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Tilbury 1, Witham Town 2

SHOULD Tilbury slip back into the Essex Senior League, the inquest on their Ryman Division One North campaign will focus on several pivotal matches.

High on the list will be Tuesday night's thumping defeat at Wivenhoe, but more pertinent is today's encounter.

For much of what was admittedly a very poor match Dockers looked the better side, particularly in the opening 45 minutes.

But they spurned the advantage of a third minute opening goal and only in the final moments, when imminent defeat appeared to motivate them out of a strange lethargy, did they show real commitment.

Unfortunately Tilbury's players are developing a persecution complex. At the end of today's match many players and assistant manager Alan Moulder made a beeline for referee Neil West and vented their spleen.

Yet to blame the referee for the defeat is shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Sure, he made a few mistakes but it was Tilbury's lack of concentration and dearth of ideas that cost them dear, never more so than for the equalising goal.

Erkan Yusuf was undoubtedly tripped as he ran with the ball, losing possession midway in the Witham half but when 30 seconds later Bradley Smart's clumsy tackle felled Phil Goodwin in the box Tilbury's minds were still on the foul that Mr West never gave rather than the job in hand which was defending.

Smart may say he played the ball before the man but this reporter's view, admittedly from 60 yards away, was that it looked a stonewall spot-kick and what Tilbury ought to be asking is why they allowed the situation to develop and Smart felt the need to make an ill-judged challenge.

Smart, who had looked so composed in recent matches, appeared to have the world on his shoulders throughout the game. Never a man given to beaming smiles, he was still strangely out of sorts, a criticism that could be levelled at several players today.

Yet it had all looked so promising in the opening minutes when Sam Groombridge's quick throw-in set Yusuf free and he lobbed Town's new keeper Rhys Madden for that early opening goal.

Tilbury looked as though they would crack on from that and they looked a far better side than shapeless Witham. However, bookings in quick succession for Jamie Gray and Martyn Guest took the fire out of their midfield and set the tone for the rest of the match.

Both bookings had justification, though both were a little harsh and might not have been given on another day, but Tilbury should have learned by now to shrug off the feeling that 'nobody loves us' and get on with the game.

Instead they faltered and when Paul King picked up his 12th yellow card of the season for stopping David Hawes en-route to goal you suspected Tilbury's heads might be going.

The lapse of concentration on 36 minutes that led to Rob King smashing home the equalising spot kick typified their state of mind.

What was also evident was a lack of invention.

With top scorer Kurt Smith arriving late and on the bench because of work commitments Tilbury's front pairing was Chris Stowe and newcomer Tom Poole, signed from Aveley, but they rarely got a chance to spark as Dockers had no idea what to do with the large amount of possession they enjoyed.

One run through and chip over the bar from Poole and a strong set-piece King header in the closing moments of the half was about all they could muster.

The second half degenerated as it went on.

Neither side had the composure to get the ball down and play and the ball was banged about the midfield like a hand grenade with the pin pulled. No-one wanted it and everyone wanted to get rid of it as soon as they had it.

Smith came on for the lethargic Stowe after 67 minutes and when another sub, young Danny O'Connor, came on for Guest something finally clicked and the two combined for Smith to turn back inside and thrash a stinging volley that Maddan could only parry. When the ball eventually bobbled to Gray his powerful shot was wide.

The game's decisive moment arrived on 80 minutes when King and keeper Richard Wray got in a muddle dealing with a long ball and it broke free across the face of the box. There appeared no problem as Groombridge looked to have the danger covered but he hesitated fatally with his clearance and the ball ran away from him to substitute Jamie Ricks who walked it into an empty net.

It was a calamitous goal to concede and the desperation of their situation finally seemed to kick in for Dockers, who ploughed forward with real intent at last.

Poole was desperately unlucky when he crashed a shot against the foot of the post and then he forced a fine save from Maddan with a fierce angled drive.

But it was too little, too late. And Tilbury, who suffered further anguish when news of victories for relegation rivals Waltham Forest and Wivenhoe filtered through, ought to have been blaming themselves rather than looking at Mr West as the scapegoat.

At the end of a couple of recent fine performances Tilbury boss John Lawrence has played the theme from the Great Escape in the dressing room afterwards. At the end of this match he must have felt like Charles Bonson when the tunnel caved in on him.

If there's a glimmer of hope for the genial Dockers boss, it must be that in the end Bronson, or rather his character 'Tunnel King' Danny Velinski was one of the few that made it to safety!

Tilbury: Richard Wray, Sam Groombridge, Danny Smith, Bradley Smart, Paul King, Martyn Guest (Danny OConnor), Erkan Yusef, Jamie Gray, Tom Poole, Chris Stowe (Kurt Smith), James Dwyer (Luke Stanley). Subs not used: Paul Agu, Nathan Philip.

Other Ryman One North results: Arlesey Town 2 Ilford 1; Brentwood T 1, Aveley 1; Bury Town 1, Maldon Town 1; Canvey Island 1, Great Wakering Rovers 0; Northwood 0, AFC Sudbury 1; Redbridge 5, Edgware Town 0; Waltham Abbey 0, Dartford 5; Waltham F 2, Potters Bar 0; Ware 3, Wingate & Finchley 1; Wivenhoe Town 2, Enfield Town 0.

Ryman Division One North, Up to and inc Sat Feb 23

6:39pm Saturday 23rd February 2008

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