Bill Robinson reports from Ship Lane………
After suffering three consecutive defeats against fellow strugglers the visit of high flying Woking was not anticipated with any confidence.
But Thurrock dug in and fought hard to try and win a point, the battle got harder when reduced to ten men but a cruel last minute goal robbed them of a deserved point.
The first thirty minutes were poor neither side managing to create any real threat on goal and both keepers having little or nothing to do with the ball.
Woking tried to up the tempo in the latter stages of the half but the Thurrock centre Backs Olima and Swaine seemed more than capable of dealing with them.
Freddie Ladapo did manage to get one shot away from distance just before the break but it lacked power and keeper Andrew Little had no issue in saving it.
HT 0-0
Second half started much brighter with Thurrock winning two consecutive corners putting pressure on the visitors goal, but shots from Swaine and Ladapo were both cleared.
Woking responded by throwing men forward and on 53 minutes the first real chance of the game fell to Woking’s Kieran Murtagh, but his shot went inches over.
On 65 minutes Thurrock were reduced to ten men when referee Mr Lee Betts awarded a straight red card to Rob Swaine for a reckless tackle on Jay Davies on the edge of the box.
On 75 minutes Woking replaced Richard Anane with Oliver Palmer and within sixty seconds he broke free and fired in a shot that beat the advancing keeper Joe Woolley but the ball struck the outside of the post and away.
In the last seconds of normal time Woking struck a killer blow when the ball was crossed low into the box Woking’s Elvis Hammond managed to get a toe to the ball and deflect the ball wide of the keeper and give them all three points.
Thurrock : Joe Woolley, Craig Pope, Rob Swaine, Paul Olima, Reece Harris, Matt Bodkin, Dean Cracknll, Kenny Clark, TJ Sie, Jamie Richards, Freddie Ladapo
Subs: Tom Murphy, David Knight, Joao Carlos, Lynval Duncan, Marlon Patterson
