Thurrock 4-1 Brentwood Town
AFC Hornchurch 3-0 East Thurrock United
Billericay Town 1-2 Bognor Regis Town
Dagenham & Redbridge 1-1 Exeter City
Southend United 1-3 Morecambe
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FULL TIME: And a thumping defeat, albeit a little harsh, for Les Whitton’s side. In it right until injury time, then blown away. No doubt about it though, Thurrock thoroughly deserved the win.
6 – Thurrock 4-1 Brentwood – FT Summary
Ah well. Until the net time, enjoy the weekend, and your football.
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95th min – GOALS! ….. THURROCK 4, Brentwood Town 1 JORDAN CLARK with a cracker of a looping shot from 20 yards, and CHARLIE STIMSON with a low header. Oops.
INJURY TIME: And 7 (seven) minutes of it. Blimey O’Reilly.
88th min – Petrit Elbi runs dangerously for Brentwood into the host penalty area. Just as he’s about to wriggle clear and shoot, the tackle comes in. Gaaaaaaah.
86th min – Thurrock corner on the left. It’s played short. Say no more. Chortle.
82nd min – As if to tempt fate, the Thurrock defence switch off, and Sos Yao is through on goal, but shoots straight at keeper Reece Ottley. Bah! Really should have done so much better.
81st min – Not been too much creativity although ‘Wood are still in the ascendancy. A fascinating closing stage of the game awaits. Something which looked unlikely five minutes before the break.
75th min – Now all Brentwood. Daniel Subola has had a shot go an inch wide of the left hand post, and sub Jason Dobbs has come close too. Meanwhile, in Les Whitton’s final throw of the dice, Lippy Mtyanda is on for John Bradley.
70th min – GOAL! ….. Thurrock 2, BRENTWOOD TOWN 1 A lifeline. On the right came a harmless looking centre, with plenty of defenders about. Nobody, however, picked up MARTYN STOKES, somehow alone in the six yard box, and he put it home with ease.
Game on!
68th min – Brentwood’s response has been a Daniel Subola shot that went about a foor over the bar from 20 yards. Erm, that’s it.
62nd min – GOAL! ….. THURROCK 2, Brentwood Town 0 A superb one as well. LOUI HAZELWOOD cracks home a curling free kick from 20 yards out. Just a minute before that, his shot had cannoned off a post. Thoroughly deserved.
A long way back for Brentwood now.
60th min – Nothing too much created in the past seven or eight minutes. I should emphasise, though, that route-one football is conspicuous by its absence. Neat passing around the pitch. Just need a forward to make the most of it.
57th min – Another Brentwood sub, Jason Dobbs replacing forward Oliver Smith.
54th min – Almost 2-0. Again on the right. The impressive Loui Hazlewood sends a curling cross into the box, Charlie Stimson meets it with his head, beating Rhys Madden all ends up, looking a certain goal, until it bounces onto the crossbar and out. Great football from Thurrock though.
52nd min – In reply, Charlie Stimson twists and turns like a twisty turny thing inside the right of the Brentwood box, but the Thurrock forward’s run and attempted lay-off is cleared.
50th min – Better from Brentwood. This time Martyn Stokes moves forward on the right. His shot from 25 yards is deflected well wide. But this is more like it from ‘Wood.
48th min – Oh, a real chance wasted. Petrit Elbi charges down a Thurrock punt forward, and races menacingly towards the ‘Fleet penalty area on the right. Instead of passing to Sos Yao, in space, he instead shoots aimlessly wide. Gaaaaaaaah,
4.02pm – KICK OFF! And a Brentwood substitution. Scott Dixon on for Ryan Spurge.
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HALF TIME: Well, you could see it coming, the pressure that Thurrock were exerting on Brentwood Town, and with the forward lines playing the way they are, it was almost bound to be from an error. Poor James. Chin up lad. Still another 45 to go.
2 – Thurrock 1-0 Brentwood – HT Summary
Right, off for a pie and sun cream. Laters
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42nd min – GOAL! ….. THURROCK 1, Brentwood Town 0 And it had to come from an error. Lewis Perkins and Ben Smith combine well on the right to feed in Loui Hazlewood, his low centre goes across the face of goal, and captain JAMES LOVE kicks into his own net. Ah well.
38th min – Really not much going on. Another terrible Thurrock corner, a shot whizzing well wide. Plenty of good midfield play but in the final third, I’ve known a Quaker with a shyness complex to be more dangerous.
32nd min – Down the hosts right, Charlie Stimson combines well with Loui Hazlewood, who gets a low centre in by the bey-line. It’s by-the-by though as it’s easily cleared.
