Grays Athletic preview

Wingate & Finchley play host to Grays Athletic on Tuesday night, with both sides taking a break from League action to try and register their place in the quarter finals of the Ryman League Cup. The Blues won this competition in 2010-11 and will be looking to repeat the feat of five years ago, having already seen off Harlow Town and Waltham Abbey in the opening two rounds. The teams sit only five places, and three points, apart in the league, but Grays boast two games in hand over Wingate. The Blues come into the game off the back of a return to form of sorts, winning four of the last six games in all competitions, including a 3-2 win over Tuesdays opponents on November 3rd. Simon Lanes side have also found the net 15 times in those six games, with Lee Barney scoring five and Rob Laney four in the calendar month. Wingate exited this competition to Hendon last season and will be looking to ensure that a similar slip up is avoided for the visit of the Gravelmen. Since the meeting in the league, Mark Bentleys side have won three out of three games and have scored five times, Bradley Fortnam-Tomlinson scoring two of these goals after finding the net against the Blues at the beginning of the month too. The striker will be a threat to the Blues but Lane will also have to prepare his men for the pace and trickery of Roman Michael-Percil on the right wing and Harry Agombar, who has two goals to his name in the last two games. Wingates strikeforce is in blue hot form and whilst Laney and Barney are firing on all cylinders, the side will be boosted by top goalscorer Billy Healeys return from injury. Karl Oliyide has scored twice in the last three games and will be looking to score his tenth goal of the season. With the Blues having returned to form since a short blip, the game will be a tough one for both sides especially considering the close nature of the game to the Gravelmens last visit to the Harry Abrahams Stadium, but the winner of the tie will start to dream about silverware at the end of the season. By Nikhil Saglani