Grays Essex Thameside Trophy Question

[Deleted]

Hi there,

I'm currently doing some research into the now defunct Essex Thameside Trophy.

Grays won the competition in the 2000/01 season.
I've look on various websites,including the www.graysath-online.com site.
From what I can tell,Grays only played a semi-final and final.

I'd like to know if Grays played a quarter final and 2nd round match?,as would have been normal.
Or did they receive a walk-over in those rounds?

Any information would be helpful to me.

Mark

[Scoop]

Hi Mark , I’ll get back to you on that we have results and line ups going back to 1888 so I’d be surprised if I can’t find out for you.

Dave Seaman Press Officer

[ForeverBlue]

Based on Chris Turner's stats, we beat Purfleet 6-0 in the semi-final on 6 May and then beat Great Wakering on penalties after a 3-3 draw the next day!

I remember the final, but am struggling to remember the 6 niller!

It was the season we went to Reading in the First Round of the FA Cup.

[Scoop]

Mark, Glyn beat me to it only a two game path to the final

[Deleted]

Thanks a lot Dave and Glyn for confirming that.

Since then I've noticed on the Grays Athletic website ''History/Honours'' page,the Essex Thameside Trophy win of 2000/01 that those results relate to is missing.

And it also shows a win in the 1978/79 season,that confuses me a lot.
Every programme that I have from various finals and other rounds show the 1978/79 edition as ''not completed''.
I guess to either bad weather or fixture congestion (they don't say why.I believe only one match was played in the whole competition that season:
5th December 1978 1st round Grays 5-3 Hornchurch
I think the original plan was to carry-over the outstanding matches to the following season.But I'm not sure that actually happened.

It would be great if your results could show how you won it that season ?
That would really solve a mystery !

Thanks

Mark

[ForeverBlue]

Sorry to confuse you about the 1978-79 "win".

I remember it well. We kept waiting and waiting for our next game and we couldn't get anybody to play us!

In the end, we spoke to the organisers - i think the man dealing with it was from Southend.

We still couldn't get anyone to play us, so we said we would claim the trophy!

It was never presented to us!!

[Deleted]

Ok,another mystery solved !

What a wealth of information you have !

Thanks so much.
I'm not sure that 1978/79 ''win'' really counts though !

I know where come with any more questions,if you don't mind !

Thanks again

[mrsp]

The Essex FA are looking into starting this cup game up again depending on feedback from clubs.

[Deleted]

I hope they wait for me to finish my record collecting first !

I've got another Grays Thameside Trophy question,this forum definitely seems the place to come.

In 2003/04 Grays conceded the 3rd round/quarter final tie versus East Thurrock United.I believe that the match had been abandoned because of a frozen pitch.
I've seen the venue given as both at Grays and East Thurrock.
Does anyone know where the abandoned match took place ?

Also,the date was late February,so plenty of the season left to go.
Does anyone know why the match was forfeited ?

Thanks

Mark

[Deleted]

I can help you out with the first question.
In that season's programme the fixture is listed as 24th Feb 04 at Grays Ath.
I didn't go to the game (I'd been stung £7 the season before in the ETT,to watch one of the Chairman's son's run around,I didn't enjoy that).
In the following programme's there is no mention of that game,or of the ETT again.

We never played in it again.
A sad end really,considering we were one of the original 8 clubs and won it 7 times.

[Deleted]

Apr 25, 2019 12:32:43 GMT 1 mrsp said:

The Essex FA are looking into starting this cup game up again depending on feedback from clubs.

It was always a handy competition if we were out of everything else,a chance to have some end of season fun.
But if a club is having a good season,it goes to the bottom of their priorities.

This season would have been perfect for example.
And I suppose with only 38 league games,and 4 cup competitions,there is space for it.

I used to like it anyway.

[Scoop]

Looking at the season 2003/4 stats it shows the game played at East Thurrock on 26th February with the notation abandoned, no team line up which could suggest the game was actually cancelled not postponed.
The previous round was played on the 16th December home to Bowers winning 5-0 with a team made up of reserves and squad players.

