BENTLEY STUTTERS AT DOCKS
MARK Bentley’s reign as
Canvey Island manager started with a 1-1 draw against Tilbury.
In wet and windy conditions, the match was a drab affair until the 85th minute when Martin Tuohy poked home from a corner after two superb goal-line blocks from defender Ryan Boswell.
The visitors equalised in similar fashion as fulltime approached when a corner was only halfcleared, clipped back into the area from the left and tapped home at the near post by defender Abdus Salami.
Jake Jolliffe thought he had headed Canvey back in front deep into stoppage time when he rose to nod home from Martin Tuohy’s chip into the area but he was denied by the assistant referee’s flag. Elsewhere, leaders
Basildon United are still unbeaten but were held to a disappointing 0-0 draw at home to Bury Town.
Basildon, who had scored 17 goals in eight matches before today’s game, couldn’t break through a stubborn Bury defence in a frustrating afternoon at the Ho Ho Stadium.
The result leaves Basildon on top by seven points, with their lead at the top narrowing after second placed Aveley won 1-0 away at Maldon and Tiptree.
The result sets up a tantalising clash between the two sides in two weeks’ time, with Bury sitting pretty in ninth place on eleven points.
Barking showed resilience as they took home all three points in a 1-0 win at home to
Dereham to end a difficult period for the home side.
Losing Gary Cohen in the warm-up meant Barking fielded a back three containing a midfielder, a right-back and a 17-year-old making just his fifth appearance.
Emmanuel Olajide provided a vital early save early on but it was Barking who took the lead after 21 minutes as Ben O’Brien rose to nod the ball home.
Dereham pushed forward and Barking looked dangerous on the counter attack, as Daniel Cheema’s shot skimmed the post.
Neither side could add to the scoreline and Barking moved up to 14th in the table. Meanwhile, Bowers
and Pitsea got a crucial win away at Witham
Town, with a second-half double from Simon Thomas giving the visitors a 2-0 win.
Bowers dominated the first-half, with David Knight and Quentin Monville impressing in attack, but they couldn’t quite find the breakthrough.
That was until four action-packed minutes in the second half.
In the 60th minute, Bowers took the lead as Thomas scored his first goal for the club, responding quickest to Jamie Dicks’ shot, which was saved acrobatically moments earlier.
Only four minutes later, Thomas got his second with a finish into the corner after Knight’s clever lay-off.
Bowers held on and move up to third in the table. Witham are still winless at home and are second-bottom on four points. And in Essex,
Brentwood ended a run of three successive league draws with a comfortable 4-1 win over bottom-of-thetable Soham Town
Rangers, yet the visitors had enough chances to make the final score much closer than it was.
They had the better of the early chances, with Sam Mulready heading the best of them straight into the arms of Rob Budd.
But it was Albert Levett who fired the Blues in front in the 28th minute after an effort from Kojo Apenteng had hit the bar.
Connor Martin scrambled in the second goal four minutes later before Sam Mulready reduced the home side’s lead just before the half time break.
Apenteng’s shot from outside the area made it 31 ten minutes after the restart and Alfie Hilton rounded things off with a fourth in the 83rd minute for the home side.