{"id":17143,"date":"2021-07-30T13:21:37","date_gmt":"2021-07-30T12:21:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/football\/?p=17143"},"modified":"2021-07-30T16:13:32","modified_gmt":"2021-07-30T15:13:32","slug":"grays-athletic-fc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/football\/grays-athletic-fc\/team-pages\/essex-football-clubs\/","title":{"rendered":"Grays Athletic FC Essex’s FA Trophy Winners"},"content":{"rendered":"

Grays Athletic FC is one of the many non-league teams that call the county of Essex home, and they are one which epitomises how easy it is for a small club to both rise and fall. Founded way back in 1890 the club spent most of its early history playing in the regional leagues.\u00a0 They eventually went on to become founder members of the Athenian League, but WWI disrupted that and they left for a while and played in the London League from 1919-20 until the onset of WWII.<\/p>\n

Post-war they became founder members of the Corinthian League winning the title at the first attempt in 1945-46. They spent a total of 13 seasons here before rejoining the Athenian League before joining the Isthmian League in the early 1980s.<\/p>\n

The club enjoyed unprecedented success in the opening decade of the 21st Century, coming close to obtaining Football league status and winning two FA Trophies. Sadly the ending of their lease on their long term home stadium in 2010 coincided with a sharp decline in their fortunes. The recent pandemic has not helped either but fortunately, it now looks like the club’s fortunes have stabilised.<\/p>\n

They now play in the nearby town of Aveley at the Parkside Ground which is about 5 miles outside of Grays. They will be playing in the Isthmian League North Division in 2021-22 meaning ther will be a couple of Derby games against Aveley FC who share the ground with them.<\/p>\n

Grays Athletic FC In The FA Cup<\/h3>\n

The Blues first entered the FA Cup in the late 1920s but didn’t enjoy a great deal of success. However, in the 1952-53 season, they finally made it to the 1st round proper thanks to a 2-0 win over Kings Lynn in their 4th qualifying round replay. Their adventure came to a shuddering halt against Welsh side Llanelli, however, this was no disgrace given that the Welsh side had some impressive FA Cup results under their belt.<\/p>\n

Thirty-six seasons later they were back in the 1st round again, this time losing to Bath City. It has to be borne in mind that getting to the first round proper is no easy task for non-league clubs but by the turn of the 21st century, Grays were starting to make a habit of it.<\/p>\n

They played Reading in round one in 2000-01 and were back the following season again succumbing, this time to fellow non-league side Hinkley United. In 2003-4 they lost to Aldershot Tow. However, their best was yet to come.<\/p>\n

Grays Athletics Epic FA Cup Run<\/h3>\n

In 2005-6 the club enjoyed their best FA Cup run to date. First, they disposed of Cray Wanderers with the minimum of fuss to reach the 1st round proper. They then beat York City 3-0 away, to reach the 2nd round for the first time.<\/p>\n

\"Grays<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The draw could have been kinder but a trip to the League Two Mansfield was their reward. The game was played on a Friday night which didn’t help them galvanise their travelling fans and Grays were a goal and a man down within the first 15 minutes. A crowd of 2992 then witnessed an easy 3-0 win for Mansfield.\u00a0 Still, it was a great achievement and the start of their short-lived purple patch.<\/p>\n

They completed their best decade of FA Cup achievement in 2008-09 when they took Carlisle United to a replay, in round 1 before bowing out 2-0.<\/p>\n

Other Cups<\/h3>\n

Grays Athletic had a purple patch in the FA Trophy in the mid-2000s winning the cup twice in succession and reaching the semi-finasl three years running. Sadly for their fans, Wembley was closed for renovations so they never got to see them run out on the hallowed turf. Still trips to Villa Park & The Boylin Ground were a decent consolation.<\/p>\n

\"Grays<\/p>\n

They have also enjoyed considerable success in the Essex Senior Cup, winning it eight times, and reaching the final on 10 other occasions. Their main period of dominance was during the 1920’s but they have been in the final as recently as 2013.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A Little Bit of Trivia<\/h3>\n

Grays were founder members of the Athenian League in 1912 however despite two separate spells and many seasons competing in it they never managed to win it. Their best finish was ironically 2nd in 1982-3 which was the final time they competed in it.<\/p>\n

Between 1914 and 1921 Grays only lost one Essex Senior Cup Match. This was aided massively by the competition being suspended for a few u=years due to WW1 but it is still some achievement. That only loss was a 1-0 defeat by Barking Town in 1920 final.<\/p>\n

In 1987-88 Grays amassed 100 points in a season for the first time in the club’s history. Alas, too many draws cost them (10) and Marlow pipped for the title by a point.<\/p>\n

In 2006-7\u00a0 Grays so nearly made it three FA Trophy Finals on the bounce. Their quest was ended in extra time in the semi-finals going out to two late goals against eventual winners Stevenage Borough.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A Brief Grays Athletic FC Chronology<\/h2>\n

1890 Club founded as Grays Juniors.<\/p>\n

20th Century<\/h3>\n

1906 Moved to the\u00a0New Recreation Ground<\/p>\n

1908 Joined the South Essex League<\/p>\n

1912 Founder member of Athenian League<\/p>\n

1914 Left Athenian League<\/p>\n

1919-20 Joined The London League<\/p>\n

1926-27 Entered the FA Cup for the first time<\/p>\n

1945-46 Founder member of Corinthian and League Champions<\/p>\n

1951-52 Corinthian League runner-up (missed out on goal average)<\/p>\n

1951-52 Reached The FA Cup 1st Round Proper for the first time<\/p>\n

1954-55 Corinthian League runner-up<\/p>\n

1956-57 Corinthian League runner-up<\/p>\n

1958-59 Rejoined Athenian League<\/p>\n

1972 Relegated to Division One<\/p>\n

1982-83 Athenian League runner-up (on goal difference)<\/p>\n

1983-84 Joined Isthmian League Division Two<\/p>\n

1984-85 Isthmian League Division Two South Champions – Promoted to Division One<\/p>\n

