Match report away v Thurrock via Mr Anthony Mercer.

Thurrock 6 Tilbury 1 (Att 144) Report by Scott Lanza

For the first quarter of an hour this was a very tight, local derby between two teams hoping to maintain their push towards the play-offs. By the end of play it was Thurrock who can push on whereas Tilbury’s recent form has seen them drop into mid-table territory and after this result their play-off hopes lie in tatters.

Both teams came out of the traps right from the first whistle with Glenn Poole almost setting up Richard Halle in the second minute when he sent over a nice cross from the left which the Fleet captain just headed too high. Kurt Smith also had an early free kick that dropped into the Fleet box before Halle smashed it away. Lewis Jaggs also went close with a long-range effort that wasn’t too far from hitting the target. Jaggs also played a series of nice passes with Toby Aromolaran, which almost threaded its way to Smith but James Goode was able to end the move with a solid tackle and then cleared.

That was as good as it got for the Dockers in the first half because the Fleet went on to score four times in the opening half. The pick of the bunch was possibly the opener which came in the 19th minute. A deep cross from Poole was met by Ronnie Winn who let fly with a volley that left Lee Butcher with no chance.

Six minutes later the Fleet had doubled their lead after Butcher and Remi Sutton seemed to trip over each other and as the ball rolled in the six yard box there was Halle to have the simple task of placing the ball into the net.

Tilbury were showing some frustrations as they now had a mountain to climb and Jack Barham was soon booked for stimulation after he fell under a challenge whilst chasing a throughball. Halle also picked up a yellow card for a clumsy challenge. Smith’s resulting free kick darted towards the back post but Ronnie Winn hooked it away and that was it as for as Tilbury’s attacks went because they soon found themselves falling further behind.

The Fleet won two corners in quick succession and it was from the second corner that they added a third goal. Charlie Simpson was able to get his header on target and it flew past Butcher and it became 4-0 on 36 minutes after Simpson held the ball up before laying it off to Halle who drilled the ball past Butcher.

Mason was called upon to tip away a Reece Hewitt effort in the 37th minute. But the half was as one-sided as the 4-0 score line suggested and the Fleet ended the half almost adding another after Sutton charged through the Dockers midfield, knocked it to David Cowley who flashed a shot across Butcher’s goal.

Ronnie Winn and Glenn Poole exchanged passes to open the second half and it won Thurrock an early corner. The Dockers at least had a couple of shots on goal but Jaggs and Hewitt both saw their efforts blocked. It soon became 5-0 when Ronnie Winn rounded Smith but found himself hauled down by Reece Conway. The referee pointed to the spot, issued Conway a red card and then up stepped Jordan Clark who fired his shot past Butcher.

The one way traffic continued and Sutton sent over a teasing ball from the left that was almost met by Ronnie Winn and Cowley also had a shot that only narrowly missed. Butcher was on hand to tip away a Cook effort in the 61st minute which came about after Fleet deployed some one-touch passing that literally tore the Dockers defence to shreds. Fleet then won three corners in succession as the Dockers looked totally deflated. Smith showed his frustrations by shoulder charging James Goode in the 69th minute after he had been challenged by Cook moment earlier.

Jack Barham to his credit kept buzzing around the Fleet box and he was involved with Tilbury’s best effort of the game when his quick thinking saw him pounce on a loose ball, pass it quickly to Smith who laid it off to Eli Benoit. The Dockers’ substitute then knocked the ball goalwards and Mason was called upon to push the ball over the bar. It was a good move but Tilbury had not produced enough up front and Barham was often on a one-man mission. He therefore fully deserved his goal in the 78th mnute. Losing his marker, the Dockers front man found space to get the ball under control before unleashing a shot that sailed past Mason’s left hand and crashing into the net.

Mark Onyemah, who had seen an earlier effort saved by Butcher, completed the rout in the closing stages when he cut in from the right and lifted the ball over Butcher.

Tilbury’s play-off hopes are in the balance but they do have an Essex Senior Cup Semi-Final clash with East Thurrock United on Tuesday, which could realistically be their best hope of ending the season with something to shout about.

Tilbury: Butcher, Mead, Conway, D Smith, Nightingill, Jaggs (Norton 60), Aromolaran (Beniot 46), Carlile, Barham, Hewitt (Singh 74), K Smth  

Unused subs: Francis and Martin