Thurrock 5-1 Wroxham

From Ship Lane

Ryman Division One North

A RAMPANT Thurrock moved up to second in the table after a 5-1 mauling of Wroxham.

Goals from Jordan Clark, David Cowley, Michael Toner and a double from top-scorer Ross Wall saw off the Norfolk outfit, and made it eight league wins from nine for The Fleet at Ship Lane this season.

The pitch survived torrential downpours, and it was Thurrock that used the slick surface to their advantage with good early possession.

From the kick-off Cowley, Lewwis Spence, and Jordan Clark got the better of the early exchanges in midfield, and soon pinned Wroxham back.

The game's first notable incident came after 10 minutes when Wroxham striker Ashley Jarvis picked up an early yellow card for nudging Thurrock's Lewis Clark into the advertising hoardings.

Clark was carted off to hospital after dislocating his shoulder.

Thurrock fashioned the game's first major chance on 15 minutes with skipper Spence hammering a left-foot shot onto the bar from edge of the box after good work from striker Charlie Stimson.

The first 30 minutes saw very little threat posed by Wroxham, their only notable effort coming from midfielder Jordan King who struck a tame left-footed shot into Rhys Madden's grateful gloves. 

Thurrock's front pairing of Wall and Stimson were probing menacingly with their movement and hold-up play causing problems for Wroxham's centre halves Andrew Howell and Oliver Ebbage.

After 35 minutes, The Fleet got their breakthrough. The impressive Cowley was hauled down by Wroxham's Jamie Forshaw as he weaved his way into the box.

Jordan Clark stepped up to slot the penalty home to the keeper’s left and gave Thurrock a deserved lead.

However, Wroxham surprisingly hit back just three minutes before half time.

Keeper Madden failed to collect a long free-kick and striker Nathan Stone was on hand to level with a sharp volley inside the box.

The second half began with Thurrock pushing to recapture the lead, and it very nearly arrived as Spence broke through the middle of midfield to feed left back Remi Sutton, whose cross flashed across the face of goal.

Thurrock got the reward for their pressure, as Cowley topped his performance by bagging a fine left-foot volley on 55 mins.

Eight minutes later, The Fleet extended their lead as defender Michael Toner looped a header home from a Cowley corner.

Wroxham did manage to bring the best out of Madden who smartly tipped over a Seamus Kelleher shot from just inside the box on the hour.

However the game was put beyond doubt on 80 minutes when Ross Wall netted a superb low left-foot finish from 15 yards to make it 4-1.

Wall then added his second, and his fifteenth of a prolific season, slotting home after a surging run from Sutton five minutes from time.

 

Thurrock: Madden, Morgan, L Clark (Duncan), Toner, Sutton, J Clark, Orth (Goode), Spence (c), Stimson (Francis), Wall, Cowley

Wroxham: Pauling, Norman, Sturman, Hinton, Howell (c), Ebbage, Forshaw, King, Stone (Waters), Jarvis, Kelleher