Thurrock vs Whitehawk (From Thurrock Gazette)

5:07pm

Thank you very much for joining me this afternoon!

Whitehawk go marching on at the expense of Fleet who desperately need to start stringing together a few wins!

Elsewhere, Blues won their eighth on the trot and made it 13 unbeaten as they chopped another two points off of Maldon and Tiptree's lead at the top. They drew with Romford at home.

Maldon are now just six points clear and Blues have four games in hand!

Aveley were - surprisingly - beaten 4-1 away to Needham Market!

5:04pm

Elsewhere:

Grays Athletic 4 - 1 Potters Bar Town

(Maldon and Tiptree 1 - 1 Romford)

Needham Market 4 - 1 Aveley.

5:01pm

An efficient and impressive first half display from Hawks won them the game. They quite comfortably saw out the second half.

Fleet lacking pace, big time.

Charlie Henry, on loan from Macclesfield was the best player on the pitch. A cut above.

Hawks took the lead through a controversial goal from Losaso, on loan from Reading. There was uncertainty as to whether or not the ball went in. But i'm led to believe that the Thurrock keeper David Hughes has said the ball definitely went in.

However, the linesman didn't cover himself in glory. He should have checked the nets before kick off.

James Fraser then doubled the lead, with Danny Mills heading home to make it three. Henry played a sensational part in both those goals.

4:51pm

4:51pm

A scooped ball into the box by Thurgood, that no one gets close to and it bounces harmlessly out. Poor. Sums up Fleet's afternoon.

Good low shot from Ebsworth then has Martin scrambling across his goal, but it goes wide.

4:49pm

Great effort by Henry, low, round the wall and right footed. Hughes down well to save.

4:48pm

Free kick to Whitehawk now, right on the edge of the box, just to the left of centre. Henry and Malcolm over it...

4:47pm

Five minutes added on here. Where Mr Georgiou has got that from, i've no idea.

4:46pm

Kris Newby on for Grays at Rush Green.

Minutes remaining there as there is here.

They've seen a fair amount of the ball in the second half, but been unable to do anything with it.

4:43pm

4:40pm

A few balls into the box now by Fleet, but Hawks deal comfortably. Not a lot of aerial threat in this Thurrock eleven.

4:39pm

Charlie Henry fires over the bar from distance. That's as close as Whitehawk have come in a while.

But as I write that, Michael Malcolm cuts in off the left and unleashes a fierce shot to the near post which goes just wide.

4:38pm

4:37pm

Darren Ebsworth, with his first contribution, does well to go by Paul Hinshelwood in the left of the box, but his cross - if you can call it that - leaves a lot to be desired.

4:36pm

Thurrock sub: Lewwis Spence is replaced by Darren Ebsworth

4:35pm

Super tackle by Andy Pearson on Charlie Stimson in the Whitehawk box. Thurrock look entirely toothless. Since Honesty was taken off, they've had even less pace.

Jones does well, getting the the touchline before seeing his low cross blocked.

Then Henry collects the ball on the right, darts inside, toys with Onyemah, but Hughes gets down well to gather his low cross.

4:32pm

Whitehawk substitution, Sam Gargan on for Danny Mills.

4:31pm

A wholeheartedly uninspiring last ten minutes here at Ship Lane. Neither side look like scoring. Whitehawk know the game is won and Thurrock know the game is lost. Still 17 minutes to play here though.

4:28pm

4:26pm

That's as close as Thurrock have come as Stimson shoots, right-footed from 20 yards out, just wide of Martin's right hand post.

4:21pm

Thurrock playing with no tempo despite having some good possession. Green wriggles into the box, but fouls El-Abd in the process as Thurgood makes a great last ditch tackle on Malcolm as he goes to pull the trigger from ten yards.

4:18pm

Thurrock sub:

Harry Honesty being replaced by Ryan Imbert, as Thurgood plays a free kick into the box which Whitehawk clear.

4:17pm

Good run by Green who evades two challenges before laying the ball off to Honesty, but in acres of space, he hits a tame shot that trickles into Martin's arms.

4:15pm

More good stuff from Henry who has moved over to the left flank now to torment Jones. He almost forges a chance, but the killer pass is blocked by Spence.

4:11pm

Good tackle by Griffin on Mills, as the tall forward again got in behind. Corner is put behind by Pearson. Goal kick. Thurrock need an opening and soon!

4:09pm

Subsitution for Whitehawk, skipper Matt Lawrence is being replaced by Andy Pearson.

4:05pm

Good save from Hughes.

Malcolm played Mills through on goal, but Hughes made himself big and saved with his legs.

4:04pm

3:53pm

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3:47pm

This is turning into a torrid afternoon for Fleet.

Onyemah is caught out again as Hinshelwood plays a terrific ball over the top. Henry gathers, he crosses from the right and Mills rises at the back post to head home into the top corner.

3:42pm

Fantastic goal from the hosts. But Thurrock were sloppy in giving it away.

