Tilbury 2, Walthamstow 1

TILBURY ended their five match goal drought and also recorded a first Isthmian North win of the season on Monday afternoon (31 August), which lifted them into the top half of the table.

It was a heartening response to Saturday's FA Trophy defeat and was achieved with almost the same squad. There was just one change to the starting 11 from Saturday, as Soumen Nandi started in place of Jake Brocklebank, who featured among the substitutes.

The bench also featured two of Tilbury's U18 players, Freddy Townsend and Zain Hussain, who are likely to feature in the FA Youth Cup match on Thursday (3 September) at Chadfields against Stanway Rovers.

On Tuesday Dockers came close to opening the scoring after just 10 minutes when Charlie Stimson's headed flick released Ben Allen down the right. Allen drove past his man and played a square ball to the late-arriving Bobby Rea, but the fullback was denied by a brilliant save from Luke Mewitt.

The deadlock would soon be broken though, as in the 14^th minute Joe Elliott set up a signature long-throw into the area. The ball was headed on towards the back post, where Bobby Rea came ghosting in to fire home from close range.

It was a lead Dockers took into half time but they stretched it just three minutes into the second stanza courtesy of Jon Nzengo, who beat the offside trap to latch onto Malaki Toussaint's lobbed pass. Nzengo shrugged off a defender's challenge before firing home to increase the deficit.

Despite Tilbury's dominance, they were unable to find another cushion, which created a nervy final 10 minutes. Walthamstow pulled a goal back in the 81st minute through Joden Trickett, as the midfielder fired home a rebound from close range following an incredible save from Connor Wheatley.

Tilbury had an opportunity to put the game to bed shortly after, when Allen was played through and advanced into the area. Mewitt did very well to match the effort and make the save.

SQUAD: Wheatley, Nzengo, Taylor, Winn ©, Elliott, Reeve, Nandi (Fry), Toussaint, Stimson (Barlow), Allen, Rea (Brocklebank). SUBS UNUSED: Hussain, Townsend. GOALS: Bobby Rea, Jon Nzengo.

Without a match this weekend because of the FA Cup, Dockers are back in league action on Tuesday, 15 September when they travel to face Cambridge City.