign came to an abrupt end. Martyn is a superb leader and will continue to bring an important level of experience to the side, having previously won promotion from the Isthmian League Division One North with both Brentwood and Bowers, respectively. Stokes has been confirmed as the first team captain for the 2020/21 season.

NIRAN BUTLER Defender Butler is a powerful defender who joined Staines Town from Flackwell Heath in June 2019, where he had been since leaving Barnet’s youth set-up. Niran appeared 15 times for Staines in the 2019/20 season before it was cut short in March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. MAKHOSINI RYAN-KHANYE Defender Khanye, known as ‘Ryan’, joined the club from Faversham Town. The defender started out at Brentford before spending time on the books of Bristol City, Erith & Belvedere, Greenwich Borough, Staines Town and Whitehawk. Makhosini has plied his trade predominantly as a left-back throughout his career so far. SAM COOMBES Midfielder Sam is a young midfielder, returning to Park Drive for his second spell with the club having previously appeared for the Jammers last season before a brief spell at Brightlingsea Regent. Prior to joining the club, Sam had previously been on the books of Southend United and spent time in at a football college in the United States. REECE SIMPSON Midfielder Reece is a midfielder who arrived at the club having previously played for Telford, Great Wakering Rovers and Bishop’s Stortford. Simpson featured for the club throughout the 2020/21 pre-season preparations, and will be an important addition to the side for the up and coming season.

RHAMAR GARRETT-DOUGLAS Defender Having previously been on the books of Barnet, along with spells at Bishop’s Stortford and Hullbridge Sports, Garrett-Douglas arrives looking to cement his place in the Jammers’ defence. Rhamar was a regular for the Barnet U18s side, and came through the club’s scholarship programme.

BRADLEY McCLENAGHAN Midfielder Bradley is a former Leyton Orient central midfielder, who was named as Orient’s 2018/19 Youth Player of the Year. McClenaghan was also the captain of the O’s U18s side before joining Bishop’s Stortford in the Isthmian Premier Division on loan in December 2019.

KRAIG NOEL-MCLEOD Defender 20-year-old Kraig is a 6’ 3” central defender. A former Queens Park Rangers youngster who has also represented the Grenada national team on six occasions, Noel-McLeod has also previously appeared for Hendon Town and Basingstoke prior to joining the club.

AARON WILLIAM-BUSHELL Midfielder Aaron joins the club having previously played for Waltham Abbey. AWB is a box-to-box midfielder who made his debut for the Jammers against Hertford Town in the FA Cup on in September 2019, scoring the winning goal to seal progress to the first qualifying round of the competition.

HAMZA KAID Midfielder 21-year-old Kaid is approaching his second season at Park Drive having joined in 2019 from Mousehole AFC in the Penisular Premier in Cornwall where he impressed in a title-winning side. Hamza has developed rapidly and impressed many last season as he appeared on 34 occasions, scoring six goals. Kaid is another young, talented player who we hope to help on his footballing journey. SHOMARI BARNWELL Forward Barnwell has joined the club for the 2020/21 season having previously played for the likes of Bowers & Pitsea, Grays Athletic and Great Wakering Rovers. Shomari is a fast and athletic forward who has fantastic experience of the Isthmian Division One North. The electric forward was also at Dagenham & Redbridge preciously, having earned a professional contract after an impressive start to his career at Bowers & Pitsea. SCOTT KEMP Forward Scott arrives at Park Drive from local neighbours Witham Town, where he scored 14 goals last season whilst performing as their captain. Kemp, aged 24 at the start of the 2020/21 season, has also featured for AFC Sudbury in the past. ALFIE MASON Forward Mason is a forward who joins the club from Bishop’s Stortford. He was a member of the Stortford U18s side that fought their way through to play Colchester United in the second round proper of the FA Youth Cup in 2017. Alfie has previously featured for Enfield whilst, as a youngster, he was on the books of West Ham United. ADAM VYSE Forward Vyse is an experienced striker who, last season, impressed whilst leading the line for Basildon United. Adam found the net on 14 occasions for the Bees during 2019/20. Previously, he has enjoyed spells with Great Wakering Rovers, Canvey Island and Tilbury.

