Thurrock FC vs Aveley FC (From Thurrock Gazette)

9:30pm

Great play from Okah who has looked good since coming on. A nice touch, turn and pass sees him release Stimson, who tries to turn but is tackled. The ball goes behind for a corner.

That's cleared to Sam Taylor whose looping effort from range goes narrowly wide.

9:28pm

...Matt Thomson's effort works the Aveley stopper but hardly tests him. Two minutes to go.

Still Thurrock lead 2-1.

9:27pm

A little example of how wet it is out there now as Adam Seal spills a harmless cross. Thankfully no Aveley attackers read it.

Aveley growing a little impatient here as time runs out.

And Thurrock have a free kick in a dangerous position after Daniel Okah is tripped brining to an end a nice a maisy run..

9:25pm

Tom Querry snaps at a shot from range for Aveley. Well worth an effort with the ball likely to skid off the wet surface, but he fails to get hold of it and it squirms wide.

9:24pm

So it's still 2-1 to Thurrock. Around 10 minutes to play.

Aveley having a lot of the ball, but struggling to make it count at the moment.

Another light rain shower falling at Ship Lane - which as I type is getting heavier.

Odofin has come off for Thurrock. I think Frank Griffin is his replacement.

9:19pm

Nice to see Tilbury boss Paul Vaughan here. Scouting Aveley, I suspect, who his side will face in the Ryman North this season.

9:16pm

Aveley have come back to life since going behind.

A terrific driving run by Jack Stephenson split Wanadio and Odofin, before his cross-come-shot was caught well by Seal in the Thurrock goal.

9:14pm

Tom Querry and Charlie Stephenson are on for Aveley.

Woodward has come on for Thurgood in Fleet's centre of midfield.

9:12pm

A great sweeping attack from Thurrock saw Stimson play in Perkins whose back heel found Woodward, who then played in Honesty who unleashed a great shot, forcing a top save.

The resulting corner was headed in from close range by Lewis Perkins.

2-1 Thurrock.

9:07pm

About 20 minutes to go here. Thurrock on top, but the game is still anybody's. All very unpredictable.

Thurrock still moving the ball about well. Wanadio has gone to right back, Taylor is playing right mid and Thomson has come on for Ibrahim for Fleet. 

9:03pm

Shot cleared off the line! Great run down the right from Wanadio, who then fizzed a ball across which was fired low and hard by Honesty before being blocked on the line and cleared.

Thurrock stepping it up here. Stimson has just looped a shot over from 20 yards.

9:01pm

It's cleared by Stephenson, but that leads to a spell of Thurrock possession around the Aveley area. They're just lacking that final ball at the moment.

8:59pm

Gardner furious that a free kick has been given, mid way inside Aveley's half. Had play been allowed to go on, Aveley would have been on the counter attack. But the challenge on Ibrahim was deemed to be unfair.Thurgood over the free-kick...

8:57pm

Well after the break neck speed that the first half was played at, this is relatively sombre. Lots of huffing and puffing, but neither side looking more likely than the other at the moment.

The game is opening up slightly though. Stephenson and Leader looking solid at the back for Aveley.

8:49pm

We're well underway any how.

Aveley have started the brighter. Jordan Cox has already fired wide and Adam Seal has just been forced to punch an Aveley corner clear.

8:48pm

We're about to start the second half.

Both sides have made a few changes.

Looks like Appiah, Wilson and Cox are on for Aveley.

Sam Taylor is on for Thurrock (he signed today) and Lewis Baucote is on too.

8:35pm

I'm told that Shane Oakley didn't start in the end. Danny Francis is wearing the number 10 for Aveley.

8:28pm

Corner at one end, to a corner at the other.

Thurrock's short corner comes to nothing and Billy Holland is released on the half way line. Calls for offside ignored by the linesman, as Foster gets back well to see the ball out for an Aveley corner...

...which comes to nothing.

8:24pm

Best chance in a while falls to Aveley.

The ball bounces between the centre halfs and Odofin's attempted clearance bounces off of Leader whose cross to the back post is headed across goal and wide from six yards. Should have done better. It was a free header for Holland.

8:20pm

All gone a bit quiet. First real lull in the game, with the ball pinballing around in the middle.

