It was to be the only goal of the game as Aveley played the final half an hour with 10 men after their talisman, Jordan Cox, was sent off for a second bookable offence.

Despite the numerical disadvantage and playing their third game in five days, the Millers looked the better side after the sending off and almost grabbed what would have been a deserved point when Billy Holland hit the post in the final minute.

A win for either side would have leap-frogged them up to second behind league leaders Maldon & Tiptree, and with the run-away leaders dropping points recently, games in hand for both sides could see them drag themselves into the title hunt.

The meeting between these two Thurrock sides was the first time the two had met in the league for almost 27 years – although they did meet in an F.A. Cup tie last season which the then Ryman Premier side, Aveley, won 2-1 – and with the Millers coming off the back of six straight league wins and Grays only conceding one goal in their last six outings it promised to be a tense, ding-dong battle between the two local rivals.

Jeff Hammond was first to threaten either side’s goalkeeper after being played through, with just Jay Leader for company. Joao Carlos was up with Hammond, but the Grays striker went it alone only for a last ditch slide tackle from Leader to halt him before he could test Andre Foster in the Aveley goal.

From the outset Lamar Johnson’s kicking was a concern for the away side, and it was another shanked clearance that allowed the Millers their first sight of goal. After failing to get a decent connection, the ball fell to the feet of Rashid Kamara, whose low, daisy-cutter effort was comfortably saved by Johnson falling to his right.

Despite neither side creating what they would call a clear chance, the game began to open up after the first quarter of an hour, with both sides running at their opponents back lines without much success.

Grays best opportunities came from a number of set pieces, giving them ample chances to put in good deliveries, but they were unable to create too many problems for Foster.

But with 21 minutes on the clock, Jordan Cox – the man of the moment for the Millers – had the first golden opportunity for either side which he should have gobbled up.

Kamara picked the ball up in a central position before carrying it menacingly towards the Grays back line. Junior Appiah, who had bombed down the right, had strayed offside, so Kamara looked for the run of Cox to his left.

The ball into the Aveley top scorer took a slight deflection, bouncing kindly into the path of Cox as he barred down on goal, but his low drive was well saved by the feet of Johnson in the game’s first big opening. Either side of the goalkeeper and it surely would have been 1-0 to the home side.

Up the other end and Foster was forced into action just a few minutes later, when Kenny Beeney let fly from a flick on. The Grays midfielder struck the ball towards goal on the half volley, forcing Foster to tip the ball around the post for a corner.

From the following set piece the away side were gifted the opportunity to take the lead from the penalty spot after Leader handled inside the area.

After dealing with the initial ball in from the corner, the ball was worked out to the right before being crossed back in. Leader, with two Grays attackers behind him, went up to head the ball away but inexplicably threw his hand up as well with the ball catching the right hand of the Aveley centre half, giving referee Moore no choice but to award a penalty for the away side.

Captain Danny Bunce accepted the invitation to open the scoring, tucking the penalty to Foster’s left low and hard. The ‘keeper went the right way but could do nothing about the strike as it nestled in the bottom corner to give the away side the lead after 29 minutes.

With the away side now leading it meant there had to be extra impetus from the home side to try and claw their way back into the game.

Cox did manage to get the ball in the net just before the break, but in doing so found himself in the referees notebook.

After Johnson had picked up an over-hit pass, Cox headed the ball out of Johnson’s grasp as the Grays stopper had just the one hand on the ball. Cox rounded the goalkeeper before putting the ball into the net only for the referee to award a free kick and book Cox for his quick thinking.

After ending the first half strongly the Millers continued to press for an equaliser in the second, and the home side looked the more threatening of the two sides going forward.

As the Millers continued to pile on the pressure, Cox was unfortunate not to get a better connection on his attempted overhead kick which dribbled harmlessly into the goalkeepers hands.

But as the hour mark approached, two incidents in two controversial minutes turned the match as Aveley found themselves a man light with Cox receiving his marching orders.

Assistant manager, Victor Renner, was seething on the Millers bench after an apparent elbow from Hammond on Leader went unseen by both the linesman and the referee.

If the incident had been seen by either official you would have expected Hammond to have been sent off, but just two minutes after it was the home side who were a man light as Cox went in late on Lee Flynn.

With the Aveley front-man on a yellow card already it probably was not the wisest of decisions for him to go in hard on the Grays wing-back deep in his own half, and after not winning the ball the referee had little choice but to award a second yellow.

A man light, a goal down and now without their leading goal-scorer on the field, it looked an uphill task for the Millers to salvage anything from the match. But the sending off seemed to fire the remaining men up as Grays sat back and looked to preserve their advantage.

Second half sub, Jack Stevenson, had a long range effort comfortably saved by Johnson, and had an even better chance getting on the end of a Billy Holland flick on before dragging his shot wide at the near post.

Grays were more than happy to sit back and take on what the Millers had to throw at them, and had just the one chance to secure the points when a free kick from Bunce was finger-tipped over by Foster at full stretch as we entered the final 10 minutes.

Another second half sub, Sheldon Sellears, almost made a crucial impact after being introduced. Firstly, he linked well with Holland, who had been pushed up front after the dismissal of Cox. The quick passing between the two saw Sellears get a chance to strike on goal but he skied his effort harmlessly behind.

Just a couple of minutes later and some beautiful skill from Sellears on the far right saw him get away from two Grays markers, before crossing in with his left towards Stevenson, whose header went straight down the throat of Johnson.

With the match hurtling towards its finale, Sellears was the architect of Aveley’s best chance late, late on.

The midfielder turned in the area to create space for another strike at goal. This time Sellears kept his shot low but dragged it. The shot was missing the target but ended up going towards Holland who instinctively poked the ball towards goal, beating Johnson but hitting the post from eight yards out.

In the final moments of stoppage time Aveley had one final chance to grab a deserved point as Stevenson floated in a long free kick from wide on the left.

Foster joined the crowded penalty area as the ball was lofted in. Johnson came and punched the ball away but only as far as Ade Cole who struck the ball towards goal on the half volley. The strike deflected off the posse of bodies in front of him, then off Foster and into Holland before dribbling harmlessly wide as Grays held out for all three points.

Despite the defeat, manager Gardner was delighted with his teams resolve saying after the match “I’m proud of them. Apart from scoring today they could not have done anymore. They (Grays) parked the bus for the last 30 minutes. We’ve battered them, we’ve hit the post, it’s hit our own player on the line; there’s not more they could have done today.”

Bradley Thomas was also disappointed but took plenty of positives out of the defeat saying “second half I thought we were the better team even with 10 men. I don’t think they’ve had a chance, except for the handball where they get a penalty. When you look at the overall picture, it’s ok, but you just have to take the positives from it.”

Asked if tonight’s defeat damaged any lingering title aspirations, Thomas simply said “No, we just go on another run.”

Gardner said “It’s Maldon’s title to lose. We’re going to take each game as it comes and see where it leaves us. At the moment we’re in a good position…if we finish the season in the position we are now we’ve had a great season.”

Aveley: Andre Foster, Marcus Rose, Teddy Nesbitt, Jay Leader, Bradley Thomas, Danny Hopkins, Rashid Kamara (Jack Stevenson 63), Billy Holland (c), Jordan Cox, Paul Burnett (Ade Cole 70’), Junior Appiah (Sheldon Sellears 73’)