After defending relatively well for five minutes, Stuart Thurgood played a lazy, uncharacteristic ball up the pitch. It was intercepted and fell into the path of Henry, who has been different class so far, who played a one-two with full back Hinshelwood. The midfielder then played a terrific through ball to Mills, catching Onyemah, the Fleet full-back out. Mills crossed from the right to Fraser who tapped in.

3:34pm

3:33pm

Another good save from Hughes. Keehan shoots from 30 yards, Hughes tips over. Thurrock not defending particularly well. They're leaving big gaps all over the place and with Whitehawk's abundance of talent going forward, it could prove costly. Already signs that it will.

3:31pm

Maldon are still 1-0 down to Romford.

While here, Malcolm holds onto the ball too long in the box and Griffin tackles.

3:30pm

3:29pm

Great save from Hughes!

Griffin is wasteful in possession and the ball is played over toward Mills. His marker, Guest, stumbles, allowing Mills to cut in and march in on goal. He then tries to bend the ball around Hughes, who reads it and saves at his near post.

3:27pm

25 minutes in here, then, and it's Thurrock 0 - 1 Whitehawk. The visitors have just gone close from a corner. But Fleet are holding their own at the moment.

3:26pm

Remarkable update from the Aveley game below!

3:25pm

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3:24pm

Elsewhere today,

Needham Market are 3-1 up on Aveley! (Staggering latest!)

And it's 0-0 at Rush Green between Grays Athletic and Potters Bar Town, where the now notorious Kris Newby is on the bench for Blues.

3:21pm

Apparently the linesman has said there is a big hole in the Thurrock net.

Anyway, back to the game and John Guest has been booked, could have been a professional foul, but the busy Mr Georgiou has deemed that Griffin could have got there.

Guest then heads the free kick behind.

Thurrock have responded quite well to going behind but they're under the cosh now.

The referee has found the hole in the net and is now tying it up.

3:18pm

Never a dull moment where Thurrock are involved. I think the correct decision has been reached. But was the net pegged down?! It looked to me to go the right side of the post. The referee immediately gave the goal, but then hesitated following Thurrock protestations. The linesman went and checked the net, and verdict is, the ball went in!

The Thurrock fans are singing: "It went wide and you scored a goal"

3:14pm

Farcical scenes here. The goal has been given. It was a great shot by Losaso, the ball flew beyond Hughes, but did it go in?! Thurrock say no. The referee and linesman, after much debate (and player protestation) have decided the ball went through the net, bounced off the hoardings behind the goal and came back out. The Thurrock players are saying it went wide.

Mr Georgiou has decided the ball went in. Bizarre.

3:08pm

Michael Malcolm spins on the edge of the Thurrock box and shoots just wide. Nice effort! First spell of sustained pressure from the league leaders.

3:06pm

Those three signings for Whitehawk then, Charlie Henry is on loan from Macclesfield, Charlie Losaso comes in from Reading - yes, Reading - Paul Hinshelwood has joined from Conferense South side Havant and Waterlooville. All three are in the Hawk's starting XI.

Frank Griffin is coming on for Jack Jeffries. He's been down for a few minutes receiving treatment following a high tackle that led to a yellow card as well.

3:01pm

What a start! Green is released down the right, his into the near post is diverted goal ward and saved by Martin, before the ball spins loose to Thurgood on the edge of the box. His half volley is deflected over the bar!

2:59pm

Ah, some welcome sun rays on the Ship Lane turf. Any more rain here and it is unlikely we'll see a full 90 minutes.

But Whitehawk, while top, haven't been in scinitialting form of late. They've only won five of their last ten, drawn three and lost two.

They have completed three key signings this week though..

2:54pm

The teams this afternoon are:

Thurrock:

Hughes; Onyemah, Jones, Jeffries, Guest; Thurgood (c), Green, Spence, Smith; Honesty, Stimson.

Subs: Ebsworth, Viner, Imbert, Griffin, Dobson.

Whitehawk:

Martin; Hinshelwood, Knee, Keehan, Lawrence (c); El-Abd, Henry, Losaso, Fraser; Malcolm; Mills.

Subs: Pearson, Jones, Araba, Gargan, Pacheco.

2:51pm

Today i'm at Ship Lane, where league leaders Whitehawk are in town!

This is going to be a tough ask for Fleet, who were eventually awarded the three points following that farcical match at Wingate last week.

The rain has hit two games involving the borough's sides: Tilbury's game against Soham Town Rangers is off, as is East Thurrock's trip to Hendon.

2:48pm

Good afternoon!

Well, it's nothing shy of a miracle that this game between Thurrock and Whitehawk is on today!

After a quite remarkable week on the Thurrock non-league scene that saw Thurrock's game at Wingate and Finchley abandoned, Kris Newby move from East Thurrock United to Grays, before opening up to the Gazette and Echo about his gambling addiciton, which went viral in the national papers, some football would be nice!