MALDON & TIPTREE vs GRAYS ATHLETIC

GRAYS ATHLETIC

CLUB HISTORY NICKNAME The Gravelmen FOUNDED 1890 GROUND Parkside CAPACITY 3,500 RECENT FORM Canvey Island (H) Sat 26 September L 0-4 Potton United (H) Wed 23 September W 3-1 Brentwood Town (A) Sat 19 September W 2-0

The roots of the modern day Grays Athletic can be traced back as far as 1888, although 1890 has become the de facto established formation date. The reasons for this disparity are almost certainly lost in the mists of time. Grays Athletic therefore celebrated its centenary in 1990, played at The Recreation Ground, Bridge Road from 1906 to 2010, and became members of the Athenian League in 1912. Grays became very strong after the Second World War, winning the Essex Senior Cup in 1945 and winning the Corinthian League and Cup in 1946. They rejoined the Athenian League in 1958 where they remained until 1983. In 1981 the Club Patron Mr Ron Billings purchased the ground and the Club was reformed as a Limited Company in 1982 under the guidance of Jeff and Fred Saxton. In 1983 a fire destroyed the 400-seater stand that included the dressing and kit rooms. Ron Billings came to the rescue by building the Ball Court Complex that included dressing rooms, club room and bar.Grays went on to become Isthmian Division 2 Champions in 1985.

MALDON & TIPTREE vs GRAYS ATHLETIC

The 1987-88 season saw the Club promoted to the then Vauxhall Opel Premier League after amassing 100 points. They then won the Essex Senior Cup and the Essex Thameside Trophy. A great FA Cup run in 1988-89 ended in the First Round proper, losing 2-0 away at Bath City. Grays won the League Cup, defeating Enfield in 1991-92. In 1993-94 and 1994-95 the Club won the Essex Senior Cup by defeating Billericay Town on both occasions. Relegated to Division One in 1997, they returned to the Premier Division in 1999-00. The FA Cup campaign in 2000-01 ended with defeat in the First Round proper for the third time, losing 4-0 away at Reading. This signalled the start of major changes with Mike Woodward installed as Director of Football, Craig Edwards as Manager and the departure of Jeff and Fred Saxton after 25 years of loyal service. Season 2002-03 started poorly and saw Edwards depart, being replaced by Mark Stimson

as player manager who appointed Scott Barrett as his assistant. Ahead of the 2003-04 season, the Club made the bold decision to turn most of the players into full time professionals, with the majority of players in their early twenties. Despite being knocked out of the FA Cup in the second qualifying round, 2004-05 became the most successful in the Club’s history. Stimson and his players won a number of manager and player of the month awards, with three players being called into the England National XI squad: Stuart Thurgood, Mitchell Cole and Dennis Oli. The ultimate success

being crowned League Champions of the Nationwide Conference South and winning the FA Trophy; beating Hucknall Town on penalties at Villa Park. Additionally, the Recreation Ground had been upgraded sufficiently to allow for promotion into the Nationwide Conference for season 2005-06. Mark Stimson’s philosophy of entertaining the crowds proved to be very successful with a blend of youthful exuberance and the outstanding quality of the more experienced players. Having equalled the Conference record of Kettering Town and going unbeaten in the first 15 fixtures of the season, both manager and players alike won several monthly awards. A contentious 3-0 defeat at the hands of Mansfield Town in the FA Cup was put to one side as the team turned their attention to the FA Trophy and the league. The Club’s first season in the top flight of non-league ended in disappointment as they finished 3rd in the league, and went on to lose 5-4 on aggregate to Halifax Town in the play-off semi-finals. The team put the loss behind them as they won a second successive FA Trophy, this time winning 2-0 against Woking at Upton Park in front of more than 8,000 of their own fans in an attendance of nearly 15,000. Following Mark Stimson’s resignation, the Club appointed former European Cup winner Frank Gray to manage the side in the summer of 2006. Despite the pre-season expectations, Gray only lasted 18 matches before both Jamie Stuart and Mick Woodward had short spells in charge of the first team. Andy King was appointed manager, but his spell was short-lived and he left shortly afterwards, taking control of just seven matches. Justin Edinburgh was the club’s 4th manager of the season, and under his leadership the Club reached the FA Trophy semi-finals where they lost to

