Metropolitan Police  2-2  East Thurrock United

Aveley  3-0  Brentwood Town

Billericay Town 3-1  Dorchester Town

Chesterfield  1-2  Dagenham & Redbridge

Rotherham United  0-3  Southend United

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FULL TIME: And after 11 minutes of injury time, five of which came from nowhere, the curtain comes down on a thrilling finish to a superb game.  The Rocks seemed to have had it in the bag, but credit to the Met, they came back superbly and just about deserved their reward.

Pics of today’s match can be found here ….. https://www.flickr.com/photos/phoenixfmsport/sets/72157631762045316/

Best wishes, too, to Steve Sheehan, as it’s now emerged he has broken his fibula.  Class player, good lad.

Next up will be the Rocks FA Cup clash at Chelmsford City in a week’s time.  Until then, enjoy your football.  We certainly have today.

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10th min of injury time:  And what a save by Richard Wray, a point blank header from a free kick.  Blimey O’Reilly.

Injury time: Some tackles flying on.  This could be nasty.  Chortle.

89th min – GOAL! ….. MET POLICE 2,  East Thurrock United 2 Justice.  Play goes on, the ball goes back inside the Rocks area, and sub STAFFORDE PALMER shoots home

Kye Ruel goes off for Sam Collins too.

88th min – A moment of real drama.  A scramble in the area from a corner goes to Jay Lovatt on the edge of the six yard box, who shoots home an equaliser for the hosts.  Except the lino somehow says that it touched an offside player on its way in.  Uproar!

85th min – GOAL! ….. MET POLICE 1,  East Thurrock United 2 Ooh, a grandstand finish here.  A cracking shot is saved superbly by Richard Wray – but only into the path of JONTY SMITH, who rams it home from 15 yards.

Quality Polis!

81st min – A brown trouser moment.  A nice ball to the right outpaces Tom Stephen, who underestimated its speed slightly, and the resultant first time cross inside the area is missed by oncoming Met forwards by about a foot.  Phew.

78th min – Oh, so close for the Rocks.  Great ball from Reiss Gilbey finds Sam Higgins clear on the left bye-line.  He gets the centre in and Kye Ruel was about two millimetres from connecting inside the six yard box.  Excellent stuff.

75th min – East Thurrock seem to be doing their best to make it interesting, conceding a number of corners and free kicks.  All comfortably dealt with but ooh, we don’t that.

68th min – The Rocks respond in kind.  A corner on the right, and Key Ruel’s shot at a tight angle goes within a hair’s breadth of finishing the game once and for all.

Next goal, as ever, is crucial.

64th min – Blimey, that was close.  A wicked low centre on the right from the Met and Spencer Harrison heads clear for a corner, missing the goal by about a foot.  Phew.  Then from that, Richard Wray is forced into a superb reflex save from a bullet header inside the six yard box.  Quality polis there.

62nd min – Nice build-up down the left hand side from Reiss Gilbey and Kye Ruel results in the latter’s centre being controlled inside the area by Kris Newby.  With his hand, though.  Bah.

58th min – Ooh, a late clumsy challenge from Met Police’s Jay Lovatt on Ryan Sammons results in a yellow card.  Some of the 122 crowd groan but he gave the ref no choice.

57th min – Play resumes, with the Rocks on the attack, and on the right hand edge of the area, a superb shot from Kye Ruel is superbly parried away.  Great stuff.

55th min – Play held up whilst Steve Sheehan has sadly been stretchered off.  It looks innocuous, overstretching to get to the ball, but he looked in agony, the poor lad.  Fingers crossed he’s okay.  Spencer Harrison has come on to deputise.

50th min – Lots of running, lots of free kicks, and a Simon Peddie expletive that was heard in Penzance.  That’s what it’s been so far this half.

4.02pm – Kick Off! The Rocks fight the law, can the Rocks win?

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HALF TIME: And an excellent 45 minutes of football from both sides.  The Rocks certainly deserve to be ahead, but perhaps not by two goals.  Hakeem Araba and Sam Higgins have been on song, and caused the home defence all kind of problems throughout.  Quality Rocks.

Right, off for a Bovril and a speeding ticket.  Laters.

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45th min – Much better free kick from the Met, causes problems inside the area, before being put out for a corner on the Rocks left.  That in turns flashes across the face of goal, with everyone beaten.  Phew, that was close.

41st min – Ooh, and that’s a bad miss.  Yet again, Hakeem gets to ball inside the area, he chests it to Kye Ruel, who hits it first time from 15 yards out, a yard wide of the left hand post.  Could’ve been three there.

