A goal either side of the half time break from Appiah was enough to see the Millers into the last 16 of the competition at the expense of Tilbury, reversing the score line from the league encounter earlier in the season.

The home side were more than worth their win after missing a string of chances in the second half that should have killed the game off.

A late Joel Barnett penalty for the away side, after Luke Wilson was adjudged to have handled in the area, gave the Dockers hope of taking the tie to penalties.

However, a couple of outstanding saves from Jack Giddens in the final moments of the game, along with a little help from the frame of the goal, ensured that Aveley were the first team into the draw for the 4th round.

Coming off the back of the superb 5-0 win away at Potters Bar, manager Justin Gardner made no bones about seeing the Ryman League Cup tie against local rivals Tilbury as secondary to points in the league, and as a result the Aveley manager made a total of six changes from the starting eleven that had played on Saturday.

Tilbury didn’t make quite as many changes, but still fielded four different starters to those that began the game against league leaders Maldon & Tiptree at the weekend, with a number of former Millers in their starting line-up, including Jack Stevenson and Tilbury top goal scorer, Danny Francis.

Despite the wholesale changes, the home side began brightly, winning a number of corners in the opening minutes of the game. They will feel that she should have found themselves in front with an early lead when Junior Appiah was clean through off the back of a defensive clearance, but the Aveley winger dragged his shot well, well wide just past the 10 minute mark.

Tilbury’s most likely source of an opening goal was likely to be through Francis, who had so far this season notched up 12 goals in all competitions, but a quiet first half for the Dockers front-man was ended prematurely as he was substituted early on after picking up what looked like a hamstring injury, being replaced by another Millers old-boy, Sherwin Stanley.

The change wasn’t to bear any fruit, as the away side failed to force Jack Giddens into any serious action in the opening half, and as the clock ticked slowly towards the interval the home side sparked into life and took a deserved lead through Appiah.

It was the other Junior that laid the goal on a plate for Appiah, as Junior Dadson did brilliantly well to engineer some space down the left hand wing, beating two defenders to get a cross into the area, where Appiah was lurking unmarked. The Aveley winger – who scored a late, late winner last Monday night against Needham Market – couldn’t miss as he headed home from close range with James Marrable in the Tilbury net stranded, to give the Millers the lead after 37 minutes.

Despite having all the ingredients for a blood and thunder type local derby, the match had been relatively tame in the opening half, but with the home side deserving their lead as they went into the break. However, the second half was to be a much feistier affair, chock full of chances, tough tackling, bookings and some late goal-mouth drama.

Coming out for the second half, Justin Gardner would have hoped that his side could turn the screw and grab a potentially decisive second early on, and if it wasn’t for the frame of the goal that’s exactly what they would have got.

Jordan Cox – returning from injury after being an unused sub at the weekend – chased down a speculative long ball over the top which was cleared by Marrable. The clearance, though, went straight to Dadson who, from at least 35 yards out, struck a half volley that Marrable had given up on as the Tilbury stopper watched the strike hit the foot of the post before bouncing clear to safety.

With the away side needing to get a foothold in the game, Tilbury manager, Paul Vaughan, made a bold tactical change with Jack Carlisle being brought on for Joe Nightingill as the Dockers went to three at the back.

The change though did not have the desired effect and Aveley began to easily pick holes through the Tilbury back line, creating a string of chances to extend their lead.

Minutes after Tilbury had reverted to three in defence, Aveley found themselves in an advanced position in a three on three situation, with Paul Burnett on the ball. With options to his right, Burnett decided to strike from distance only for his effort to go straight down the throat of Marrable for a simple save. Cox then saw his header from a couple of yards go over the bar, despite Marrable being cut out by the cross from the right from Appiah as the chances began to mount.

It wasn’t until the 57th minute before Tilbury had their first real effort on the Aveley goal, when a quick free kick ended up at the feet of Tony Jacobs, who turned in the area before lashing his shot into the side netting from close range.

With chances starting to come at either end, the fire underneath both sets of players had been well and truly ignited. Resulting in tackles flying in left, right and centre, most of which were frustrating Gardner who felt that some of Tilbury’s tough tackling was a ‘tactic’.

Whatever it was, it didn’t work as just past the hour mark the Millers doubled their advantage through the same combination that had opened the scoring in the first half.

Once again, Dadson down the left hand wing, took on Jake Pooley and easily beat him for pace as he stormed into the Tilbury box. Dadson then played in a low cross which somehow picked out Appiah, who had Marrable, Connor Mead and Bradley Barnes all around him. Marrable got a toe onto Appiah’s close range effort but couldn’t prevent the ball from spinning into the bottom corner to make it 2-0 after 62 minutes.

A third goal would have all but killed the game for the home side, and just moments after notching up his second, Appiah should have had a hat-trick. This time played in by Burnett who had cropped up on the left, Appiah got his feet tangled and managed to put the ball wide from six yards out with the goal at his mercy.

It was to be the first of a string of chances the Millers missed to wrap up the game with Burnett and Dadson having glorious chances to grab a third. Burnett found himself clean through before rounding the advancing Marrable, but the wingers tame effort towards goal hit the side netting. Dadson also found himself clean through just a couple of minutes later, but his dinked attempt past Marrable was well saved by the Tilbury goalkeeper as the lead remained at two goals.

With 10 minutes of the game remaining, Tilbury kept pushing for a life-line which would get them back into the match, and they were awarded the chance from the spot, when Luke Wilson was adjudged to have handled in the area. Joel Barnett stepped up to send Giddens the wrong way and give the away side some hope of taking the cup-tie to penalties.

What followed was an onslaught on the Aveley goal with Tilbury creating two clear chances in stoppage time.

The first chance fell for Stanley, who found himself running onto a loose ball 10 yards out. The first half substitute smashed the ball towards goal only to hit the commanding frame of Giddens who was lucky to see the ball stick underneath him.

Right on the final whistle Tom Wraight had danced his way into the area before turning and striking a shot across the face of Giddens which smashed the far post before being cleared away, with the final whistle arriving shortly after to the relief of Gardner and his players.

After the game Justin Gardner said that it was a “good performance. I don’t think we were really troubled until they got the penalty that gave them a bit of confidence. But we’ve won comfortably and I think the defence done really well.”

He continued by saying “I’m very pleased because we left out some key players tonight and we’ve not had to use them. A good night all round.”

One of the players who started both matches against Potters Bar and Tilbury, Ellis Sands, said of the squad that Gardner can “chop and change” and that “no one has really got their place.” He continued by saying “you can have a good game, then a bad game then he (Justin Gardner) might change you. No one has a guaranteed shirt in this team.”

When asked about whether tonight’s performance provided manager Gardner with a selection headache heading towards Saturday’s league game away at Witham Town, he said “I have to judge it on Saturday’s result and Monday’s result and everyone was superb, so I’ve got a big selection headache for this Saturday.”

Aveley: Jack Giddens, Gbenga Sonuga, Teddy Nesbitt, Ellis Sands, Luke Wilson (c), Danny Hopkins, Junior Dadson, Sheldon Sellears, Jordan Cox, Paul Burnett (Liam Francis 74’), Junior Appiah