Tilbury 2, Wroxham 0

THE time had come for the final dance. During the week, it was announced that Marc Harrison and Liam Wallace would be departing the club, with Saturday's (18 October) Isthmian North match against Wroxham being their final game in charge.

Their successors have already been appointed and George Christou and Jack Toghli will be taking charge of next week's FA Trophy fixture against Hadley.

All eyes were on the popular, but departing duo, who were given a great send off by the majority in a crowd of 308.

Mascots St Clere's u11's Leopards with Dockers before the kick-off. Pictures by Paul Bocking. InFocus Photos.

The starting 11 saw just one change from Tuesday's defeat at Waltham Abbey, which precipitated the announcement of parting of the ways by 'mutual consent'. Max Appauh started in place of Oli Spooner, who made his way to the bench.

The Yachtsmen were the closest to taking the lead inside 10 minutes when Liam Jackson collected the ball on the edge of the area. The striker unleashed a rocket of a strike towards the near-side top corner, but his effort was denied by the woodwork.

Just four minutes later, Dan Trendall and Appauh showcased some tidy play down the left wing as they linked up to make their way into the area. Appauh's cut-back found the arriving Trendall in space, but his shot was well-blocked by a recovering defender.

Dockers came close to breaking the deadlock once again, as Tyler Forbes spun his man on the halfway line to burst through on goal. He was forced wide by a recovering defender, and the shot from a tight angle was saved by Thomas Coombe.

At the half-hour mark, Appauh got himself involved again as he gained possession just outside the penalty area on the left-hand side. Appauh shifted the ball onto his right foot and whipped a strike towards the far corner, but his effort rattled the crossbar.

Jack Hayes gires the opening goal. Pictures by Paul Bocking. InFocus Photos.

The Dockers finally took a well-deserved lead four minutes before the break when Luke Reeve recycled a chance down the right flank. The full-back delivered a dangerous ball, which was met by the faintest of touches from Sam Carter to help the ball on its way as it found Jack Hayes at the back post. And the skipper made no mistake, emphatically firing home from close range.

After half-time, Tilbury almost doubled their lead through the man making his home debut, Hassan Nalbant. The striker battled his way through two defenders to advance into the area with just the keeper to beat, but Thomas Coombe got down to his left-hand side well to make the stop.

Then right at the death, Tyler Forbes did brilliantly to dance past two challenges before lifting a pass over the top to release Juwon Akintunde. His effort was saved, but Lester Ward was on hand to convert the rebound and seal all three points for Dockers.

SQUAD: Fairs, Reeve, Konte, Hayes © (Aderibigbe), Phillips, Carter, Reynolds, Appauh (Jones), Forbes, Nalbant (Akintunde), Trendall (Ward). SUBS UNUSED: Spooner.

There were emotional moments for Marc Harrison and Liam Wallace after the match. Pictures by Paul Bocking. InFocus Photos.

After the match Harrison and Wallace took the applause of the fans and there were emotional scenes.

Wallace said afterwards: "Thank you to everyone at the club for all the support over the years, it's truly meant a lot. I've had some unforgettable times and made memories I'll always look back on with a smile. Wishing you all the very best for the future."

Harrison was more succinct, saying: "Thank you for today. Showed our true identity. Could not have asked for a better day."