Thurrock secured their first win of the new season against an Eastleigh side that had started the season well.

The first twenty minutes saw very little in the way of goalmouth action and when it came the visitors had the first chance when Andy Forbes had a shot saved by Glenn Knight. Thurrock started to get on top of the game and took the lead on the half hour with their first real chance. A Dave Collis corner was met with a thunderous Martin Carthy header which Scott Tarr saved brilliantly only to see Kris Lee tap the rebound into the unguarded net. Thurrock started to dominate and Carthy put a header just wide with five minutes left until half time. Thurrock doubled the lead in injury time of the first half with a cracking goal. Steve Heffer’s incisive pass found Bowes who in turn found Lee whose left footed cross was headed in at close range by Craig O’Connor. There was still time for Eastleigh to try to pull a goal back but only a last ditch tackle by Jimmy McFarlane stopped a certain goal.

Thurrock came out for the second half with all guns blazing and O’Connor’s shot was saved well by Tarr. Another great move after 50 minutes nearly led to another great goal. Mark Goodfellow won a tackle ten yards inside his own half and ran 30 yards laying off to Carthy who in turn found Lee. Lee played a through ball to O’Connor who was narrowly beaten to the ball by Tarr. All of a sudden Eastleigh were back in the game. Carthy was harshly adjudged to have fouled an Eastleigh player in the box and Forbes sent Knight the wrong way to half the deficit. Thurrock, however, were not to be denied. A Collis free kick was headed across goal by McFarlane in time honoured fashion, and Lee scored from close range for the 2000^th goal in Thurrock’s history. 

Man of the Match: Steve Heffer.

Thurrock: Knight, Collis, Goodfellow, McFarlane ©, Goddard, Bowes, Hodges (Forbes 68), Heffer, Carthy, Lee (Lawrence 88), O’Connor.