28th min – But back come the ‘Fleet. Brad Warner makes a charging run down the right and his low centre goes dangerously into the six yard box, but there’s nobody there to take advantage.
27th min – Corner to Thurrock on the right. They play it short, and kick in right into a visiting defender. I stand (or sit) corrected. Worst. Corner. Ever.
24th min – At the other end, Sos Yao wins Town a free kick on the edge of the area. “This ain’t all about you, referee.”, bemoans a home official. Again, chortle. The shot, from 20 yards by Petrit Elbi, goes harmlessly wide.
22nd min – First real talking point. Inside the right hand edge of the Brentwood penalty area, Lewis Perkins goes down under pressure. “Gotta be a pen, ref.”, they yell next to me. The ref says play on. Chortle. It was right, too.
18th min – Bit of a lull in play so I checked last night’s scores. You can tell that you’ve had enough of the higher echelons of football when you don’t even know what the England score was the day after they played. I’m turning into a grumpy old man, I tells ye.
14th min – More Town pressure gives them a corner on the left. It’s centred low, to the edge of the area, and straight to a Thurrock defender. Worst. Corner. Ever.
12th min – Hey, a threat from Brentwood this time, albeit a set piece. Daniel Subola tries his luck from 30 yards in a central position after a silly host foul. It goes a couple of feet over the bar.
11th min – And again, Perkins the creator this time, inside the area, laying it to Callum Ibe who’s free on the right, but his shot is hurried and sails over.
10th min – The ‘Fleet have got into their stride early, and a cross from the byeline on the right ends in an off-target header from Perkins again. But the danger’s there alright. Nice start by the hosts.
7th min – Ah, first attempt, though you could hardly say it was on goal. The Thurrock striker Lewis Perkins will hope for better later in the game than a wild shank that is on its way into Kent.
5th min – The sum total of diddly squat minus zero created so far. Lots of shouting and running around though. Thurrock in their usual yellow shirts and green shorts, Brentwood in Hearts type maroon shirts and shorts. Hurrah!.
3pm – KICK OFF! Oh yes! And to the sight of a Thurrock official and another media chappie blocking the view entirely so they could have a bit of a chinwag. I do so love politeness. Chortle.
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2.57pm – The teams come out to the youth sides being very enthusiastic but apathy from everyone else. The PA tries to blare over a Queen track “And it’s suuuuu. perrrrrr Thurrock.” Normal.
2.52pm – After the shower – no, not Scotland last night – it’s all sunny here at Ship Lane. The crowd looks modest but good humoured. Which is just as well as the Brentwood striker has been announced as Sos Yno, just so’s you know.
2.45pm – Team News: Brentwood Town go with:
1. – Rhys Madden
2. – James Love (c)
3. – Ryan Spurge
4. – Martyn Stokes
5. – Nigel Seidu
6. – Jonathan Adebayo
7. – Petrit Elbi
8. – John Bradley
9. – Sos Yao
10. – Oliver Smith
11. – Daniel Subola
SUBS
12. – Gbenga Sonuga
14. – Lindisipho Mtyanda
15. – Jason Dobbs
16. – Scott Dixon
17. – Tim Pitman
So a semblence of continuity in the squad. Getting to know each other is what teams are all about. Unless you’re England in 2010 or the Netherlands at any time.
2.40pm – Elsewhere, Billericay Town have had a steady if unimpressive opening month. They’re up against a team in fine form, though, the visitors having dispatched Canvey Island 5-0 last week. East Thurrock United have their work cut out, too, although they will feel they have a chance at AFC Hornchurch.
In League Two, Southend United need a bit of a kick-start after their great start was spoiled by a couple of recent defeats. Dagenahm & Redbridge, meanwhile, will want to build on a superb 4-1 demolition of Colchester United in the JPT on Tuesday.
Intrigue and interest abounds this afternoon. Just not neccesarily at the football.
2.30pm – A very warm welcome from a mild and very well appointed Ship Lane, home of perhaps one of the unluckiest clubs of the summer, Thurrock, on Non League Day.
The hosts had 3 points deducted, for fielding an ineligible player. The player himself didn’t know he was suspended because the Sunday League side he played for in Yorkshire had been disbanded. Then, because of the point deduction, Thurrock slipped into a relegation place. Just how unlucky is that?
Brentwood Town will be hoping their ill fortune continues today. A 100% win record so far this season when given the live treatment. That, sadly, has been just the one game, and four points from their opening six games means a spot in the drop zone. Les Whitton’s side need a win big time.
1 – Thurrock v Brentwood Preview
As ever, keep refreshing the page every few minutes, and an afternoon of nervous tension, minus liver salts, will be yours.
GAME ON!