MARK STIMSON

eventual winners Stevenage Borough. Survival in the League went to the last day of the season and despite losing 1-0 to Morecambe, the club stayed up courtesy of other results going their way. An extremely indifferent 2007-08 campaign ultimately led to the Edinburgh’s departure, before once again Mick Woodward took the reins with Gary Phillips as his assistant. With only three defeats in the final 17 games, Grays only ended 11 points outside the playoffs. The management led the side into the following season, but Mick Woodward stepped down, and replaced himself with Wayne Burnett who stayed in the job for four months before leaving the Club. Gary Phillips was promoted from assistant manager for the remainder of the season and the club finished in 19th position. 2009-10 turned out to be the fifth and final in the Conference Premier as both John Moncur (Chairman) and Andy Swallow (Chief Executive) joined the Club. Julian Dicks was brought in to replace Gary Phillips in September 2009, and Kenny Brown was soon appointed his assistant after resigning from his position as manager of CD Javea in Spain. The team struggled throughout the season, winning just five league matches and losing in their opening rounds of both the FA Cup and FA Trophy. The Blues did however manage to end the season on a high, winning two of their final three fixtures – the first of those away at AFC Wimbledon. In doing so, they recorded their first away league win for 16 months. The final day of the season was a sad affair for the Club, as we said farewell to the Recreation Ground after 114 years. Both the team and the fans did their part, as the team came back to beat Forest Green Rovers 2-1 with Allseny Cissoko scoring the last goal at the ground. Following relegation, the Club resigned from the Conference, deciding they would be unable to field a competitive team in the Conference South due to budget constraints. Following talks with both the FA and the Ryman League, the Club were eventually placed in the Ryman League Division One North.

MALDON & TIPTREE vs GRAYS ATHLETIC

The end of that season saw the expiry of the lease at the Recreation Ground, and without a home, the Club agreed a two-year deal to play at Rookery Hill, home of near neighbours East Thurrock United. The 2010-11 season was our first at this level for ten years, and despite having a solid start to the league campaign, a lack of consistency was evident throughout the remainder of the season which meant the team came up short in several matches, finally finishing in tenth position. Following the disappointing campaign, Julian Dicks and Kenny Brown left the club by mutual consent and the one-time Football League player and ex-Thurrock manager Hakan Hayrettin, was appointed as manager with his assistant Hassan Oktay for the 2011-12 season. With Hakan appointed, the remit was to challenge for a playoff place. Despite a few below par performances, the Club secured their playoff place on the penultimate weekend, meeting Enfield Town in the semi-final. Trailing 2-0 with ten minutes left, the team managed to force extra time with two late penalties. Unfortunately, with the match still level after extra time it was decided on penalties, with Grays losing 3-1. The 2012-13 season was a very successful one for the Club. It started with a move to another temporary home, in Rush Green, Romford in partnership with West Ham United. The ground and its facilities were improved, with the Premier League side responsible for the maintenance of the pitch. With just 4 league defeats and a run of form in the second half of the season which brought with it 18 successive league wins, the Club won the league with three matches to spare, finishing with a club record of 102 points. Two days after the title was secured, the side had the chance to complete the double, however they fell just short in the Essex Senior Cup final, losing 2-1 to Conference South side, AFC Hornchurch. The summer of 2013 saw two big changes for the Club in a few short weeks. The stay at Rush Green was

MALDON & TIPTREE vs GRAYS ATHLETIC

JULIAN DICKS brought to an abrupt end, with nearneighbours Aveley stepping in with an offer of a groundshare at the last minute. Everyone at the club is grateful to the Aveley Board for this. A short time after it was announced that Hakan Hayrettin would be leaving to join Luton Town. Experienced central defender Ryan Kirby took on the role, assisted by his father Steve Kirby and club captain Lee Flynn. Season 2013-14 started with a great run of four straight victories in the Isthmian Premier Division including two against highly fancied teams and we led the League at the end of August. A solid start, but we all knew that to stay in that position would be a tough ask and so it proved, with only four wins in the next nine games. Joao Carlos and Jack West were scoring freely, but the team was leaking goals and by the end of September we were lying in mid-table. A return to the team of fans’ favourite Danny Bunce lifted the spirits of the supporters but the results still kept slipping away. A run of only five wins from October to the end of February saw Grays slip towards the relegation zone and a run of postponements due to heavy rain saw the mood within the camp at a low ebb. Even a run to the semi-finals of the League Cup couldn’t lift the gloom. Everything changed when prolific scorer Leroy Griffiths returned to the Club almost ten years since

