Bognor Regis Town 0, Thurrock 1

If Thurrock make it to the play-offs for a second successive season, this will be the sort of hard-earned win that gets them there.

The better side for much of the first half, Fleet really had to dig in after the break as Bognor dominated possession but failed to find a way past outstanding goalkeeper Glenn Knight.

Although manager Colin McBride was delighted with the three points on one of his bogey grounds, Thurrock's fifth win in six league outings was not achieved exactly in accordance with the form book.

A Nyewood Lane goal feast had appeared a reasonable bet as McBride's men had hammered 11 goals in two matches and Bognor 16 in three, including eight against Maidenhead United in their last league game at home.

With stats like that, it was even more surprising that the only goal owed much to a goalkeeping blunder rather than an opening carved out by quality attacking play.

On 21 minutes, Steve Harper whipped in a cross from Thurrock's right and the ball bounced once near the six-yard line.

Craig Stoner should have dealt it comfortably enough but the keeper instead fumbled the ball straight up in the air, allowing Martin Carthy to head home from almost on the goal-line.

A minute earlier, an injury to 13-goal striker Luke Nightingale had forced Bognor boss Jack Pearce to make an unwanted substitution, Dan Beck moving forward to partner Ben Watson.

Knight did well to keep out two first-half efforts by Richard Hudson and another from Beck, but only a fine block by Stoner prevented Carthy adding a second goal when Harper sliced open Bognor's defence.

After the break, Knight was out quickly to smother at Watson's feet as the former Brighton and Hove Albion scholar threatened to pounce on a through ball by substitute Jamie Howell.

Stoner thwarted Harper as Thurrock almost doubled their lead on a quick break, but Fleet were relieved to survive a double scare after 70 and 71 minutes.

With almost the entire net to aim for, Watson hit a close-range volley that may have been going wide but struck Knight at the near post and went out for a corner.

Seconds later, Thurrock were indebted to Knight for a brilliant reflex stop when Watson latched on to a far-post cross by lively sub Ben Johnson.

It was Fleet's good fortune that the highly-rated hitman was not firing on all cylinders as Watson's 17 goals this season have made him one of the most feared strikers in Conference South.

McBride said: "Bognor retain the ball more than anyone in our league so you've got to be disciplined with two banks of four against them.

"They're a decent side who've been banging in the goals recently, but I thought we had the better chances until halfway through the second half.

"Mark Goodfellow and Mark Janney played a lot of good stuff down our right in the first half, Glenn Knight did well and it was a good team performance overall."