Match photo's

Thurrock lost at Neywood Lane on Good Friday, mainly due to the fact that they didn’t start playing until there were ten minutes left. Bognor dominated the early exchanges but didn’t create any early chances. In fact it was Thurrock who had chances to take the lead after Bognor’s early pressure. Lee Hodges drove over the bar from 20 yards out after Bertie Brayley’s excellent pass. On twenty minutes Dave Collis’ free kick found Jimmy McFarlane, but the Thurrock captain headed over. Shortly afterwards, Tresor Kandol headed straight at Craig Stoner after a wonderful cross by Collis. Bognor then came back into the game and Matt Russell put the ball over the bar from close range after a low cross by Luke Nightingale. Bognor did score after 36 minutes. Collis was thrown to the ground by Nightingale in the box and he crossed to Dan Beck who scored at the second attempt despite the protestations of the Thurrock defence to the fact that referee Wendy Toms had failed to give the foul on Collis.

Thurrock came out for the second half looking for an equaliser. Kandol was unlucky when his shot was blocked after Hodges’ long run. On the hour Stoner saved McFarlane’s header low down from Collis’ corner. Despite the chances it was Bognor who looked more like scoring. After 66 minutes Bognor should have made it 2-0. Andy Woodman came rushing out to deny Nightingale; the ball rebounded to Russell whose shot was cleared off the line by John Purdie. The inevitable second goal came two minutes later. Russell had the freedom of the penalty area and slotted home from close range, giving Woodman no chance. The game looked to be over two minutes later when Collis fouled Beck in the box and Nightingale sent Woodman the wrong way to give Bognor a 3-0 lead. Colin McBride decided to liven things up by taking off Hodges and Brayley, replacing them with Adam Parker and Kris Lee. It was Parker who dragged Thurrock back into the game with 8 minutes remaining. His bustling run took him past three players and he played a slide rule pass through to Kandol who slotted in off of the far post. It was to be Kandol’s last touch as he hobbled off injured due to a nasty challenge minutes earlier. Simon Martin came on in his place. Thurrock went all guns blazing and Glenn Poole began to boss the game. Poole’s cross was headed over by Lee and after 88 minutes Lee repaid the compliment with a pass to Poole who smashed the ball past Stoner to reduce the deficit to only one. The pressure was beginning to tell on Bognor’s defence, which was severely creaking, and Lee shot over the bar from Parker’s brilliant chest down. With three minutes of injury time played Poole was unlucky not to grab a point for Thurrock. His deflected shot appeared to have got past Stoner, but an outstretched finger diverted the ball around the post and Bognor held on for the points.

 Man of the Match: Glenn Poole

 Thurrock: Woodman, Collis, Goodfellow, Purdie, McFarlane©, Heffer, Shipp, Hodges (Parker 74), Poole, Brayley (Lee 74), Kandol (Martin 82)