leaving. His enthusiasm and character changed the Club’s fortunes and with several other new signings the team found their confidence and fought their way back up the table with wins at regular intervals with Carlos, Dagenham & Redbridge loanee Joel Nouble and new signing Chris Benjamin scoring plenty of goals. It took until the middle of April to catch up with the fixture backlog and the team had to play two or even three games a week, within which time they settled into a mid-table position - very commendable when you consider players have jobs outside football. The last game of the season saw the team lying in a safe position with a trip to high-flying Maidstone. Two coach loads of supporters and many more going by car meant that 150 fans travelled to Kent to cheer on the Blues. Although we lost a competitive game 2-1, everybody enjoyed the trip and gave the players a standing ovation at the final whistle, a great tribute to the thirty-odd players who had pulled on the shirt for our first season back in the Ryman Premier League in 10 years. By the time the players got together for their first training session for the 201415 season on 28 June, we already had another new manager in place. A few days earlier Ryan Kirby had announced his resignation with family and business

reasons leading to his decision. It showed once again the time required to manage a Club at our level. The Club acted quickly to interview candidates for his replacement and selected 35 year-old Jody Brown, who had stepped into the breach at Heybridge Swifts in December 2013 when their management duo left to take over at Chelmsford City. Jody moved quickly to assess the strength of the squad at his disposal and introduce a number of new players to assist the club in its plans to improve on and off the field. At the end of December 2014 Jody Brown departed to take over the manager’s role at Conference National side Welling FC. Player Mark Bentley was installed as assistant manager to Andy Swallow, before taking over the role of caretaker manager in January 2015. In February 2015 the Club announced that Mark had been appointed permanent manager for the remainder of the 2014-15 season. The season culminated in a superb run of results for the Club, including an unbeaten run of thirteen matches, which saw the team miss out on the playoffs as a result of a 94th minute goal elsewhere on the final day of the season. The 2015-16 season was a real seesaw affair. A great start saw us top of the League after 10 games and a good FA Cup run took the Blues to the final qualifying round, but we lost in a replay to National League side, Welling United. As we approached Christmas, there was unrest within the squad as a number of players were being encouraged by

agents to look further afield in their careers. By the end of the season, 20 registered players had left the club, as owner, Andy Swallow, decided it was time to reduce his financial support for the Club. A run of ten straight defeats saw us finish in 15th place in the League, with many youngsters filling the gaps in the squad left by the departed players. After Andy Swallow announced that he was stepping back from the day to day running of the Club to concentrate his efforts on the long term plan to relocate the Club back to Grays, a group of supporters set about creating a new Supporter Owned Club. A successful community share offer was launched at the end of June to demonstrate the club’s financial viability for the 2016-17 season. This gave the Club the confidence to apply to the Football Association and the Ryman League for permission to transfer its membership from the company that ran the Club to a new organisation - “Grays Athletic Community Football Club”. In November 2016 Grays Athletic Community Football Club received official confirmation from the FA and League that the transfer of ownership had been approved. The 2016-17 season was always going to be one of transition with the club moving from private to supporter ownership. On the field, former playing legend, Jamie Stuart returned as player/manager, but he had to start from scratch with a new squad of players. 60 players attended pre-season trials and a squad was eventually chosen to represent the