8:17pm

Good stuff from Aveley going forward.

A 25 yard effort by Holland, curling low to Hughes left, calls on the Thurrock keeper to get down well and palm the ball away.

Hughes is actually coming off now. He's been replaced by Adam Seal in goal.

Hughes must be injured.

8:14pm

Thurrock just gone off the boil a tad here, not quite as slick as they were in the opening moments and finding Aveley's direct approach a bit tricky to handle.

Hassan Ibrahim occasionally getting caught up the pitch, exposing the defence.

Shout for a penalty turned down by the referee. Harry Honesty from left midfield thought he'd turned and beaten Patten, who looked to have clipped Honesty as jinked past him. Was a theatrical tumble, however. "No" said the referee, amid the Thurrock appeals.

8:08pm

Billy Holland proving a great outlet for Aveley. He's very quick and giving the Thurrock centre halves all manner of problems with his movement.

Aveley look good on set pieces too. Some cracking corners that Thurrock are having trouble dealing with.

They're playing very direct so far the Millers and it could work for them yet.

Great game here, still 1-1.

8:05pm

From where i'm sitting, you could easily mistake Aveley boss Justin Gardner for being Pep Guardiola. He's looking sharp as he paces up along the edge of his technical area in a crisp white shirt with blue tie.

His side still finding it difficult to get the ball though. They've got 10 men in their own half and are remaining compact to prevent this (so far) silky Thurrock outfit from breaking them down.

8:01pm

Well that cam against the run of play and Aveley have since struggled to get hold of the ball.

They're lucky not to be behind again, too.

Great interchange of passes on the edge of the Aveley box saw Ibrahim break away to the touchline, cut back and pick out Stimson with a pacey cross which he put over the bar. Unlucky.

Lots of good football from Fleet though. Foster marauding foward from right back, Wanadio looking sharp and Ibrahim also looking nifty. 

7:55pm

Thurrock moving the ball along ground nicely. Thurgood pulling the strings in the middle and Wanadio already looking lively out on the right.

Aveley struggling to keep hold of the ball when they have it - which in the last five minutes, hasn't been often.

7:52pm

Great start to the game and a great Thurrock goal. Lovely cross from Thurgood, good knock in from Stimson.

It had been quiet until then. Game's being played at a great pace though.

Thurrock clear an Aveley free kick soon after scoring.

7:43pm

The subs are:

Thurrock:

Woodward, Seal, Taylor, Thomson, Weemes, Okah, McBride, Baucote, Griffin.

Aveley:

Cox, Wilson, Appiah, Stephenson, Querry.

I imagine this game will be anything but friendly, as we await the teams here.

This is as much of a west Thurrock derby as you're going to get!

Both teams eager to prove a point. Gardner ambitious, Stimson experienced.

Let's go!

7:34pm

Sorry, that was supposed to say that Oakley has 5 goals in 3.

Here are the line-ups:

Thurrock:

Hughes; Foster, Dicks, Odofin, Walster; Thurgood (c), Wanadio, Ibrahim, Perkins; Stimson, Honesty

Aveley:

McCartney; Patten, Burnett, Stephenson, Leader (c); Skelton, Sontag, Edwards, Holland; Oakley, Curley

7:27pm

The early team news is that Thurrock's new signing, Sam Taylor, whose move from Witham Town was announced today, starts on the bench.

Shane Oakley, who has 3 in 5 for Aveley in pre-season is supposed to be starting, but has just left the warm-up, led off the picth by a physion so there may be some late changes.

7:25pm

Preparations are being ranked up and squads being tweaked. Tonight it's last year's two relegated sides.

Thurrock dropped from the Blue Square South division and Aveley tumbled from the division Thurrock are going into, the Ryman Premier.

But Aveley have been scoring for fun in pre-season and have lost only once whereas Thurrock, under new boss Mark Stimson, only secured the bulk of their squad last week.

So we could be in for a corker tonight.

7:21pm

Hello and welcome to our coverage of Thurrock FC vs Aveley FC.

It's difficult to think about football as Sir Chris Hoy and co. continue to leave us in awe during the spectacular Olympic games being hosted just 20 miles up the road from here.

But the football season is just 10 days away and we're at the business end of the pre-season.