38th min – Rain, sun, clouds, it’s all here.  The home side are trying to get a foothold in the game but have created nothing in the past 10 minutes or so.  Meanwhile, during lulls in play, there’s a game on a neighbouring pitch.  The Yellows are beating the Reds.  But it’s certainly the Black & White Rocks defeating the Blue Met here.

33rd min – The ref has a quiet word with Hakeem after a bit of handbags at a throw in.  A few seconds later a host player is given a similar word.  The Met coach shouts at the linesman to help the ref out because …. because, well, he has a low opinion of his abilities today.  Chortle.

28th min – It’s those crosses into the box that seem to be causing problems.  The Met defence simply can’t handle Hakeem Araba’s strength or Sam Higgins pace.  Team mates are moaning at each other and their manager has shouted at them to get off the pitch if they don’t fancy it.  Chortle.

23rd min – GOAL! ….. Met Police 0,  EAST THURROCK UNITED 2 From a throw in on the right, Kris Newby crosses right by the touchline, and meets the head of HAKEEM ARABA perfectly on the edge of the six yard box, who bullets it home.

Striker!

18th min – Back come the Met, though, and a shot on the edge of the area goes about three inches over the bar.  A corker of a game so far.

16th min – Ooh, that should have been 2-0.  Great through ball down the middle from Reiss Gilbey releases Sam Higgins.  The keeper comes out to the edge of the area, Sam slots in past him, but it goes agonisingly inches past the far post.  Great football though

13th min – GOAL! ….. Met Police 0,  EAST THURROCK UNITED 1 Heavy pressure on results in a throw in on the left.  From the cross, SAM HIGGINS connects inside the six yard box for an easy tap in.

Quality Rocks!

11th min – End to end.  The Met win a free kick in a dangerous area, about 25 yards out, but Ty Smith wastes it and it goes harmlessly out.  Then at the other end, Hakeem Araba just fails to get on the end of a Kris Newby centre on the right.  Good stuff from both sides so far.

6th min – And as soon as I say that, the heavens open, and the Rocks miss a great chance.  Superb turn and pass from Hakeem Araba releases Kye Ruel on the left hand edge of the penalty area.  Completely unmarked, and with plenty of time, he hits it quickly and well wide.

5th min – Just the usual hurly burly start with nothing much created.  Pretty big dark clouds overhead.  I mean they’re fairly large, not that they’re nice to look at.  But you probably knew that.

3.01pm – KICK OFF! Oh yes!

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2.58pm – The teams come out to the dulcet tones of The Clash’s version of “I Fought The Law And The Law Won.”  We’ll see about that matey.  I saw what the Met Police were like in The Young Ones.  We’ll see if they’re Quality Polis or not.

2.55pm – Sadly, all is already lost for Brentwood Town.  A 1pm kick-off at Aveley and a 3-0 gubbing.  All the goals in the first half, including an own goal for Ryan Doyle.  Bah.

2.50pm – Team News The Rocks go with:

1.  Richard Wray

2.  Ryan Sammons

3.  Tom Stephen

4.  Simon Peddie

5.  Steve Sheehan

6.  Ross Parmenter

7.  Kris Newby

8.  Reiss Gilbey (c)

9.  Sam Higgins

10.  Hakeem Araba

11.  Kye Ruel

Subs:

12.  Sam Collins

14.  Marc Gorbell

15.  Matt Hall

16.  Spencer Harrison

17.  Jamie Riley

2.45pm – It’s a lovely ground here, nice people too.  Just like every football club should be.  As for what football should, and actually how it is, we wandered over to England v San Marino last night.  This is our take on it.

Not exactly liquid football but fun nonetheless.

2.40pm – ‘Ello ‘ello ‘ello.  A very warm and cliched welcome to Imber Court, home of Met Police, as East Thurrock United attempt to continue their great run.

Covo’s boys are on song at the moment.  Six wins on the trot, and last time out came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Enfield Town.  Confidence is sky high in the ranks of the Rocks.

Their opponents today, are good, very good.  Unbeaten at home, and have defied all expectations since their promotion last year. This could well be a tough one.

Elsewhere, Billericay Town have to get back on track sharpish, as they may well have a further three points wiped out if Truro City go to well, which would leave them in effect bottom of the Conference South.

All our other sides, bar Brentwood Town who already seem to have lost, have testing away trips but they are all more than capable of earning points.   Which would be jolly spiffing.

As ever, keep refreshing the page every few minutes, and the arresting experience of Met Police away will be yours.

GAME ON!