Ryman Div One North
Great Wakering Rovers 1 Tilbury 2 (att 110)
Tilbury picked up maximum points over the Easter period with a very hard fought victory over a resolute Great Wakering Rovers side. The game started in driving rain and swirling wind. The Dockers went in to the game with an unchanged line up and started well on a good pitch.
Tom Webb headed wide after only 2 minutes from a Tom Wraight corner. On 10 minutes Wraight was again in the action crossing into the box and found no one on the end of the cross. On 13 Tilbury took the lead when Tom Webb burst into the box and was upended by Goodwin-Green and the referee awarded a penalty. The ever reliable Alex Read scored to the keepers left for his 24th of the season. In the 20th minute Rovers equalised when Ashley Hawkins effort was saved by James Marrable and the ball fell to Jay Nash to slot home into an empty net. The goal was a blow for the visitors as they were down to 9 players on the pitch at that time, due to both Alex Read and Conor Mead off the pitch for treatment. It was the last efforts for the afternoon for Read due to a pull in his hamstring. Up to the break Wakering dominated and Marrable had to be at his best on 2 occasions, both falling to Ashley Hawkins. Tilbury went close inside the first 2 minutes of the second half when Conor Mead fired just wide.
On 52 Wakering player manager Dan Trenkel’s effort was well blocked. Mead on the hour shot from 30 yards only to see his effort just over the top. On 70 and the game being played at a frantic pace, saw substitute Danny Smith’s effort brilliantly saved in the hosts goal. Wakering thought they had taken the lead with 7 minutes to go when Jay Nash’s header struck the bar from a corner.
In the final seconds and for the second game in a row, Tilbury scored deep into injury time and it had some controversy, when a ball was hit forward and picked up by Jack West who ran to the byline and crossed left footed and the ball fell to Emiel Aiken who bundled the ball home with a suspicion of handball. The home side expressed there unhappiness and this lead to Nick Skelton being sent off for over remonstrating with the referee. Both sides still attacked in the final minutes and it was Tilbury who took the points and moved up one place to 4th, level on points with Needham Market and above rivals Grays Athletic. Tilbury now require 2 wins to guarantee a play off place.
On Saturday, Tilbury welcome Potters Bar Town looking to avenge a 3-1 defeat earlier in the season.
After the game, a delighted Tilbury manager Paul Vaughan commented “Two wins in 48 hours was a great achievement, our fitness showed at this late time of the season. Great Wakering put up a great fight and will think they were unlucky to come out of the game with nothing. We never gave up and were rewarded. I gambled in the final minutes with 3 up top and it paid off and there is no better time to score!”
Team – Marrable, Mead, Worrell, Nightingill, S West, Henty (Smith 45), Aiken, Good, Read (J West 23), Webb (Collins 46), Wraight
Subs not used: Barnes and Bryan