1987-88 Isthmian League Division One runner-up – Promoted to Premier Division<\/p>\n

1988-89 Reached the FA Cup 1st Round Proper for the second time<\/p>\n

1997 Relegated to Isthmian League Division One<\/p>\n

1999-2000 Isthmian League Division One runner-up (on goal difference) Promoted to Premier Division<\/p>\n

21st Century<\/h2>\n

2000-01 First FA Cup game against a Football League Club (lost 4-0 to Reading)<\/p>\n

2004-05 Joined newly-formed Conference South – Finished as Champions\u00a0 F.A. Trophy Winners<\/p>\n

2005-06 Second consecutive F.A. Trophy Win<\/p>\n

2005-06 Reached the FA Cup 2nd Round for the first time<\/p>\n

2005-6 Lost in the Conference National play-off semi-final 5-4 on aggregate to Halifax.<\/p>\n

2006-07 F.A. Trophy semi-finalists<\/p>\n

2010-11 Rejoined Isthmian League in Division One North<\/p>\n

2011-12 Lost playoff Semi-Final against Enfield 3-1 on penalties<\/p>\n

2012-13 Isthmian League Division One North Champions with 102 points<\/p>\n

2017 Relegated to Division One North<\/p>\n

2019-20 & 20-21 Seasons postponed due to Covid<\/p>\n

Grays Athletic List of Honours<\/span><\/h2>\n

Football Conference<\/b><\/p>\n

Conference National Playoff Semi-Finalists 2005-06<\/p>\n

Conference South Champions 2004\u201305<\/p>\n

Isthmian League<\/b><\/p>\n

Division One North champions 2012\u201313<\/p>\n

Division Two South champions 1984\u201385<\/p>\n

London League<\/b><\/p>\n

Premier Division champions 1921\u201322, 1926\u201327, 1929\u201330<\/p>\n

Premier Division (Amateur) champions 1914\u201315<\/p>\n

Corinthian League<\/b><\/p>\n

Champions 1945\u201346<\/p>\n

South Essex League<\/b><\/p>\n

Division Two B champions 1908\u201309<\/p>\n

Cup Competitions<\/h3>\n

FA Trophy<\/b><\/p>\n

Winners 2004\u201305, 2005\u201306<\/p>\n

Essex Senior Cup<\/b><\/p>\n

Winners 1914\u201315, 1920\u201321, 1922\u201323, 1944\u201345, 1956\u201357, 1987\u201388, 1993\u201394, 1994\u201395<\/sup><\/p>\n

Isthmian League Cup <\/b><\/p>\n

Winners: 1991\u201392<\/p>\n

London League Challenge Cup <\/b><\/p>\n

Winners 1936\u201337<\/p>\n

Corinthian League Cup <\/b><\/p>\n

Winners 1945\u201346<\/p>\n

Essex Thameside Trophy<\/b><\/p>\n

Winners 1947\u201348, 1978\u201379, 1980\u201381, 1987\u201388, 1988\u201389, 1990\u201391, 2001\u201302<\/sup><\/p>\n

East Anglian Cup<\/b><\/p>\n

Winners 1944\u201345<\/sup><\/p>\n

Other records<\/span><\/h2>\n

Highest league position<\/b>:<\/p>\n

Conference National (tier 5) 3rd 2005-06<\/p>\n

Best FA Cup Run<\/b>:<\/p>\n

FA Vase\u00a0performance: Fourth round, 1977\u201378, 1979\u201380, 1981\u201382, 1983\u201384<\/sup><\/p>\n

Best FA Vase Run:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Round Four 1877-78, 1979-80, 1981-82 & 1983-84<\/p>\n

Record attendance\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

9,500 v Chelmsford City,\u00a0FA Cup fourth qualifying round, 1959-60<\/p>\n

Club Details<\/h2>\n

The information below will come in useful if you are planning to take in a game or just want to keep abreast of their performances.<\/p>\n

Address<\/strong><\/p>\n

Grays Athletic FC<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
Parkside<\/div>\n
Park Lane<\/div>\n
South Ockendon<\/div>\n
Essex<\/div>\n
RM15 4PX<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Website<\/a><\/p>\n

Grays Athletic FC On Social Media<\/h3>\n

Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n

Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n

Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n

YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n

So there you have it our quick guide to the club. If you want to see who else plays in the area check out our other Essex Team Pages<\/a>. Or for more information on the city itself, why not have a look at our Grays visitor guide<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Grays Athletic FC is one of the many non-league teams that call the county of Essex home, and they are one which epitomises how easy it is for a small club to both rise and fall. Founded way back in 1890 the club spent most of its early history playing in the regional leagues.\u00a0 They…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17155,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2273],"tags":[2285,2287,2286],"class_list":["post-17143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-essex-football-clubs","tag-grays-athletic-fc","tag-the-blues","tag-the-gravelmen"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17143","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17143"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17143\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17159,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17143\/revisions\/17159"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17143"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17143"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fiveminutesspare.com\/football\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17143"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}