Thamesmead Town 1-0 Great Wakering Rovers

(Teniola 60’)

From Bayliss Avenue

Ryman North

GREAT Wakering Rovers manager Keith Wilson admits his side could be “dead and buried” if they are not out of the relegation places by Christmas.

Rovers lost 1-0 to bottom club Thamesmead Town on Saturday, leaving them two points from safety having played three games more than a number of the sides above them.

And Wilson said his team are now in trouble, after they lost a game they could have won with Jake Gordon missing several golden opportunities.

“We are in trouble,” said Wilson. “We can’t hide that and we need to be out of the bottom three by Christmas. This was a great chance to get some points and boost us psychologically.

“I am disappointed as it was getting niggly towards the last 10 minutes of the first-half and they wanted it to get like that. It became a bit of a tear up and we didn’t help ourselves.

“If the other teams at the bottom win their games we are dead and buried. We have 66 points available to us and I think 44 points will keep us up so we need 26 more.

“But now we have to look forward and towards the Witham game.”

It was a lively opening, with Gordon scuffing a shot when well placed inside the opening two minutes.

The first effort of note was Thamesmead’s as Ellis Green cut inside Jason Ring and drilled a fierce effort that was inches past the post.

Back came Wakering, as Scott Pethers’ free-kick was met by Nikki Beale but he headed over from five yards.

Aaron Rhule headed wide for Thamesmead but the best chance of the half fell to Gordon. Excellent work by Pethers saw a cross fed into the striker but he scuffed wide unmarked from five yards.

Rhule was kept out by Belcher and the same man saw a goal chalked off after a pull on a Wakering shirt in the box five minutes before half-time.

Gordon, usually so clinical in front of goal, missed another golden chance early in the second period.

A fantastic pass from Pethers found Gordon in the box but, once again unmarked, he hit the post with Stephen Butterworth sending his follow-up straight at the goalkeeper.

Alex Teniola sent a header over from under the Wakering crossbar as both sides continued to demonstrate their profligacy in front of goal.

Belcher made a relatively straight-forward save as the game became stretched but the only goal was just around the corner.

Excellent link-up between Ike Feehi and Teniola saw the latter lash beyond the keeper.

Wakering were handed a boost when Leon Smith was sent off for something he said but they were unable to test the home stopper again as they suffered what could be a costly result.

Great Wakering Rovers: Belcher, Ring, Nottage, Banton (Cleaver), Jude, Beale, Pethers, Kee (Fatt), Gordon, Butterworth, Paxman