Craig Hughes had failed a fitness test with a back injury and with Matt Green having departed for Cardiff City on the eve of the transfer deadline County fielded a 4-5-1 formation with Julian Alsop the lone striker. Lee Jenkins was absent with family commitments. 

County's one dimensional approach of using the aerial presence of Julian Alsop was easily contained by the visiting defence. Thurrock settled quickly and played simple and fluent attacking football in a first half in which they dominated and took a two goal lead. In contrast County were disjointed and abject and were unrecognisable from their winning run from a few weeks before.   

The pacey Thurrock attack of Wes Thomas and Cliff Akurang exposed the experienced County defence and Thomas had three attempts on goal in the opening twenty minutes. Thomas curled one shot across the face of goal from an acute angle, and was twice foiled by an alert Mark Ovendale who was quick off his line to deny the agile centre forward who intelligently ran the right side of the offside trap to break through the defence. 

It was strike partner Cliff Akurang who finally broke the deadlock in the 27th minute. Ian Hillier misdirected his headed clearance from Leigh Harrington's long punt straight into the path of the lurking and unmarked Akurang who had the simplest of tasks to roll the loose ball past the exposed Ovendale into the net. 

Thurrock's opening goal failed to prompt a response from the home side and it was no surprise when Thurrock doubled their lead only six minutes later. No one attacked playmaker Harrington's long throw which eluded the defence and found its way to the surprised Akurang who nodded the ball in from close range with the defence motionless. In the absence of the injured Craig Hughes, and with starlet Matt Green watching from the stands as a 'Bluebird', County were impotent in attack and failed to manage a single effort on target in the whole of the first period.    

County looked more organised after the interval with young forward Matt Prosser joining Alsop to bolster the attack. Confident Thurrock continued to stretch the County defence and scored a third and decisive goal on the hour. Akurang broke a tackle and set Thomas clear of the defence. Thomas' quick feet saw him past the big frame of the onrushing Ovendale before tapping the ball into the empty net. 

County rallied in the late stages to salvage something from the match but without self-belief or endeavour. Their first effort on target found its way into the net on 73 minutes. From Ian Hillier's hurled long throw substitute Matt Prosser headed the ball through a crowded area past the unemployed James Hussey. From another Hillier throw Alsop headed over the bar and Nathan Davies drew a first save of the match from Hussey six minutes from time with a shot from the edge of the box. Stewart Edwards should have scored from Jason Bowen's whipped cross in the final minute but headed over. A second goal would have been more than County deserved and an untroubled Thurrock comfortably held on for three vital points.            

County must seriously examine whether they have enough strength in depth in their squad to maintain a promotion push as they approach the critical stage of the season.   

Line Ups:

Scorers:

County: Matt Prosser (77)

Thurrock: Cliff Akurang (27 and 33) and Wes Thomas (61)

Officials:

Referee: Andy Bennett (Oakhampton)

Assistants: Mark Russell (Bristol) and Tim Wood (Hucclewood)  

Attendance: 

783

Conditions:

Cold, dry and sunny

Man of the Match:

County Official Man of the Match: Matt Prosser

Reporter's County Man of the Match: Matt Prosser

Reporter's Thurrock Man of the Match: Leigh Harrington 

Match Rating