Tilbury moved up to 8th position with a good home performance against a stubbon Heybridge Swifts side. Paul Vaughan went in with the same starting 11 from the weekend. Tilbury started fast and created some good half chances with the Dockers passing and retaining the ball for long periods and keeping Heybridge pinned back for long periods, but found it hard to break down a resilient Heybridge who looked dangerous on the counter attack. Heybridge were on the back foot after just 15 minutes when Danny Barber was shown a straight red card for elbowing Harry Cook. Tilbury found it hard to break the 10 men down of Heybridge and not really testing Danny Sambridge goal, until after another Tilbury attack just before the break saw the ball was cleared to the edge of the box to Harry Cook who struck a fierce shot into the top corner leaving Sambridge stranded.

The second half started much the way of the first with Tilbury keeping the ball and probing to find a way through the Heybridge defence. Heybridge started to come at Tilbury and for a 15 minute spell looked like they could get a equaliser. Mid way through the second half keeper Dean Driscoll came out to a long ball and was adjudged to handled outside the penalty box. It looked like a straight red card was coming, but the referee deemed it a yellow card to the fortune of the lucky Driscoll. This was a turning point as on 70 Tilbury were awarded a corner. From Aaron Waters delivery the impressive Cook rose above everybody to power home a bullet header for 2-0. Tilbury then took control of the game and made it 3-0 on 79 when the marauding Ben Hunt who worked hard in the channels took the ball down the right and had a low shot deflected into the net off the unlucky former Docker player Steve Good. Heybridge were then reduced to 9 men when Ricky Spriggs picked up a second yellow for a bad challenge on substitute Francis Babalola.

After the game Manager Paul Vaughan was please with the result and keeping a clean sheet. Vaughan said we must now learn to keep consistently and take the confidence into the next game against leaders Needham.Market.

Man of the match Ben Hunt

Team: Driscoll, Pooley (Vaughan 72), Waters, Henty (Babalola 64), West, Christou, Wood, Carlile (Nightingill 80), Hunt, Cutler, Cook,

Subs not used Aiken, Aldwinckle