JAMIE SLABBER RETURNED FOR ANOTHER SPELL IN 2017

Club in the Ryman Premier Division. It proved to be a difficult season, with the team spending most of the season at the bottom of the table. Relegation was confirmed with a 1-0 away defeat at Wingate and Finchley on 1 April 2017. Off the field, the Club was pleased with the galvanising effect supporter ownership was having, despite the prospect of a return to Isthmian Division One North football after four seasons in the Premier Division. 2017-18 was very disappointing even though Jamie Stuart brought three experienced former Grays’ players – midfielder, Barry Cogan and forwards, Dennis Oli and Jamie Slabber, into the fold in pre-season and later recruited former defenders, Richard Halle and Joe Bruce. We spent most of the season hovering around the top ten without really threatening the leading pack. By the end of March, we were on course to finish in the top half of the table, but a run of five consecutive defeats in April, saw us finish 16th out of 24. 2018/19 proved to be another “in and out” season, although we did flirt with a play-off position on a few occasions. Towards the end of March 2019, with the club in ninth position in the league and ten games remaining, the board agreed to part company with Jamie Stuart and appointed the experienced former Metropolitan Police FC manager, Jim Cooper, supported by Paul Joynes as his assistant and Chris Bourne as coach. The last ten games saw some changes in playing personnel and we took sixteen points to finish seventh. Jim has begun to rebuild the squad with a good mix of experience and youth. He is very committed to working with our burgeoning youth section, which now boasts 25 teams. The Club’s principal objective remains to develop a new community football facility in the North Grays/Blackshots area of Thurrock and we are working closely with Thurrock Council, local schools, the County Football Association and developers to “Bring Grays Athletic back to Grays”. In the meantime, we continue to groundshare with Aveley FC at their superbly appointed Parkside Stadium.

MALDON & TIPTREE vs GRAYS ATHLETIC

GRAYS ATHLETIC MANAGEMENT

THE SQUAD

JIM COOPER MANAGER

Jim joined Grays Athletic in February 2019, following a very successful fifteen years as the manager of Metropolitan Police FC, where he took charge in over 850 games league and cup games. He led them to the Isthmian Division One South championship in the 2010-11 season after five previous attempts in the play-offs and made the play-offs in the Isthmian Premier Division. Under his leadership, they also won the 2010 London Senior Cup, beating AFC Wimbledon in the final and took his side to the First Round of the FA Cup, losing 2-1 to Crawley Town. He won numerous county cups and was beaten in the League Cup Final in extra time by Billericay Town at the end of the 2017-18 season. In his playing career, he represented Barking, Leytonstone & Ilford, Dagenham, Aveley and Metropolitan Police. He lives locally in Upminster.

MALDON & TIPTREE vs GRAYS ATHLETIC

PAUL JOYNES ASSISTANT MANAGER Paul joined us in February 2019 along with manager, Jim Cooper. He has enjoyed a long non-league career spanning over 30 years. He played for Tilbury, Aveley, Romford and Concord Rangers and then undertook the first team manager role at Tilbury, Aveley, Romford and most recently Waltham Abbey. He was also Assistant Manager at Bishop’s Stortford and Dover Athletic. He lives in Grays.

DAVE ROSS COACH Dave joined our coaching staff in January 2020. He has a vast knowledge of nonleague football and players at our level. He will provide our management team with another pair of hands and help give different opinions on players and systems. WARREN FENTON COACH Warren is a very experienced UEFA B licensed coach and is currently Head Coach at the very successful football academy programme at Shenfield High School. His last role in non-league football was under Danny Heale at Canvey Island FC. He joined the Blues for the start of our pre-season in July 2020.

PAUL JOYNES

DANNIE TIPPETT GOALKEEPING COACH Dannie joined in the 2019 close season. He is a very experienced coach who was at Maldon & Tiptree last season. Prior to this he worked with our Assistant Manager, Paul Joynes at Waltham Abbey and has also seen service at Colchester United and St Albans City. SIM MADGEWICK MATCH DAY AND COACHING ASSISTANT Date of Birth 27 April 1983. A Grays supporter since he was a child, he is an essential part of our match day preparation. An early-riser, he was previously a milkman, but now works for ProKit, the country’s leading specialist sports retailer to grassroots football. He is also a highly successful Lawn Bowls player, winning many county and national titles and having the honour of captaining Essex to only their 3rd ever National Title in 2008. His young daughter, Millie has been hailed as the future of Grays Athletic FC, after she won the Essex FA #CelebrateEssex “Supporter” Award in June 2018, following a poll with nearly 1,200 votes on their Twitter account.

