AFC Sudbury 3, Tilbury 0

TILBURY met The Suds for the first time since February 2023, a season when Dockers were relegated from the isthmian North and Sudbury were promoted. Their retrospective fortunes since have differed, with Tilbury rising back to Step 4 and the Suffolk side getting relegated back into it.

But the one consistent outcome is Sudbury's success. In that 2022-23 season Sudbury won both league matches and they made it a successive run of three wins on Saturday (26 September).

Sudbury are something of a nemesis side for the Dockers, with 16 wins from the previous 26 meetings between the sides going into the game, Tilbury having won just two of them!

Following the previous Tuesday's stalemate with Canvey Island, Tilbury made a couple of changes as Soumen Nandi and Brad Bennett both returned to the starting 11.

The first real chance of the game fell the way of Tilbury on the stroke of half-time. Ben Allen did well to intercept a pass in the middle of the park before firing a ball into the feet of Rasheed Salau. Rash then released Jon Nzengo on the right, who saw his effort roll wide of the target.

With 25 minutes remaining, the hosts took the lead against the run of play. A cross from the left-hand side caused a scramble in the box which led to an incredible save by Billy Lawlor and an even better block by Joe Elliott. However, neither body could stop the eventual goal as Reuben Chinnery bundled the ball over the line.

Archie Jolland soon increased the home side's advantage, when he latched onto a loose ball on the edge of the Tilbury penalty area. Jolland took a touch to set himself and rifled his strike past Lawlor.

The game then went from bad to worse for the visitors, as they conceded a third in the final few minutes. The goal came from a corner which was delivered deep towards the back post. The ball was headed back across the box where the captain, Kyran Clements, was on hand to turn the ball home from close range.

SQUAD: Lawlor, Bennett (Stimson), Taylor, Reeve ©, Elliott, Toussaint, Brocklebank, Allen (Rea), Nzengo, Salau, Nandi (Sidibe). UNUSED SUBS: Winn, Wheatley.

Dockers are back in action on Saturday, 3 October when they host Redbridge at Chadfields.