East Thurrock claim victory, but stay on the brink

7:26pm Saturday 19th April 2008

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East Thurrock United 3, Ashford Town 1

EAST Thurrock produced a strong second half performance and three goals in 20 minutes wrapped up the Ryman Premier League points, but it is unlikely to be enough to save Rocks from relegation.

They could go down on Monday evening if Folkestone beat AFC Hornchurch and even if they survive to the season's final weekend it will take a win at Harlow, Carshalton losing at home to Tonbridge and a draw between Maidstone and Folkestone for Rocks to escape.

Saturday's first half was a largely forgettable affair with both sides betrayed by nerves. With Ashford chasing a play-off place and Rocks on the abyss, it was a case of who made the least mistakes and a safety first approach - meaning neither keeper was troubled.

Steve Wareham looked the liveliest of the Rocks players going forward, and occasionally his pace and ability to burrow through a gap in the visiting defence caused problems, but he was never able to find a finish.

The opportunities that came his way were largely a result of flicks and nudges from Steve West, the Rocks captain turning in an aggressive performance up front which was allied to an inspirational effort when called upon to do defensive duties. He rarely missed a header and was certainly leading by example.

He also came closest to a first half goal for Rocks, getting on the end of a driven Ben Woods free kick six minutes before the break but his angled header drifted wide of the post and was just too strong for the chasing Wareham to get a vital touch.

Ashford might have had the last word of the half, but Wes Goggin failed to make a proper connection when the ball was laid into his path with the goal at his mercy.

Rocks picked up the pace after the break and young Ben Boyce, who was a bundle of energy all afternoon, forced keeper Craig Ross to finger-tip a rising drive over the bar soon after the restart.

They took the lead on 54 minutes when Wareham burst through the middle before laying the ball into the path of Boyce and the youngster produced a confident, angled finish.

And it was Boyce who got the opening goal on 54 minutes when Wareham bundled his way through a crowd of players before laying the ball into the path of his team-mate and Boyce produced a cross shot into the back of the net.

Boyce was in the thick of things at the other end moments later when he threw himself into the path of a shot and the ball flew off his head just wide of his own post with keeper Shane Gore struggling to get across.

Ashford had a half decent shout for a penalty turned down when Scott Todd was knocked over in the box and they almost equalised just after the hour mark when Goggin was unlucky to see his drive strike the underside of the crossbar and bounce down and away to safety.

Having ridden their luck and lived on their nerve-ends for several minutes as Ashford pressed hard, East Thurrock went back on the attack grabbed the vital second goal on 72 minutes when substitute Tony Boot, on for Wareham, forced the ball home after digging it from under his feet in a crowded penalty area where another West flick had caused confusion.

And West, the game's outstanding player, made sure of victory for the home side two minutes later, though visiting keeper Craig Ross will blame himself for not getting down to stop the East Thurrock man's low, bobbling shot from distance.

It was goal that West's industry deserved and his commitment to the cause was encapsulated when he got into a protracted tangle with Ashford's Rick Wellard in the closing stages.

Both picked up a booking, but the wry smile on West's face showed he had got the better of the psychological encounter - and had eaten up a chunk of the clock.

Gore produced a couple of saves, including one fine, low reflex stop from Warren Harris as Rocks sat back on the lead. And there was still time for Ashford to get a goal, but Gavin Smith's cool breakaway finish on 88 minutes was no more than a consolation for the visitors.

Rocks finished with whoops of joy and hugs of celebration, but their mood gradually changed as results drifted in from elsewhere.

Unfortunately most went against their ambitions of survival, none more so than Folkestone's 5-4 win at play-off seeking Margate.

Last week it was Rocks' inability to kill off the struggling Kent side on their own turf that brought heartbreak when Folkestone produced a 90th minute equaliser to deny Rocks two precious points. This week the Channel coast side hammered another blow into Rocks' coffin.

Rocks boss John Coventry wore the frown of a man who had found a fiver but lost a £20 note. He wanted to smile but the bigger picture dominated. "It was tough to hear the other results after we had played so well. I couldn't fault the lads' effort today, it is other days where we have put ourselves in this position," he said.

"We can't give in and if we are still alive next Saturday we can only do our job at Harlow and hope. We won't give it up just yet but it is hard to take after going out and doing so well today against a side at the other end of the table."

Rocks: Shane Gore, Steve Pashley (Kris Newby), Ashley Dumas, Max Cornhill, Ben Wood, Rio Alderton, Ben Boyce, Lee Williams, Steve West, Steve Wareham (Tony Boot ), Steve Harrison (Dave Lee). Subs not used: Jackson Ohakan, Bradley Stevens.

Attendance 116.

Ryman Premier, up to and in Sat, April 19

		P	W	D	L	F	A	+/-	Pts
C	Chelmsford City	41	26	9	6	84	35	+49	87
2	AFC Wimbledon	41	22	8	11	80	46	+34	74
3	Staines Town	40	20	12	8	82	53	+29	72
4	AFC Hornchurch	40	20	8	12	67	43	+24	68
5	Hendon	41	18	11	12	78	65	+13	65
6	Ramsgate	41	18	11	12	62	53	+9	65
7	Tonbridge Angels	41	17	12	12	77	55	+22	63
8	Ashford Town (Mx)	41	19	6	16	75	65	+10	63
9	Billericay Town	41	16	12	13	66	56	+10	60
10	Margate	41	16	11	14	70	68	+2	59
11	Horsham	41	18	5	18	61	60	+1	59
12	Harlow Town	41	13	13	15	55	50	+5	52
13	Heybridge Swifts	41	13	13	15	61	62	-1	52
14	Harrow Borough	41	15	7	19	61	73	-12	52
15	Wealdstone	41	14	9	18	66	74	-8	51
16	Boreham Wood	40	15	5	20	55	66	-11	50
17	Hastings United	41	14	8	19	55	67	-12	50
18	Maidstone United	41	15	4	22	55	79	-24	49
19	Folkestone Invicta	40	13	9	18	49	69	-20	48
20	Carshalton Athletic	41	13	8	20	50	65	-15	47
21	East Thurrock United (-1)	41	13	9	19	46	66	-20	47
R	Leyton	41	4	4	33	35	120	-85	16