DANNIE TIPPETT

LAUREN PEARSON PHYSIOTHERAPIST Date of Birth 9 June 1987. Lauren originally joined us for the 2016-17 season and re-joined for 2018-19. She graduated as a Sports Therapist in 2009 with an MSc in Biomechanics and an MSc in Sports Medicine and Exercise with an extended diploma in Physiotherapy and is currently working on her PhD in Sports Medicine and Exercise. Previous clubs include work placements at Manchester United, Southampton and Fulham. She has

also been at QPR, Crystal Palace and was head of medicine at MK Dons for their academy. She is currently working at Crawley Town FC teaching their Scholars U19s on the BTEC programme. She also has other non-league experience at Tooting & Mitcham. MIKE WALTHER UNDER 23S MANAGER Mike joined us in August 2020 to head up the new Under 23s team which will play in the Essex Senior Reserve

League. He has managerial experience from spells at Clapton and Southend Manor and in recent times has coached at Hullbridge Sports and FC Romania. MARC NURSE-MOORE UNDER 23S COACH. Marc is a UEFA A licensed coach who has managed both West Ham United and Enfield Ladies and joined us in August 2020. In the men’s game he has coached at Barkingside and held the Director of Football Development role at Clapton.

PLAYING SQUAD

ROB BARTLEY THOMPSON ADEYEMI - MIDFIELDER Date of Birth 1 September 2000. Thompson signed for us in September 2020 after impressing in pre-season. He is an imposing 6’ 04” central midfielder, very comfortable on the ball and a danger from set pieces. He played youth football at Brentford FC. PAT AHERN – DEFENDER Date of Birth 8 August 1993. Pat joined the Blues in August 2020. He is a strong defender who is comfortable at centre half, but can play anywhere across the back line. He was last season’s captain at Witham Town. Previous clubs include Brentwood Town. ROB BARTLEY – DEFENDER Date of Birth 28 September 1988. The experienced defender re-joined the Blues in September 2020 after having a short spell with us at the start of the 2019-20 season. He left to join VCD Athletic. He previously represented Farnborough, Met Police, Canvey Island,

JOAO CARLOS Enfield Town, Crawley Town, Chesham United and Aylesbury United. JOAO CARLOS - WINGER Date of Birth 2 April 1989. Joao is a Grays Athletic legend! He is a Portuguese winger who had spells at Clapton, Brentwood, Aveley and Dagenham & Redbridge, where he made one Football League appearance asa substitute in February 2010. He returned to Brentwood in August 2010, moving on to Thurrock in October 2010, before his move to Grays in July 2011. He joined National League South side, Concord Rangers in March 2016, initially on a dual-registration with Grays. He re-joined Grays in December 2016 and made his 400th appearance on 4th January 2020 and he had scored 106 goals up to that date. He had scored 18 goals from his 32 starts before the premature end to the 201920 season. His loyalty to our club is such a very rare commodity at any level of football today.

LEWIS DARK LEWIS CLARK – DEFENDER Date of Birth 22 September 1995. Lewis joined us from Bowers & Pitsea, where he was instrumental in their march to the Isthmian League North title in 2019. He made a total of 117 appearances for the club. He also captained the side when they beat us 3-1 in the Second Round of the Essex Thameside Trophy, on 11 September 2019 – the day before he signed for the Blues! Prior to this, Lewis represented Thurrock FC. LEWIS DARK – MIDFIELDER Date of Birth 10 April 1989. Lewis played for Brentford before dropping into non-league football. He joined up with Terry Spillane at Stansted and was part of the side that won the Essex Senior League in 2010 and were runners-up in the league but won the League Cup in 2011. He moved to Redbridge with Spillane and after a successful season, Spillane moved to Maldon & Tiptree with his backroom

