Concord Rangers vs Grays Athletic (From Thurrock Gazette)

9:43pm

Grays survive another Concord attack, as Concord fire wide!

9:40pm

Wave after wave of Concord attacks now. Reece Harris the latest to try but again Junior Baker comes across. Immense from the Blues centre half.

9:39pm

Backs against the wall now for Blues! Shouts of "It's coming" [the goal for Concord] but Blues holding firm so far. Still a good 10 minutes to go!

Danny Subuola on for Blues. Jared Small off.

9:34pm

Sensational defending by Kirby and Baker. Reece Harris rounded the keeper but somehow Baker got in front of him and cleared. Lamar Johnson then saved from point blank range.

Kirby then dug in deep to deny Elmes. One of those days for Concord?

9:30pm

Concord cranking up the pressure now, but Baker prevents Elmes with a terrific challenge.

9:29pm

Chance for Concord, but Tony Stokes is offside.

9:25pm

Brian Moses blocked shot loops high into the air and is just about palmed away by Lovelock. More good pressure from Grays!

9:24pm

James Knott replaces James White

9:22pm

Concord have come to life. Great ball across by Harris is pushed wide by Johnson. Concord take the corner but Grays deal with it again.

9:19pm

Big round of applause for Concord skipper White as he's stretchered off. Good news is he's sat up, so hopefully that injury isn't as bad as first feared.

9:14pm

The resulting free kick is dealt with by Concord, but there's a defender down receiving treatment now. Has been down a while and an ambulance has been called for!

9:11pm

For anyone wondering where updates of Thurrock's clash with Lowestoft are this evening, that game has been called off because of snow.

9:11pm

For anyone wondering where updates of Thurrock's clash with Lowestoft are this evening, that game has been called off because of snow.

9:09pm

Great defending from Kirby. Grays not being tested too much by Concord but they're coping admirably with what Beachboys are throwing at them so far. Still no notable effort on goal from Concord in this second half, 16 minutes in.

9:06pm

Lalite again winning the ball for Blues deep in his own territory and then playing a pressure relieving pass up to Small.

Great stuff.

9:04pm

An indication of just how good Grays have been, i've spent more time looking right (at the end Grays are attacking) in the second half than I did throughout the whole of the first half. They had Concord penned in for a good five minutes just now, but Concord are back in possession now.

9:01pm

Corner now for Grays. More good football from the away side, Bunce forcing the issue down the riht this time.

9:01pm

As in the first half though, Blues coming into the game again. Lovelock forced into a food save from Beaney's long free kick.

8:58pm

Changes seem to have worked so far. Good start to this half for Concord. They look sharper. Grays going to need to be at their best. They have three clean sheets in a row though.

Johnson already called into action.

8:55pm

Double change for Concord.

Tony Stokes and Lampe on, Fry and Hallett off

8:36pm

Into stoppage time now and it's Grays finishing the half stronger.

Free kick on the lefthand byline, played quick by Beaney but Concord deal.

Then there's a pass by White as Beachboys look to counter that sums up the home side's half. From the centre circle, he plays the ball straight out.

8:32pm

Danny Bunce shoots high and wide again for Blues. Great football from Lalite and Beaney in the build up. Another great half of football for these two.

8:29pm

About 7 minutes plus stoppage time to play in this first half.

Elmes fires over for Concord! Their best chance. It's "neck on the line" defending as Beaney, Kirby and Baker all dive at the ball to block it. It spins loose to Elmes though, after coming in from the left to Elmes who shoots just over, with Beaney springing into the challenge.

8:26pm

Moses goal came off his knee. Great stuff. His first senior goal for Blues! Bit of luck, but in cup games, against higher league opposition, you need some luck.

More pressure from Blues but just lacking a final ball this time.

Grays have been excellent in this first half though!

8:23pm

It's the very, very tall Brian Moses!

I have no idea if he meant it, but he collected the ball, left of goal and from a narrow angle, 15 yards out, he looped the ball over the top of Lovelock to give Grays a deserved lead!

8:16pm

Superb tackle by Leon Lalite on Spendlove, preventing another dangerous counter attack. A very impressive first 30 minutes this, from Grays.

