LEISTON and Grays Athletic will have to do it all again on Tuesday night at the Flannery Stadium (7.45pm kick off) as the two sides failed to find the net on Saturday in the FA Cup first qualifying round clash writes Craig Cooper.

Both teams had their chances. Harvey Sayer (post) and Eddie Jackson (bar) saw efforts strike the woodwork in the first period for Leiston while in the second half, Grays had two good chances late on.

Blues debut-making goalkeeper Nathaniel Copping, standing in for the unavailable Callum Robinson, had a fine match, and in general the visitors from Suffolk had more possession and chances against a Grays team who play one Step below them in the non-league pyramid.

However, both teams will have taken positives from the game, and both will hope to make progress on Tuesday night at Leiston in the competition and bag the £2,250 prize money the winners of this tie will receive.

Copping made his debut while defender Ben Batho started in place of Wyatt Hill, who dropped to the bench. Ewan Parlett returned to the squad.

Early in the first minute, Grays won a corner and Batho cleared any danger before a minute later, Jude Frostick set Adam Mills away on goal but the offside flag was raised.

Mills headed a cross just over Daniel Sambridge’s crossbar on eight minutes, before the same player shot just wide three minutes later after a fierce effort.

Gabriel Chapps then had a shot just outside the box that was deflected away for a corner.

The same player had another effort that went over Copping’s bar on 19 minutes before a couple of minutes later Sayer struck Sambridge’s left hand post while Chapps went close with a free kick just past the half hour mark for the hosts, as Grays won a free kick on the edge of the box.

Leiston struck the woodwork again moments before the interval as Jackson’s shot hit Sambridge’s crossbar.

After the break, Willie Clemons shot just over the bar while on 52 minutes, Batho’s cross lopped onto Sambridge’s crossbar.

Moments later, and Clemons was just off target after Mills’ long throw in and Seb Dunbar shot wide.

Both teams then had strikes that didn’t threatened the goal while Frostick went very close before being replaced by Joe Henman.

Fellow sub Adam Marriott was then thwarted by Sambridge but the away side had very three good chances in the final stages of the contest, with two going over the bar and Copping saved late on before the final whistle went after six minutes of stoppage time.

FT: Grays Athletic 0 Blues 0

So, both sides go into tomorrow’s Second Round Qualifying draw, with ties to be announced around 1pm on Monday afternoon.

Line-ups;

Grays Athletic: Sambridge, Harvey, Joynes, Moss, Clark, Muldoon, Hepburn, Moncur (Sammons 89 mins), Chapps, Nnamudi, Effah (Kileba 68 mins). Subs not used: Norton, Jude, Morritt, Hahn and Drew.

Blues: Copping, Batho, Dunbar, Callan-McFadden, Jackson, Alexander, Sayer, Mills (Cameron Rayworth 90+4 mins), Frostick (Henman 72 mins), Aitkens, Clemons (Marriott 72 mins). Subs not used: Hill, Jarvis and Parlett.

Attendance: 204

Blues Man Of The Match: Ben Batho