Derby stalemate as Tilbury and Aveley share spoils (From Thurrock Gazette)

Derby stalemate as Tilbury and Aveley share spoils

7:52pm Saturday 25th October 2008

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Tilbury 0, Aveley 0
BOTH managers felt they could have won Saturday’s hard-fought Ryman One North derby at Chadfields so a draw was just about the right result.

In blustery conditions it was always unlikely that the fans of both clubs, including a hardy bunch who had walked from Aveley for charity, were going to be treated to a feast of football and so it turned out.

If you like honest endeavour rather than primadonnas, this was your game.

It would be hard to fault any individual on an afternoon when all the players showed the right attitude but both sides lacked the guile and invention needed to get the vital goal.

Not that there weren’t chances. Both sides had opportunities and the bulk of them fell to the home side, never-more-so than in the last two minutes when they had three great chances to take the spoils.

However, visiting keeper James Marrable probably took the man of the match accolade and the fact that the other contenders were in the rearguards of both sides – Sean Francis Aveley and Junior Baker for Dockers – shows where the balance of power lay.

Aveley made the better start and Joao Carlos had an early claim for a penalty rightly waved away by ref Graham Atkins, but the closest we were to come to a goal all afternoon was in the 12th minute when a great ball from the ever influential Joe Keith split Aveley’s defence and Jason Fontaine pounced to clip a shot goalwards. Marrable reacted smartly to get a hand to the ball and push it upwards and the bar did the rest, the ball bouncing away for a corner off the woodwork.

Fontaine had another great chance on 28 minutes when he sprang the offside trap and was only denied by another save from Marrable.

In the closing stages of the half Aveley had what looked like a certain penalty denied when Bradley Barnes tumbled in the box, perhaps the only mistake from Mr Atkins who otherwise had an excellent afternoon.

From the subsequent corner Ryan Doyle headed straight at Andy Hall, missing his side’s best chance of the half.

Barnes was to leave the action early in the second half with a suspected dislocated elbow, being replaced by Junior Dadson.

As Aveley reorganised Tilbury pressed again and skipper Jamie Wallace wasted a good chance, heading into the side-netting from close range with the goal beckoning.

One or two crunching tackles began to fly in as frustration mounted and both sides made changes as the clock ran down in a bid to break the deadlock.

In the closing moments Tilbury - who gave debuts to Stephane Koffi, Dinah Diawara and Emmanuel Oladimeji off the bench - had the best of them with Marrable doing well to deny Koffi twice and Greg Cohen volleying straight at the keeper when a strike anywhere else would probably have won the points.

However, the goal wasn't forthcoming and in the end few would argue that it wasn’t a fair result.

Both sides are back in action next week. Tilbury play host to Canvey Island in the Essex Senior Cup on Tuesday while Millers, who go to Colchester in that competition on Wednesday, November 5, are at home to Great Wakering in the league on Monday.

Tilbury: Andy Hall, Danny Smith, Junior Baker, Steven Reading, Nathan Philip (Dinah Diawara), Jamie Wallace, Joe Keith, Greg Cohen, Anton Stephenson, Jason Fontaine (Stephane Koffi), Rashid Kamara (Emmanuel Oladimeji). Subs not used: Bobby Mason, Glen Robson.

Aveley: James Marrable, Ryan Doyle, Sam Holloway, Christian Wheeler, John Maskell, Sean Francis, Joao Carlos, Nicky Wettner, Wayne Vaughan (Chris Thomas), Bradley Barnes (Junior Dadson). Subs not used: Garry Skerrit, Glen Golby, Matt Johnson.

Referee: Graham Atkins.

Attendance: 102.

Ryman One North, up to and inc Sat, Oct 25

		P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	Pts
1	Brentwood Town	13	9	4	0	27	9	+18	31
2	Waltham Abbey	13	8	4	1	29	12	+17	28
3	Aveley	13	7	6	0	20	6	+14	27
4	East Thurrock United	11	8	1	2	26	17	+9	25
5	Concord Rangers	13	7	2	4	26	14	+12	23
6	Ware	12	7	2	3	27	16	+11	23
7	Leyton	12	7	1	4	27	16	+11	22
8	Wingate & Finchley	12	6	4	2	23	13	+10	22
9	Redbridge	12	5	5	2	23	13	+10	20
10	Cheshunt	12	6	1	5	17	17	0	19
11	Tilbury	14	5	3	6	22	18	+4	18
12	Northwood	13	5	3	5	16	15	+1	18
13	Maldon Town	13	5	3	5	19	19	0	18
14	Great Wakering Rovers	13	4	4	5	16	22	-6	16
15	Enfield Town	12	4	3	5	25	27	-2	15
16	Potters Bar Town	13	3	5	5	17	17	0	14
17	Thamesmead Town	13	4	2	7	17	25	-8	14
18	Chatham Town	13	3	1	9	15	23	-8	10
19	Ilford	13	3	1	9	7	22	-15	10
20	Waltham Forest	15	2	3	10	12	34	-22	9
21	Hillingdon Borough	14	2	1	11	8	35	-27	7
22	Witham Town	13	1	1	11	15	44	-29	4

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