MALDON & TIPTREE vs GRAYS ATHLETIC

NATHAN FOX staff and several players including Lewis. Our supporters will remember Lewis’s time at the club in 2009 and later during the 2014-15 season under the management of Jody Brown. He has also represented Heybridge Swifts. He joined us during the 2019 close season and was named as the club captain for the 2019-20 season. LEWIS EDWARDS – GOALKEEPER Date of Birth 16 August 2002. The young Grays goalkeeper, who played in our Under 18 side in the 2019-20 season, joined the senior squad in August 2020. NATHAN FOX – DEFENDER Date of Birth 19 September 1996. Nathan was Jim Cooper’s first signing for the 2019-20 season. He joined us from Brentwood Town. He was previously a professional at Brentford after starting as a youth at Norwich City and has also played at non-league level for Margate, Concord Rangers, Cray Wanderers, Canvey Island, Coggeshall Town and Harlow Town. He briefly left us for Cambridge City in October, but rejoined the Blues on 11 November 2019. He suffered a serious knee injury in a pre-season game against Billericay Town on 2 September 2020 and is not expected to feature in the team line up until later this season. MITCH HAHN - MIDFIELDER Date of Birth 9 July 1988. The attacking midfielder started his career in the youth ranks at Bolton Wanderers

MALDON & TIPTREE vs GRAYS ATHLETIC

MACAULEY JOYNES before moves to Southend United and Wealdstone. After a long spell at Redbridge, Mitch represented Aveley, Enfield Town, Bishop’s Stortford and VCD. In the 2017-18 season he played for Waltham Abbey, scoring against The Blues at Parkside on 23 December 2017 and joined us for the 2018-19 season. He captained the Maccabi Great Britain football team in the European Games in Budapest in July/ August 2019. They won their three group matches, against Sweden (4-0), Spain (9-0) and Switzerland (4-1). They beat Belgium 4-0 in the semi-finals and lifted the Cup when they triumphed 2-1 over France in the final on Tuesday 6 August 2019. MACAULEY JOYNES – DEFENDER Date of Birth 6 October 1996. Macauley signed for the Blues in March 2019. He came through the youth section at Colchester United before completing a scholarship at Cambridge United. He then moved to Waltham Abbey in 2015 and made 135 appearances. He initially signed for us before the start of the 2018-19 season, but left to join Hertford Town before he made a competitive appearance. He left Hertford and signed for Great Wakering Rovers, but he joined us shortly after his father, Paul, became our Assistant Manager, in February 2019. ALBERT LEVETT – DEFENDER Date of Birth 5 October 1993. Albert signed for us in September 2020 having played for Canvey Island after joining

RYAN MELAUGH them in June 2019. He was previously the captain of Brentwood Town and also spent time at Great Wakering Rovers, Barking and East Thurrock United. He was a member of the England Schoolboys Under 18 team, started as a youth at Barnet, helped Barking Abbey College win the 2011 England Under 18 Schools Championship and Essex win the County National Schools and Youth Cups in 2012. He was born in Rochford and attended Belfairs High School in Southend. BYRON MADU – DEFENDER Date of Birth 17 July 2002. The promising Maltese-born defender has joined the first team squad in pre-season 2020 from our Under 18 youth team. He was selected for the Malta International Under19 squad for two friendlies against Montenegro in March 2020. RYAN MELAUGH – WINGER Date of Birth 28 August 1994. Ryan came through the ranks at Colchester United, earning a professional contract in 2012, before leaving in 2014. He dropped into non league and has played for Bishop’s Stortford, Billericay Town, Harlow Town and Tilbury. He signed for Canvey Island in 2017 and joined us in September 2020. ASHLEY MILLER – DEFENDER Date of Birth 5 September 1989. Ashley is a very quick defender who has previously represented Concord Rangers, Canvey Island, Bishop’s

MOROYIN OMOLABI Stortford, Chelmsford City and most recently East Thurrock United. He signed for us in the 2019 close season. MOROYIN OMOLABI – MIDFIELDER Date of Birth 9 January 2000. Moroyin joined Grays in March 2020 for the run-in for last season from Southern League Central Division, Berkhamsted FC, but did not make an appearance as the season was terminated before he had the chance to make his debut. He began his career as a 16-year-old at Spurs in 2016 and also represented their under 18 team. He moved to Reading in 2018 where he played in their Under 23 team. JOE PAXMAN – MIDFIELDER Date of Birth 24 December 1996. Joe joined us in August 2020 after representing Basildon United in our Division last season. He started his career at Southend United in the youth system, and has subsequently played for East Thurrock United, Romford, Thurrock, Great Wakering, Aveley and Tilbury. REECE PRICE-PLACID – WINGER Date of Birth 13 May 1996. The pacy winger joined us in September 2020. He impressed when playing against us for Basildon United last season. He has also represented Three Bridges, Harlow Town, Hayes & Yeading, Bruno’s Magpies (Gibraltar), Mons Calpe (Gibraltar), Carshalton Athletic, Corinthian-Casuals and Woking.

