Seagulls Punished by Rocks
The game finished 5-1 to the home side, a deserved win, whilst handing Weston their worst defeat of the season.
Weston were over-shadowed in all aspects of the game, showing new manager Scott Bartlett the size of the task on his hands.
The first goal came in the 23rd minute, East Thurrock counter attacked with devastating effect, sprinting down the right wing and squaring the ball to Kane Ferdinand who finished into the bottom left corner.
A tactical change just before half time saw Weston improve significantly, with Joe McClennan and Elliot Richards both coming close. Eventually in the 45th minute Dayle Grubb scored the goal the Seagulls deserved. He collected the ball on the half turn and fired the ball into the bottom corner, then proceeding to run and celebrate with the 7-man strong Seagull Army.
The teams went into half time with the score at 1-1, however Weston were definitely the better side going into the break.
However directly after half time, in the 47th minute, Tom Wraight smashed a direct free kick in off the underside of the crossbar to leave Purnell helpless and made the score 2-1, and that goal really changed the game.
A 3rd goal shortly followed for the Rocks, with Reece Harris scoring from inside the box in the 53rd minute.
East Thurrock then scored an extremely bizarre goal, James Walker tried to float a ball into the box from the left wing, however a very unlucky deflection off of a Weston defender sent the ball up and over Purnell and into the net to make the score 4-1
Finally, in the 79th minute Joe Ellul scored the last goal of the game with a header from a free kick. He lost his marker and put the ball past Purnell to make it 5-1 and that’s how the match finished.
The Seagulls’ next match is away to Oxford City on Saturday 22nd of October.
MOTM: Bradley Ash
Weston XI: Purnell, Pope (Moran 60), Fortune (C), Baldwin, Withey, Kington, Ingram (Cane 60), Grubb (Powell 72), McClennan, Richards, Ash
East Thurrock 5-1 Weston
Match report written by Liam Byrne