8:14pm

Bunce into the wall. It's too cold for that! Straight into the the midrift! Great block though!

8:13pm

Great stuff by Moses as, on the floor, he spins round like a break dancer with the ball at his feet, and wins the free kick. It's some way out though. Beaney and Bunce over it...

8:11pm

This is a great game - as expected. Freekick now to Concord as Lalite and Beaney miss tackles midway inside their own half.

Concord haven't quite clicked into gear yet.

8:08pm

Bunce now shoots high and wide from 25 yards. Really good last 7/8 minutes from Blues though.

Concord defending very well though. Fry and Easterford very dominant in the air and Grays being limited to shots from range.

But Concord a real threat on the break.

8:06pm

Lalite fouled, chance for Beaney to deliver from the left for Grays. Cleared well and now Concord counter...

But Grays track back brilliantly.

8:04pm

Beaney goes close from 40 yards!! Lovelock comes to  meet a Popo throughball, but a long way from his goal, he gives it straight to Beaney whose looping effort doesn't miss by much!

8:03pm

Chance for Carlos as Bunce's cross from the right finds him eight yards from goal but he can't get enough purchase on the header and Lovelock gathers.

8:02pm

13 miuntes in and the game is really beginning to open up. Plenty of goals in this as Lamar Johnson claws the ball out from underneath the cross bar following a cross from the left.

8:01pm

Much better from Blues now, as they enjoy some sustained pressure on the edge of the Concord box, before Carlos gives it away and Blues are under pressure as Concord break.

8:00pm

He's alert though Lamar, as Elmes looks to pick out Hallett with a cross field pass.

Concord looking excellent on the counter attack.

7:58pm

Neither keeper's really been tested yet. But Johnson has had a little more to do (and come under a bit more pressure) than Lovelock.

7:56pm

Lovely run down the left by Hallett, but Elmes can't connect with the wingers cut back.

7:55pm

Great tackle by Baker, just as Elmes had jinked inside Kirby and was setting himself to shoot after a smart Concord counter attack.

Concord have started well, but no one said this was going to be easy for Grays.

7:53pm

Looks like Small is playing up top on his own this evening for Blues (who are actually wearing red and black tonight!). The very tall Moses is playing just off of him.

7:51pm

Early free kick for the home side fizzed into the box from the half way line, goes all the way through to Johnson.

7:42pm

The Grays starting XI:

Johnson; Pope, Flynn, Baker, Kirby; Bunce, Beaney, Small, Carlos, Lalite, Moses.

Subs: Docker, Sweeney, West, Subuola, Fry.

7:40pm

Here's the Concord starting XI:

Lovelock; Osifuwa, Glozier, Cowley, Fry, Easterford, Spendlove, White, Hallett, Elmes, Harris.

Subs: Coyne, Lampe, J Elmes, Knott, Stokes.

Grays Ath to follow...

7:37pm

Little bit of recent history between the two sides, as well. They last met in the quarter finals of this competition in December 2011.

Concord won 3-2 that night.

But Grays are 8x times winners of this competition. Only Ilford and one of the Waltham sides have won it more than Blues.

7:35pm

Some team news to begin with. Full line ups and subs lists to follow, but Tony Stokes starts on the bench for the Beachboys.

More to follow.

Here's a little glimpse at what the managers had to say going into tonight's games:

Danny Cowley, Concord Rangers:

“Grays are a good side, they’ve got loads of good players, Hakan is an experienced manager, so we know it will be a really tough game for us.
“But we will prepare properly. We watched them on Saturday and we’ll make sure we do our homework and we’ll set up to win the game.
“And if we can win then it will be the Essex Senior Cup final, which I think is the biggest county competition in the country, so it would be a great one to be in.”
 

Hakan Heyrettin, Grays Athletic:

“It’s going to be a great game, a big game. Obviously Concord are going well, but we don’t fear anybody. We’ll go there and play the way the game should be played. We’ll be up for it in every department.
“I would like to get to the final again and see where that takes us.”
 

7:27pm

Good evening!

Well we have one hell of a humdinger in store for you tonight...

In form, free scoring Concord take on in-form Grays Athletic.

Live text commentary to follow.

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