Grays lift FA Trophy

Grays Athletic 1-1 Hucknall Town aet
(Grays Athletic win 6-5 on penalties)

The FA Trophy Final, in partnership with Carlsberg
Aston Villa FC, Villa Park
12.30pm, 22 May 2005

An astonishing, resilient performance from Hucknall Town ended in tears of despair as Grays Athletic clinched The FA Trophy on penalties.

With the sides locked 1-1 at the end of extra time, and then again at 4-4 after the first round of penalties, it looked as if nothing was going to separate two sides who had fought themselves to a standstill.

Both goalkeepers had produced one save each in the shoot-out, and Grays keeper Ashley Bayes almost produced a second as Gary Ricketts' drive squirmed in under his body to keep Hucknall in it at 5-5.

"He dubbed himself 'the wall' six weeks ago and has been desperate ever since to prove it," laughed manager Mark Stimson later.

Next time round there was no mistake. Martin Kerr stroked in for 6-5 and then Russell Cooke, outstanding down the right for Hucknall for much of the match, hit his strike too close to the Grays keeper who beat the ball athletically away.

"I was worried going into the penalties and conscious that in their goalie they had the man-of-the-match," confessed Stimson. "He is a fantastic 'keeper and made three outstanding saves in normal time. I just thought it might be his day not ours."

But ultimately Grays prevailed which they had perhaps deserved to do on the balance of play: they produced 20 shots to Hucknall's six.

But had Hucknall won, no-one would have begrudged them their victory. Playing slick to-the-feet football, they matched the Conference South Champions for long periods and in extra time, when Grays fitness was expected to tell, they looked the more likely winners.

"Not many people backed us, but we believed we could go out there and win it. We had a game plan to get stuck into them to mark tight and it worked," said Hucknall skipper Chris Timons who, along with Roy Hunter, was the backbone of the Nottinghamshire team.

"We all know what Grays have done this season and what they are capable of. They had us on our knees, but they were pretty punch-drunk by the end too. It was that tight," said Timons.

If Grays had more chances, Hucknall had their share and they might have clinched a famous win once at the end of normal time and again in the dying seconds of extra time.

Roy Hunter's free kick in the final seconds of the ninety minutes shaved the bar with Bayes well beaten and then the forthright Andy Todd twice might have sealed it coming in from the left in overtime.

"Both sides tried to play and it was a credit to non-league football," said Stimson. "I thought we had created enough chances to win the game comfortably in normal time, but they worked us over all right. We knew we'd been in a game.

"What was gratifying was that we were professional to the last. We never panicked, and our quality showed at the end."

It was a strangely subdued Grays that began the match and with Gary Ricketts impressive up front for Hucknall, the underdogs had an outlet to link their play and keep Grays off the front foot.

But if Grays skipper Stuart Thurgood was workmanlike rather than inspirational, it was John Martin who was at the heart of Grays' better moments.

A simple route one ball from Bayes put Martin through in the 21st minute and he struck a volley that was brilliantly palmed over by 21-year-old Smith.

If that was a strike that had Hucknall hearts in mouths soon after came the moment that might have stopped one or two all together. Virtually inconspicuous to that point, 17-year-old Gary Hooper slid heavily into Hucknall's influential player-manager Dean Barrick and the left back's match was over.

Leg broken in two places, Barrick did not want to leave the ground, but his hard pressed medical team virtually man-handled him off to hospital.

Barrick's replacement Michael Plummer had barely played all season but he fitted into a disciplined defence like a glove.

As expected the game opened up in the second half, Michell Cole flashing a shot over the bar early on as Gray's looked to press forward.

But unable or unwilling to exploit the flanks, there was no way through, and Hucknall always seemed to have men to spare at the back.

Hucknall, in fact, began to boss the game from midfield as Martin tired and Thurgood laboured. A Todd header from a Hunter corner fizzed over and a Danny Bacon shot, though well directed, lacked the sting to trouble Bayes.

Grays at last went ahead when for once the Hucknall defence got in a tangle under pressure from Oli and the ball fell to the on-rushing Martin who slotted gleefully home.

Significantly, Ricketts, who had worked tirelessly in attack and defence was off the field with a blood injury at the time.

Still Hucknall would not fold. Smith produced his second brilliant save to defy Oli's rasping 25 yard volley and Thurgood went close when the ball fell to him from a corner.

And the Midlands Club¹s response was incisive. A John Nutter slip let in Ricketts down the right and the big striker lashed in a ball to the near post where Brennan hit into his own net under pressure from Danny Bacon.

There was still time for another stirring save from Smith this time from Cole's piledriver and Todd¹s penalty claim before Hunter¹s stroked free kick kissed the bar.

Having lost just two of their last 43 games and won the Conference South by 23 points, Grays might have been expected to move up a gear in extra time.

But it was Hucknall who had the best chance, neat interplay between Todd and Ricketts ending with Todd's shot being competently dealt with by Bayes.

Then came the agony and the ecstasy.

Attendance: 8116

The FA Trophy Final match build-up