Who Are... Grays Athletic FC?
After recent turbulence brought about by a succession of managers, Grays Athletic rallied towards the end of the 2007/8 campaign, finishing in the top half of the Blue Square Premier table. Both the 2004/5 and 2005/6 seasons proved to be successful times for the Essex club, with promotion to the Nationwide Conference and two successive FA Trophy wins seeing Grays Athletic grow from strength to strength. A sustained push for promotion was made in the 2005/6 season without eventual success, and although hopes were high for the 2006/7 season, the loss of manager Mark Stimson set in motion a period of uncertainty.

Finishing just a solitary point off the dropzone may well have been a rude awakening for Grays in 2007, and for their efforts last time out, it is hard to see how the club can keep a-pace with other clubs in the division with greater spending power. While not an easy opponent to face, off-the-field issues continued to affect the club's performance and it was closer than the Essex club would have preferred during 2008/9. The 2009/10 season was yet another struggle to endure - the club technically finished bottom after the resignation of Chester City midway through the campaign.

But a decision to accept voluntary relegation from the Blue Square South simultaneously backfired when the club was left without a place in the Ryman League, leaving the club in limbo while preparing for 2010/11 before being accepted into the Ryman on appeal. A move from the Recreation Ground to share with East Thurrock was also thrown into the mix to make it a tough time for Grays Athletic.