Grays Thurrock F.C.
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| Full name | Grays Athletic Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Gravelmen, The Ath, The Blues |
| Founded | 1890 |
| Ground | Parkside, Aveley |
| Capacity | 3,500 (424 seated) |
| Chairman | Steve Skinner |
| Manager | Jamie Stuart |
| League | Isthmian League North Division |
| 2016–17 | Isthmian League Premier Division, 24th of 24 (relegated) |
Grays Athletic Football Club is a football club based in Grays, Essex, England. They are currently members of the Isthmian League North Division and play at Parkside in nearby Aveley.
The club was established as Grays Juniors in 1890, before merging with former Southern League club Grays United to form Grays Athletic. The newly formed club joined the Grays & District League, later joining Division Two B of the South Essex League in 1908. They were runners-up in their first season in the division and won it in their second season, earning promotion to Division One for the 1909–10 season. The club were founder members of the Athenian League in 1912, but the league closed down in 1914 due to World War I and Grays transferred to the Premier Division (Amateur) of the London League. They won the division in their first season, with the reserves also winning Division One. The league was suspended at the end of the 1914–15 season, with Grays rejoining in the Premier Division when it restarted in 1919–20.
Grays were Premier Division runners-up in 1920–21, before winning the division in 1921–22. In 1924 the club joined the Kent League but after two seasons in mid-table, they returned to the London League in 1926. The return was a success as the club were Premier Division champions in 1926–27 and runners-up in the next two seasons, before winning the title again in 1929–30. After finishing as runners-up in 1930–31, the club spent most of the 1930s in mid-table, although they won the league's Challenge Cup in 1936–37.
After World War II Grays were founder members of the Corinthian League, and were its inaugural champions and League Cup winners in 1945–46. They were league runners-up in 1951–52, and the following season saw them qualify for the first round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 5–0 at home to Llanelli. They were league runners-up again in 1954–55 and 1956–57, before rejoining the Athenian League in 1958. When the league gained two more divisions in 1963, the club were placed in the Premier Division, where they remained until being relegated to Division One at the end of the 1971–72 season, in which they had finished bottom of the table. In 1977 the league was reorganised into a single division, and the club were runners-up in 1982–83.
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