County prepared properly with a Sunday evening coach trip to Essex and an overnight hotel stop, but for the first 20 minutes their exhilarating efforts in recent weeks appeared to be catching up with them. WESLEY THOMAS, who impressed greatly in Thurrock’s 3-1 win at Newport in February, was allowed time and space to turn on the edge of the area and fire a shot beyond the hand of Jacob Giles as the keeper dived to his right.
Jason Bowen thought he should have won a penalty when he went to ground in the area but he only received another addition to his card collection from referee Ian Gosling when he argued over the non-award. County’s mounting pressure was looking like paying off however and it did so in the 33rd minute from left-back DAMON SEARLE.
The defender made an excellent forward run and when Lee Collier’s cross was flicked on by Charlie Griffin, Searle was steaming in down the left to volley home an unstoppable shot.
County were knocking the ball around in style and the movement of Bowen, Craig Hughes, Griffin and Sam O’Sullivan was fully extending the home defence. Bowen chased down an apparently lost cause in the 54th minute and home keeper Max Aneke made a hash of his attempted clearance kicking the loose ball to GRIFFIN. The striker was 30yards out but he kept his cool and struck the ball first time with deadly accuracy to net his eighth goal since signing two months ago.
Leon McKenzie had a header cleared off the line by Ian Hiller in the 67th minute while County threatened to extend their lead when a fine flowing move ended with Bowen supplying Hughes whose effort was saved by Aneke, who was anxious to redeem himself, having taken some flak from the County fans behind his goal.
O’Sullivan forced a goalline clearance from Thurrock’s Ben Wood in the 80th minute as County looked to seal the victory though Giles made the save if the evening in the 83rd minute when he tipped over a header from home substitute Che Stadhart. County were looking like worthy winners before Searle stretched to clear a throw-in on the right and directed his header towards CLIFF AKURANG. The experienced striker had much to do but he fired his shot from 20 yards through a gap in the County defence and Giles had no chance. The match was already almost two minutes into stoppage time and the home players celebrated what might be a crucial point in the battle to stay up.
For County it extended the unbeaten run to eight games, but, worryingly, this was the third injury time equaliser they have conceded in that spell.
Peter Beadle was putting the emphasis on the positives after the game with the emphasis shifting towards Wednesday’s home encounter with Eastbourne Borough who are chasing County in the battle to claim a play-off place.
Line-ups
Thurrock: Aneke, Flynn (Bryant 90), Lunan, Heald, Paine, Nyang (Stadhart 66), Wood, Howard, Thomas, McKenzie, Akurang. Subs not used: Maxwell, Norval, Wilson.
County: Giles, Jenkins, Searle, Collier, Brough, Hillier, Bowen, Simpson, Griffin (Alsop 84), Hughes (Bassett 78), O’Sullivan. Subs not used: Leek, Edwards, Ovendale.
Scorer: Thurrock: Thomas (13), Akurang (90+2).
County: Searle (33), Griffin (54).
Cautions: Thurrock: Paine (79)
County: Bowen (20)
Man of the Match: Thurrock: Gary Howard
County: Jason Bowen
Attendance:
