EAST Thurrock produced the expected Ryman One North victory against rock bottom Forest, who were a hurriedly put together side following the Christmas departure of manager Tony Mercer, but the visitors drew plenty of plaudits for a valiant backs to the wall effort reports the Essex Enquirer.
There was a sloppy start from Waltham Forest who passed the ball into touch from the kick-off.
They quickly found themselves on the backfoot and inside the second minute, Reiss Gilbey whipped a shot wide of the post.
On seven minutes Neil Richmond had an opportunity after catching the backline out from Max Cornhill’s forward header but he drifted his angled short across the face of the goal.
On 13 minutes Richmond appeared to lose his footing with the goal beckoning at the end of a Newby cross. Kye Ruel returned the ball into the box and with no-one able to get a touch, Forest were relieved to see the ball come back off the post.
Moments later, after another scramble, Michael Filetti cleared Steve Sheehan header off the line but when the same player got a header from a Joe Keith corner on 16 minutes there was no escape as the ball bounced into the net for the opener.
In the 20th minute a speedy attack saw keeper Jason Willis save Ruel’s drive and Newby’s low follow-up shot was stopped on the line by Lee Flavin and Willis smothered the rebound under pressure as Newby followed up.
Richmond, for whom things just aren’t running in front of goal, just failed to control one through ball then flicked a header past the post but his goal was finally to come on the half hour, though he had to have two bites at the cherry to force the ball home from close range.
A third goal should have come soon after, when Max Cornhill had just keeper Willis to beat but he overran the ball allowing the keeper to save.
Forest stuck to their guns gamely and came close to pulling a goal back with their first real threat of the game but Joel Palmer was just unable to force the ball home from close range, allowing Keith to scramble the ball away.
Rocks tried to lift the tempo at the start of the second half and Cornhill saw an early shot charged down, with claims for handball waved away, and then Richmond charged down an attempted clearance but Forest cleared their lines.
Ruel then warmed the palms of Willis with a low angled shot but there was little he could do on 56 minutes when Newby sent him the wrong way with a low drilled penalty after Gilbey had been tripped by Flavin.
Richmond had two more efforts blocked, as did Newby but the game’s fourth goal, on 73 minutes was to come from Forest when Junior Luke lofted a ball into the box which deceived keeper Richard Wray and went in.
Normal service was resumed at the other end with a blistering run from Newby, who was dreadfully unfortunate to see his effort came back off the post and moments later he saw an angled effort miraculously cleared off the line by Gbenga Sonuga.
However, the wall of white shirts couldn’t stem the tide forever and Richmond grabbed his second on 83 minutes, prodding the ball home from close range.
Rocks sub Conor Mead thought he had a season’s first goal with a thundering drive in the 89tyh minute but again a valiant Forest player, Luke Hornsley produced a sensational goalline clearance.
