Thurrock were sent out of the FA Cup by in form Conference side Woking after battling hard for over an hour.

Fleet started well and have possession and pressure early on with former Tottenham player Stuart Nethercott slicing over his own bar after a brilliant Dave Collis free kick. Woking started to come to grips with the visitors’ power and made life difficult for the three man Thurrock defence. Jon Purdie had to take a booking for bringing down Justin Richards after giving the ball away as the forward looked like getting away. The best moment of the game for Thurrock after 20 minutes when Steve Harper broke brilliantly and played the ball to Craig O’Connor in the box. O’Connor mis-controlled the ball into the path of Martin Carthy but Woking keeper Shwan Jalal smothered as Carthy was about to pull the trigger. Woking winger Steve Ferguson was emerging as the game’s best player and he beat Collis and shot, only to be denied by Glenn Knight in the Thurrock goal. Woking continued to press and Knight saved well again from Karl Murray. Mark Goodfellow was also booked for a late challenge but Thurrock went in goalless at half time and Colin McBride would have been the happier of the two managers.

Woking came out a different side in the second half and Knight had to be at his best to take three crosses and punched well under pressure. Thurrock earned their first corner of the half after 68 minutes, the ball was headed out by Luke Oliver to Cross whose shot was blocked. The ball came out to Ferguson who outpaced Purdie and crossed to Oliver who slotted home having run 90 yards in the break. Woking looked like doubling their lead and Knight did well to save from ex-Basingstoke man Craig McAllister. Richards also shot wide when well placed as Woking looked to kill off the Fleet challenge. The tie was over after 80 minutes when Collis’ poor header fell to full back Simon Jackson who drilled past Knight for the second goal.
Woking scored a third after 84 minutes to give a score line to flatter them. It was, however, a great goal. Ferguson received the ball on the halfway line and outpaced Richard Goddard and debutant Scott Wallace and then drilled home from the angle. The game then descended into farce when Goodfellow was ridiculously sent off for a second booking. He jumped in to win a header and shouldered a team-mate who in turn fell into Ian Selley. Selley went down injured and Goodfellow got a ridiculous second yellow that ended his involvement in the game.

Thurrock: Knight, Collis, Goodfellow, Purdie (Wallace 77), McFarlane ©, Goddard, Heffer, Carthy, Hodges (Cross 65), Harper, O’Connor.