DANNY SAMBRIDGE DARELLE RUSSELL – FORWARD Date of birth 9 December 1989. Darelle signed from Braintree Town in August 2020. A quick and tricky forward, he has also played for Waltham Abbey, Hayes and Barking. DANNY SAMBRIDGE – GOALKEEPER Date of Birth 29 October 1992. Danny joined us from Coggeshall Town in the 2019 close season. He is a local lad who went to William Edwards School in Grays and fondly remembers that the first time he ever played football was in the indoor ball court at our old Recreation ground in Bridge Road, Grays. His previous clubs include Dagenham & Redbridge, Witham Town, Heybridge Swifts and Maldon and Tiptree. Danny has played well over 400 senior games, 200 of those whilst at Heybridge Swifts which included the first round of the FA Cup and 2nd round of the FA Trophy. RYAN SAMMONS – DEFENDER Date of Birth 20 March 1988. Ryan represented England Schools Under18s before spending a year playing University “soccer” in America. He joined East Thurrock United in 2008 and was an integral part of the team that rose from the Isthmian League North Division to the Conference South and had historic FA Cup runs during this time. He made over 450 appearances for the Rocks and was released after their relegation to the Isthmian Premier Division in May 2018. He joined Bowers & Pitsea for the 2018-19 season and was a key member of their Division

TONY STOKES North Championship winning squad in that season. Ryan is a PE Teacher, who joined us in November 2019, following in the footsteps of his father, Phil, who holds the club’s highest appearances record during his spell with the club from 1982 to 1997. TONY STOKES – STRIKER Date of Birth 7 January 1987. Tony came through the West Ham United Academy and made one first-team appearance at age of eighteen in 2005. He had loan spells at Conference sides Rushden & Diamonds and Stevenage Borough and made seven appearances at League One Brighton in 2007, before becoming West Ham’s reserve team captain for the 2008-09 season. In February 2009 he was loaned to Hungarian professional team, Ujpest FC and he joined them permanently after he was released by West Ham in June 2009, signing a two-year contract. He requested a termination to his contract and returned to the UK in May 2010. He joined Concord Rangers and was a member of the side that gained promotion to Conference South. He has also played for Canvey Island, Bowers & Pitsea and for the 2018-19season was at Brentwood Town. He joined us in the 2019 close season. The club continues to develop its youth policy and there are a number of young players who are pressing for a place in the first team squad, including winger, Joseph Agunbiade, defender, Harry Baker and goalkeeper, Jack Moore.

MALDON & TIPTREE vs GRAYS ATHLETIC

FIXTURES & RESULTS DATE

OPPOSITION

COMP

ATT POS

2020/21

STARTING XI

SEPTEMBER 2020 Sat 12

Hertford Town

FACP

1-0

230

McNamara

Garrett-Douglas

Ryan-Khanye

Coombes

Sat 19

Soham Town Rangers

D1N

1-1

146

McNamara

Garrett-Douglas

Cracknell

Coombes

Butler

Tue 22

Haverhill Rovers

A FAC1Q

3-0

298

McNamara

Garrett-Douglas

Mason

Coombes

Cracknell

Sat 26

Brentwood Town

1-1

173

McNamara

Garrett-Douglas

Mason

Coombes

Cracknell

D1N

OCTOBER 2020 Sat 3

Grays Athletic

Tue 6

Canvey Island

H FAC2Q 15:00 A

D1N

19:45

Sat 10

Felixstowe & Walton United

D1N

15:00 15:00

Sat 17

Grays Athletic

D1N

Sat 24

Romford

D1N