FC Clacton 1, Tilbury 1

Tilbury win 3-2 on penalties

TILBURY progressed in today's (Saturday. 26 August) FA Vase tie at Clacton thanks to a late equaliser against ten men and a penalty shoot-out success.

After the sides finished all square the tie went straight to the lottery of spot kicks.

The 89th minute equaliser had come from Olly Miles and he converted the first shoot-out attempt. Clacton's striker, who had earlier opened the scoring, then blazed his effort over the bar to hand the initiative to the Dockers.

Johnny Ashman netted Tilbury's second and Anthony Page made a great save from the next Clacton kick.

Tom Salter then missed for Tilbury and Clacton converted their next kick. Harry Donovan kept Tilbury's noses in front the hosts netted their next. When Macauley Joynes slipped and missed Tilbury's fifth kick, the opportunity was there for Clacton to tie the shoot-out but their final kick came back off the bar and Dockers were through.

There was little to separate the two sides in the opening stages of the match, but the Seasiders were reduced to ten men after a brilliant run by Salter teased a foul out of a Clacton player who had already been booked on 26 minutes and he took an early bath!

And Tilbury were handed another advantage before the break when a home player was sin-binned for dissent,

However, they could not make the two men superiority count. Several good opportunities went begging and it ended up being Clacton getting the opening goal.

But with just two minutes remaining a ball into the Clacton box resulted in a foul and Miles stepped up to slot the equaliser from the penalty spot.