 | |||
| Full name | Grays Athletic Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Gravelmen, The Ath, The Blues | ||
| Founded | 1890 | ||
| Ground | Chadfields, Tilbury | ||
| Capacity | 4,000 (350 seated)[1] | ||
| Chairman | Lee Vehit | ||
| Manager | Darren Manning | ||
| League | Isthmian League North Division | ||
| 2023–24 | Isthmian League North Division, 16th of 19 | ||
| Website | www | ||
Grays Athletic Football Club is afootball club based inGrays,Essex, England. They are currently members of theIsthmian League North Division and play at Chadfields in nearbyTilbury.
The club was established as Grays Juniors in 1890,[2] before merging with formerSouthern League clubGrays United to form Grays Athletic.[3] The newly formed club joined the Grays & District League, later joining Division Two B of theSouth Essex League in 1908. They were runners-up in their first season in the division and won it in their second season, earning promotion to Division One for the 1909–10 season.[4] The club were founder members of theAthenian League in 1912,[5] but the league closed down in 1914 due toWorld War I and Grays transferred to the Premier Division (Amateur) of theLondon League.[6] They won the division in their first season, with the reserves also winning Division One.[6] The league was suspended at the end of the 1914–15 season, with Grays rejoining in the Premier Division when it restarted in 1919–20.
Grays were Premier Division runners-up in 1920–21, before winning the division in 1921–22. In 1924 the club joined theKent League but after two seasons in mid-table,[7] they returned to the London League in 1926. The return was a success as the club were Premier Division champions in 1926–27 and runners-up in the next two seasons, before winning the title again in 1929–30.[6][8] After finishing as runners-up in 1930–31, the club spent most of the 1930s in mid-table,[8] although they won the league's Challenge Cup in 1936–37.[9]
AfterWorld War II Grays were founder members of theCorinthian League, and were its inaugural champions and League Cup winners in 1945–46.[5][10] They were league runners-up in 1951–52, and thefollowing season saw them qualify for the first round of theFA Cup for the first time, losing 5–0 at home toLlanelli.[5] They were league runners-up again in 1954–55 and 1956–57, before rejoining the Athenian League in 1958. When the league gained two more divisions in 1963, the club were placed in the Premier Division, where they remained until being relegated to Division One at the end of the 1971–72 season, in which they had finished bottom of the table.[5] In 1977 the league was reorganised into a single division, and the club were runners-up in 1982–83.[5]
In 1983 Grays transferred to Division Two of the Isthmian League. League reorganisation saw them placed in Division Two South in 1984 and they went on to win the division at thefirst attempt, earning promotion to Division One.[5] In1987–88 they were Division One runners-up, resulting in promotion to the Premier Division.[5] In1988–89 the club reached the first round of the FA Cup for a second time, losing 2–0 atBath City.[5] They remained in the Premier Division until being relegated back to Division One at the end of the1996–97 season. In1999–2000 the club were Division One runners-up, earning promotion back to the Premier Division. In 2000–01 another appearance in the FA Cup first round saw them playFootball League opposition for the first time, losing 4–0 atReading.[5]
A sixth-place finish in2003–04 resulted in Grays being placed in the newConference South for the2004–05 season. They went on to win the new division in its first season, earning promotion to theConference National.[5] The season also saw them reach the final of theFA Trophy, in which they beatHucknall Town 6–5 on penalties after a 1–1 draw atVilla Park.[5] In theirfirst season in the Conference National the club finished third, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. However, they lost 5–4 on aggregate toHalifax Town.[11] They also reached the second round of theFA Cup, beatingYork City 3–0 atBootham Crescent before losing 3–0 atMansfield Town, as well as retaining the FA Trophy with a 2–0 win overWoking in the final.[5] The club's league form subsequently faded and after narrowly avoiding relegation in2006–07 and2008–09, they finished bottom of the Conference National in2009–10 and resigned from the Football Conference.
Grays were initially rejected by theIsthmian League and were lined up to play in theEssex Senior League. However, an appeal tothe Football Association saw them placed in Division One North of the Isthmian League.[12] A fifth-place finish in2011–12 saw them qualify for the play-offs, in whichEnfield Town defeated them 3–1 on penalties after a 2–2 draw in the semi-final.[5] However, the club were Division One North champions thefollowing season with a club record 102 points, earning promotion back to the Premier Division.[5] In August 2016 the club became community-owned.[13] They went on to finish bottom of the Premier Division in the2016–17 and were relegated back to the (renamed) North Division. In2022–23 the club finished fifth in the North Division, qualifying for the promotion play-offs, in which they lost 3–2 toAFC Sudbury in the semi-finals.
| Season | Division | Position | Top league goalscorer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–04 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 6/24 | Freddy Eastwood, 28 | |
| 2004–05 | Conference South | 1/22 | Leroy Griffiths, 19 | Champions, promoted |
| 2005–06 | Conference National | 3/22 | Michael Kightly, 15 | |
| 2006–07 | Conference National | 19/24 | Aaron McLean, 13 | |
| 2007–08 | Conference National | 10/24 | Danny Kedwell, 13 | |
| 2008–09 | Conference National | 19/24 | Andy Pugh, 7 | |
| 2009–10 | Conference National | 23/23 | Jamie Slabber, 4 | Relegated |
| 2010–11 | Isthmian League Division One North | 10/21 | Alex Osborn, 17 | |
| 2011–12 | Isthmian League Division One North | 5/22 | Joao Carlos, 10 | Lost in the play-off semi-finals |
| 2012–13 | Isthmian League Division One North | 1/22 | Jack West, 17 | Champions, promoted |
| 2013–14 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 14/24 | Joao Carlos, 20 | |
| 2014–15 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 6/24 | Freddie Ladapo, 14 | |
| 2015–16 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 15/24 | Dumebi Dumaka, 19 | |
| 2016–17 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 24/24 | Kieran Bishop, 12 | Relegated |
| 2017–18 | Isthmian League North Division | 16/24 | Kieran Bishop, 24 | |
| 2018–19 | Isthmian League North Division | 7/20 | Mitch Hahn, 9 | |
| 2019–20 | Isthmian League North Division | — | Joao Carlos, 14 | Season abandoned due toCOVID-19 pandemic |
| 2020–21 | Isthmian League North Division | — | Joseph Agunbiade, 2 | Season abandoned due toCOVID-19 pandemic |
| 2021–22 | Isthmian League North Division | 6/20 | Anointed Chukwu, 16 | |
| 2022–23 | Isthmian League North Division | 5/20 | Sam Bantick, 19 | Lost in the play-off semi-finals |
| 2023–24 | Isthmian League North Division | 16/20 | Charlie Stimson, 15 |
The club initially played at the Hoppit Ground inLittle Thurrock.[14] In 1906 they moved to theNew Recreation Ground, playing there until 2010. After the ground was sold to developers, the club groundshared withEast Thurrock United at their Rookery Hill ground inCorringham.[12]
During the 2012–13 season the club played at Rush Green Stadium inRush Green, sharing the ground withWest Ham United's reserves who played in theProfessional Development League.[15] The following season, West Ham pulled out of the deal in June and Grays moved toAveley's Mill Field ground. When Aveley moved to Parkside in 2017, Grays became tenants at the new ground.[16] In February 2023 Grays announced the club would be groundsharing atTilbury for the2023–24 season.[17]
In 2024 the club obtained ownership of Ship Lane, the former home ofThurrock, stating they hoped to be playing at the new ground in the 2025–26 season.[18]
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51°30′13″N0°15′41″E / 51.5035°N 0.2613°E /51.5035; 0.2613
