Thamesmead Town ended their home season with a third successive 1-0 home win – this time shooting down the Swifts from Heybridge with a bit to spare.
The games only goal arrived midway through a disappointing second half as Tyrus Gordon-Young fired home his 19th goal of the season from the edge of the box after some good approach play from Michael Spencer.
The home side deserved the points as the visitors struggled with the final ball despite having loads of possession, the Swifts will be disappointed not to have tested the home defence more than they actually did.
In the end though the home side will wonder how they didn’t win by more as Jack Hopkins, Ashley Probets, Spencer again and Gordon-Young on three other occasions all went close. In the end it didn’t matter though as the Mead now head for the climax of the season and a trip to Harlow to finish the season.
In the entire game there was possibly just one anxious moment for the home side when debutant keeper Tom Warren made a complete mess of a cross, but fortunately there wasn’t a red and black shirt on hand to turn the ball home.
Gordon-Young set up the home side best chance of the first half only for Hopkins to be denied by a brave save from Niklas Freund in the Heybridge goal. Derek Duncan fired wide from distance before Spencer fizzed a shot across the face of goal shortly before half time.
Spencer then repeated the trick almost immediately after half time – this time Gordon-Young was only inches away from converting the chance before Gordon-Young sent a free header (from a Jay Porter cross) high over the bar. The onslaught continued as Probets shot wide from the edge of the box but all the while there was the nagging thought that the home side hadn’t converted any chances.
That was until the 67th minute when Gordon-Young gleefully fired home from the edge of the box – beating Freund low to his left as the keeper tried to narrow the angle.
It would have been two but for a great save to by Freund to deny Bode Anidugbe in the final ten minutes, but the victory was secure for the home side – their third successive 1-0 home win to end a home campaign in what has been a difficult season for the Mead.
THAMESMEAD TOWN – Tom Warren, Adetayo Osifuwa, Ashley Probets, Jack Hopkins (Gaz Dauti 46), Farai Hallam, George Benner, Michael Spencer (Bode Anidugbe 73), Richard Butler, Tyrus Gordon-Young, Derek Duncan (Kyle Asanti 73), Jay Porter
Subs – Ben Traore & Vicente Mansanet
HEYBRIDGE SWIFTS – Niklas Freund, James Regis, Danny Barber (Sam Ashford 55), George Cocklin, Damien Green, Sam West (James Fitchett 80), Jack Barham, Aaron Gayle (Louis Monk 67), Jack West, Shamido Pedulu, Tyler Hayes
Subs – Cliff Akrung & Danny Samridge
Referee – Alex Gray
Assistants – Guzman Alzante & Lee Brennan