Aaron's late ace

AN injury time winner from Aaron McLean brought Grays' miserable run to a halt on Saturday and ensured their defence of the FA Trophy remains on course.

The Blues squad were shown a repeat of their historic Trophy triumph on the way up to the Midlands and the memories of that day were enough to spur them on to victory - even if they did leave it until the 93rd minute to seal the win.

McLean had already gone desperately close a minute earlier when he slammed a Jamie Slabber cross on to the bar but he made no mistake when he met Andy Sambrook's centre and glanced a header into the far corner of the net.

The win sparked the sort of celebrations you would expect from a side that have been going through a rocky patch of late and though it's far too early to say, the game may prove to be a real turning point in Grays' season.

Boss, Mark Stimson, certainly hopes so. "It was a return to our old ways," he said. "We got another last-minute winner and our performance was also back to our early season form. Hopefully, we can take that performance back into the league with us starting at York next week.

"I thought we were always in control of the game and we always looked like we would score goals. In the end, we had to wait until the last minute but Aaron has come up with the goal when we needed."

Stimson agreed that the goal was fitting reward for a player who, yet again, worked his socks off for the team.

"The lad has got the desire to play for Grays Athletic and he wants to put us in a higher position in the league and he wants to keep us going in this great competition."

Blues gave a debut to new-signing Christian Hanson who partnered Cameron Mawer in the centre of the defence after the latter received a last-minute call to replace Stevland Angus who had declared himself unfit just hours before kick off.

The untried pairing performed brilliantly in their first outing together with the 18-year-old Mawer growing in stature as the game went on.

The more experienced Hanson was solid from the outset and Stimson believes he's found just the man to shore up Grays' vulnerable back line.

"Hanson was outstanding today," said Stimson. "He's a man, which is what we need. He has played at a decent level and he's a good communicator and that will help the younger players like Mawer who was brilliant alongside him."

The first-half was largely incident free with Grays probably shading their Conference rivals who were playing their first home game under the stewardship of new manager, Mark Yates.

Chances were very much at a premium and the handful that did come were all created by the visitors.

But for a wonderful goal line clearance from skipper, Mark Jackson, McLean would have given the Blues the lead in the 14th minute when he met Michael Kightly's deep cross and headed back across goal.

The ball had beaten John Danby in the Harriers' goal but Jackson scrambled back on to his line and hooked it clear.

Gary Hooper, playing as part of a three-pronged Grays attack, then had a effort blocked by Johnny Mullins and Stuart Thurgood drove wide after he was teed up by Tony Battersby in the only other efforts of note.

Kidderminster looked brighter in the second period and Hanson was forced to make a good tackle to deny Mullins as he shaped to convert a Iyseden Christie cross.

Christie, who scored twice at the Recreation Ground earlier this season, then showed his ability when he pulled off his marker to volley Wayne Hatswell's free kick wide of the post.

Stimson made a courageous move next by replacing the tiring Kightly with a fourth striker, Slabber, who was straight into the thick of the action. Picking up the ball on the edge of the box, the ex-Tottenham man turned and unleashed a thumping drive that flew just wide of Danby's post.

With four attackers on the field, Grays were always taking a gamble and they could have been punished had substitute Simon Russell not wasted a great opportunity just seconds after coming on.

The ex-Hull trainee latched on to a fine through ball from Russ Penn but, having escaped the attentions of the Blues defence, he couldn't beat Ashley Bayes who stopped well with his legs.

With six minutes left, Slabber missed a glorious chance to win the game for the visitors when, with all the time in the World, he blazed over from 10 yards after the ball had broke to him in the box.

And that miss looked to have proved costly when Lee Thompson broke clear at the other end only to be denied by another smart stop from Bayes.

With the game seemingly heading for a replay, Grays made one last push and their efforts were ultimately rewarded.

McLean should really have scored when he clattered Slabber's cross against the bar but he made up for that with a fine winner.

For someone who leaps as well as he does, McLean doesn't get enough headed goals - in fact he doesn't get enough goals full stop - but he gives his all to the Grays cause and no one deserved the winner more than he.

The ex-Aldershot man met Sambrook's cross with a fantastic glancing header that left Danby rooted to the spot and the Grays fans in ecstasy.

Grays: Bayes, Nutter, Sambrook, Hanson, Mawer, Kightly (Slabber 60), Thurgood, Martin, McLean, Battersby, Hooper.