Vase exit for Dockers

TILBURY, who harbour hopes they will only experience a one season flirtation with the FA Vase, saw hopes of a money-spinning run end on a freezing, foggy Suffolk afternoon.

Hopefully the Dockers will make the jump back to Step Four level football next season and rejoin the chase for the FA Trophy, but they were looking forward to a decent run in the third tier national cup competition - indeed it was some consolation as they dropped out of the Southern League last season that at least they 'could have a good go at the Vase.'

Whether you interpret Saturday's performance, going out in extra time to a side in the lower half of the Ridgeons League as a 'good go' or not depends on your viewpoint but there were some unhappy supporters making their way back down the M11.

They knew that Tilbury had plenty of chances to clinch this tie, with Paul Cobb for once the main offender, missing a string of chances that belied his position as top scorer in the Essex Senior League.

His profligacy in front of goal wasn't the only reason for defeat, a propensity to give the ball away in all quarters of the field and a lack of ability to deal with simple attacking play certainly were equal partners in the disappointment.

It was a strange match with both sides dominating play for long periods rather than the cut and thrust of traditional cup football.

Newmarket certainly had the edge in the opening half hour, with strikers Benny Murray and Paul Shaw a constant threat.

But for the timely intervention of Terry Harris, one Tilbury player who could hold his head up throughout, and new keeper James Cook, the Jockeys could well have had the game wrapped up. And it was pure luck that denied Murray the opener on 20 minutes when the ball fell to him with the goal at his mercy but, with Tilbury defenders floundering on a slippy surface, he got in a tangle himself and failed to make any sort of contact with the ball.

After the let-off Tilbury gradually began to ease their way back into the match and Cobb's agony began when he flashed a shot wide of the near post at the end of a speedy counter attack.

In the closing minutes of the half he had two more great chances to break the deadlock, first picking up a slack back-pass and rounding the keeper, only to see Andy Youngs get a hand to the strike at goal which slowed the ball down enough for Marcus Herin to get back and clear it of the line.

Then, after more good work by Harris who chased down a lost cause and pulled the ball into the box, Michael Hart chipped it into the path of Cobb but he volleyed it high over the bar.

In the second half Dockers boss Tony Cross replaced the ineffectual Eugene Yeboah with Tom Dosser and his hard-running game added a different dimension to the visiting attack.

So much so that it was the substitute who opened the scoring on 55 minutes when he latched onto a ball down the middle and lashed the ball home from all of 20 yards.

That precipitated a period of play when Dockers looked the side likeliest to go on and win but after failing in their initial attempts to grab a second they began to retreat deeper and deeper, allowing Newmarket back into the game.

Tilbury still posed a threat on the counter attack but the tide was gradually turning and it was no real surprise when Newmarket levelled on 76 minutes.

The goal came when a simple ball down the middle caught Tilbury napping. Though Jeff Fox produced a fine piece of individual defending to get back and concede a corner when it looked likely substitute Ian Olive would get a shot on goal, they paid the price when the cross came in and Andy Mee rose unchallenged from close range to crash a header into the roof of the net.

In the minutes remaining before the end of normal time, both sides had chances, Tilbury's best falling to Keith Wilson who shot across the face of goal but just past the post.

At the other end Cook produced a flying save to fingertip Shaw's thunderous drive over the woodwork, though the ref denied him the plaudits by awarding a goalkick!

In extra time Tilbury always looked like a side bidding for a replay and they seemed content to go onto the back foot. It was a mistake, as Shaw proved midway through the first period when another simple ball down the middle exposed Tilbury's defensive frailty. The ball was initially played just behind him, but he adjusted his stride and struck a low shot under the diving body of Cook.

It provoked an exciting finish, with Tilbury picking up the attacking mantle once again, though they were almost picked off on a number of occasions by breakaway attacks, with Cook standing up well to the test to keep tem at bay. His work might have been rewarded close to time when the ball fell again to Cobb but, from an acute angle, he couldn't work the miracle and Youngs produced a low save. Moments later the final whistle sent the home fans into rapturous celebration.

They had gone into the match as definite underdogs, with their management saying they faced a severe test of character.

The Jockeys passed that test. Now Cross and his team have to show theirs and get back to the serious businesses of claiming a place in the Step Four shake-up next season or else they may yet get another unwanted chance at Vase glory next season.

*Tilbury are back in action on Tuesday evening when they play host to Southend Manor in the Eastern FLoodlight Cup. Not only will they be seeking to bounce back after Saturday's Vase disappointment, manager Tony Cross will want to gain revenge for the recent Essex Senior League defeat at the hands of the Southchurch Park side. Kick-off 7.45pm.