[ForeverBlue]

May 2, 2019 17:15:09 GMT 1 @onenickycrown said:

Apr 25, 2019 12:32:43 GMT 1 mrsp said:

The Essex FA are looking into starting this cup game up again depending on feedback from clubs.

It was always a handy competition if we were out of everything else,a chance to have some end of season fun.
But if a club is having a good season,it goes to the bottom of their priorities.

This season would have been perfect for example.
And I suppose with only 38 league games,and 4 cup competitions,there is space for it.

I used to like it anyway.

Fair comment, but we go back to 46 games again in a couple of seasons so they need to get on with it and have the competition for at least next season.

It's good to blood young players and we will have a lot of them as we move forward with the extension of our youth plans.

"You'll never win anything with kids" Alan Hansen said (whatever happened to him??). Perhaps we can prove him wrong, just like Man U did.

[Deleted]

May 2, 2019 17:29:44 GMT 1 Scoop said:

Looking at the season 2003/4 stats it shows the game played at East Thurrock on 26th February with the notation abandoned, no team line up which could suggest the game was actually cancelled not postponed. 

I don't know,but I think this is a possibility,based on the info above:
The game was scheduled for Tue 24 Feb at the Rec
The pitch at the Rec was unfit.
The game was switched to East Thurrock for Thu 26 Feb,and then abandoned during the match due to a frozen pitch.

Don't know why it wasn't replayed though.

[Deleted]

May 2, 2019 18:36:23 GMT 1 ForeverBlue said:

May 2, 2019 17:15:09 GMT 1 @onenickycrown said:

Fair comment, but we go back to 46 games again in a couple of seasons...

I didn't know that was on the agenda.

I realise that after next season the pyramid will be complete,and then later the leagues will be filled up to 24 clubs each?
Where will all these extra clubs come from ?!

I've always thought 22 clubs in a division is enough.

[Deleted]

May 2, 2019 19:42:23 GMT 1 @onenickycrown said:

May 2, 2019 17:29:44 GMT 1 Scoop said:

Looking at the season 2003/4 stats it shows the game played at East Thurrock on 26th February with the notation abandoned, no team line up which could suggest the game was actually cancelled not postponed. 

I don't know,but I think this is a possibility,based on the info above:
The game was scheduled for Tue 24 Feb at the Rec
The pitch at the Rec was unfit.
The game was switched to East Thurrock for Thu 26 Feb,and then abandoned during the match due to a frozen pitch.

Don't know why it wasn't replayed though.

Without any other proof,this makes sense.


The reason for the forfeit will remain a mystery !


Thanks everybody

[ForeverBlue]

Pleased we could help!

Perhaps you could come to a game and introduce yourself to us?

We have a special supporters' table just inside the turnstile and you may wish to look at some of our memorabilia, or even purchase some....?

[Deleted]

I would like very much to say ''thank you'' personally. I don't live in South Essex any more (hence the interest in the Essex Thameside Trophy), but I do return occasionally.

I haven't been to Aveley's new ground yet, so I'll be sure to let you know when I do !


Because the knowledge is so good on here, would anyone know the attendance's of the following Essex Thameside Trophy Finals involving Grays ?

I know some of you will have been at the matches.


90/91 ETT Billericay Town v Grays Athletic (at Billericay Town FC)

93/94 ETT Canvey Island v Grays Athletic (at Canvey Island FC)

00/01 ETT Grays Athletic v Great Wakering Rovers (at Grays Athletic FC)

01/02 ETT Tilbury v Grays Athletic (at Tilbury FC)



Thanks


Mark

[ForeverBlue]

Thanks for your kind words, Mark.

If you get to a Grays game (not Aveley, of course!), please make yourself known to us at the Supporters' Table.

I'm not sure attendance figures were ever made public for the games.

I was at all of them and almost certainly counted the money at the Great Wakering Rovers game! Was that the penalty shoot out win after a 3-3 extra-time draw?

[Deleted]

A programme gives the game at Tilbury as a nice round 200.
Maybe just a guess at the time.


The other attendances are not given in any programmes I've got.
Sorry about that.

[ForeverBlue]

I would have said that the Wakering game was about 200, given the state of the club at the time and an end of season game.