FA Cup 3rd Qualifying Round
East Thurrock United 3 v 6 Staines Town
EAST Thurrock United’s dream of making it to the first round proper of the FA Cup again turned into a nightmare at Rookery Hill where a horror opening half hour saw them concede four goals.
It was a mountain that proved far too high to overcome even though Rocks twice hauled themselves back into the game only to concede more goals through slack defening.
Rocks had rested most of their squad for the midweek Ryman League Cup tie at Grays and it seemed the returning players were still in ‘holiday’ mindset with a lack-lustre start to the match as Staines put them on the backfoot from the off.
The visitors’ pressure paid off when Staines took the lead in the 10th minute as Pat Cox scored his first of a hat-trick from the penalty spot after a clumsy foul by Ryan Scott. Nine minutes later Cox doubled his tally, finishing a simple strike from six yards after one time East Thurrock player Luke Wanadio ran through the left side of defence before selflessly setting the ball to his centre-forward.
Rocks then gifted Staines a third when centre half Ben Wood made a catastrophic miss-hit backpass that striker Jack Hutchinson pounced on and though keeper Lucas Lidakevicius foced him wide he stayed calm to score.
The pressure from the visitors continued and six minutes later Wanadio was gifted time and space to fire a low shot inside the near post of Lidakevicious.
Rocks, who posed little threat at the other end got a break four minutes before half time when a miscued shot from Lewis Smith took a deflection off Sam Higgins and looped into the net. Lifted by the goal, Rocks thought they had another when Higgins smashed home an angled drive but it was ruled out as Ashley Miller was adjudged to have been offside.
Nevertheless it was a spark that looked as if it might ignite a second half comeback and Rocks looked much better on the resumption, pressing Staines back. However, on 51 minutes an attack broke down and a clearance flew to Wanadio inside his own half and he raced away virtually unchallenged and slammed another shot past Lidakevicius.
To their credit, Rocks came again and Higgins then got one back from the penalty spot after Mitchell Gilbey was tripped in the box on 66 minutes and the door to an unlikely comeback opened when the deficit was reduced to two with 18 minutes remaining as Lewis Smith headed in from close range, but once again they crumbled defensively five minutes later when Cox headed into the bottom corner to seal his hat-trick, meeting a perfectly weighted cross from man of the match Wanadio.
