Rocks lack fizz and slip back into trouble

8:51pm Monday 24th March 2008

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East Thurrock United 2, Maidstone United 4

THE celebration bubbles were still fizzing at Rookery Hill after Rocks' stunning 2-1 victory at Wimbledon on Good Friday, but by the end of the afternoon the atmosphere was distinctly flat as the borough side slumped back into the Ryman Premier relegation zone.

This was a desperate, and in many ways inexplicable, result for Rocks who clawed their way back after conceding two goals to draw level then let the game slip from their grasp.

Manager John Coventry looked a perplexed man afterwards, saying: "What is difficult to grasp is the lack of passion shown by some players.

"Ability is something that is definable, what sorts the men from the boys is the way they deal with difficult situations and today, having done so much to get back in the game we then gave the game away with lapses in concentration and a lack of application that was almost schoolboy-like."

Coventry and Rocks were dealt no favours by fate, with inspirational keeper Shane Gore suffering a back injury in the last seconds of the warm-up that left him on the treatment table in agony while Steve West took on the keeper's jersey.

With no replacement stopper on the bench Rocks were always vulnerable to an injury and though West post an impressive figure between the posts it's not the same as having a proper keeper and in the first half it was to be Rocks' undoing.

Not that they made a bad start to the match.

As early as the seventh minute they put the well-supported Kent side on the back foot and Ashley Dumas' corner was only touched by keeper Steve Northwood onto the head of Max Cornhill but the young midfielder could only guide his instinctive header wide of the target.

Minutes later striker Steve Wareham turned the visiting defence, but his left-foot shot was wide.

The absence of Gore was to prove fateful on ten minutes when Ian Selley, late of Grays Athletic and previously of career-topping Arsenal, flashed a shot goal wards that West opted to deal with feet first and he only succeeding in helping the ball into the net.

Rocks were off the pace from then on though Dumas volleyed an effort over, it seemed likely that Maidstone would be next to score. And so it proved, though the penalty conceded by Kris Newby's challenge on Ray Freeman was undoubtedly in the soft' category. Selley knocked home the 35th minute spot-kick.

To their immense credit, Rocks bounced back with a goal before the break, with Cornhill striking his sixth goal in eight games just inside the post two minutes before the interval.

Coventry reshaped his side for the second, with Steve Pashley taking over between the posts and West adding his weight up front, and Rocks were the game's dominant force.

They pushed Maidstone onto the defensive and it seemed only a matter of time before the equaliser came.

And that moment was on 55 minutes when a really intelligent cross field pass by Kris Newby opened up acres of space for Dumas and he delivered a teasing cross into the box which caused confusion and gave West the chance the bundle the ball over the line.

At that point there seemed only one possible outcome.

East Thurrock were on the up, Maidstone demoralised and the outcome a foregone conclusion.

However, football is a far from predictable game and bizarrely it was the visitors who were to go on and dominate.

They established the lead when atrocious defending from a miss-hit goal kick allowed Alex Tiesee to race goalwards and ram the ball back down East Thurrock's throats and past Pashley's flailing dive and the Rocks went AWOL again on 70 minutes as Connor Hagan's was met by the towering, though unchallenged, Chris Smalling who headed into the back of the net.

After that the game petered out to its inevitable conclusion, with Maidstone heading back to Kent with plenty of smiles, while Rocks supporters had frowns as they ponder the season's ultimate six fixtures and a possible path to survival.

Rocks: Steve West, Kris Newby, Ben Boyce (Steve Harrison), Steve Pashley, Ben Wood, Brad Stevens, Rio Alderton, Max Cornhill, Steve Wareham, Lee Williams, Ashley Dumas. Subs not used: Scott Holding, Jackson Ohakan.

Ryman Premier

		P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	Pts
1	Chelmsford City	37	24	8	5	78	32	+46	80
2	AFC Wimbledon	37	20	8	9	71	38	+33	68
3	AFC Hornchurch	37	18	7	12	63	41	+22	61
4	Staines Town	34	16	11	7	71	47	+24	59
5	Ramsgate	37	16	10	11	55	45	+10	58
6	Horsham	36	17	5	14	55	50	+5	56
7	Tonbridge Angels	36	15	10	11	67	51	+16	55
8	Hendon	35	15	10	10	69	55	+14	55
9	Billericay Town	37	15	10	12	61	51	+10	55
10	Margate	37	14	10	13	56	56	0	52
11	Ashford Town (Mx)	35	15	6	14	60	57	+3	51
12	Harrow Borough	37	14	7	16	60	66	-6	49
13	Wealdstone	37	13	8	16	60	66	-6	47
14	Harlow Town	37	11	12	14	51	47	+4	45
15	Heybridge Swifts	36	11	12	13	49	52	-3	45
16	Maidstone United	37	14	3	20	50	71	-21	45
17	Hastings United	37	12	8	17	48	60	-12	44
18	Folkestone Invicta	36	12	8	16	42	59	-17	44
19	Boreham Wood	36	13	4	19	50	62	-12	43
20	East Thurrock United (-1)	36	12	8	16	40	58	-18	43
21	Carshalton Athletic	36	11	7	18	41	58	-17	40
R	Leyton	37	4	4	29	32	107	-75	16