Blue Square Conference South Saturday 2 February 2008 - Ship Lane - kick off 3.00pm

Report taken from

Three short weeks beforehand, City had returned from the outskirts of the capital with a 4-0 win over Sutton under their belts, together with a seemingly iron grip on a top-five position. But things change quickly in football and they are now sixth and needing to turn the tide quickly if they are to remain among the pack chasing top two Lewes and Eastbourne. After a week when the club announced that DVDs of the thrilling 4-4 draw with Eastleigh had sold out, City and hosts Thurrock served up a contest that is unlikely to have fans queuing up to watch it again. The division's lowest attendance of the day - 227 - turned out and, despite the best efforts of around 60 travelling City fans who had precious little to cheer, a low-key affair was played out in a soulless atmosphere, more akin to the sort sampled at your average pre-season friendly. Relish was bold on the selection front, letting Scott Partridge off the leash for his first league start in almost a year and adding width to his midfield by recalling Lewis Hogg and handing Luke Prince the first start of his loan spell. Despite being booked for the 14th time this season, Hogg was City's outstanding performer by far with some direct running on the right flank, but Prince failed to impress in a lacklustre display that Relish later put down to a shortage of match fitness. Partridge, meanwhile, clearly needs more matches to regain the sharpness that is his trademark, but would have gained confidence from an outing that lasted longer than the hour expected of him. He was starved of the chances that might have led to a morale-boosting goal, with City's best two opportunities falling to leading marksman Dave Gilroy. But the 16-goal striker failed to reproduce the predatory finishing that had seen him notch two hat-tricks in City's previous two away games as he flicked Hogg's right-wing cross wide of the near post eight minutes before the break and then failed to connect with a free header in front of goal after being set up by the same player in the second half. Neither side created much in a scrappy first period, although Paul Evans had to tip a wind-assisted Bai Mas Lettejallow corner onto his bar midway through it, and 0-0 would have been a fitting interval scoreline. But Thurrock had other ideas and their best player, Craig Hughes, robbed a hesitant Coupe of the ball inside his own half before playing in Orilonishe - who as a teenager finished second in the 80m hurdles at the English Schools' AAAs - and the winger coolly slotted home before further demonstrating his versatility with a double somersault in celebration.

Coupe redeemed himself slightly with a header off the line to deny Che Stadhart after the interval, while Sekani Simpson twice came to City's rescue with some last-ditch defending. Referee Lee Collins set the tone for the half by booking Scott Rogers and Greg Lincoln for an innocuous incident and went on to show yellow cards to five more players - four of them from the hosts - before sending off Thurrock centre-back Rob Swaine for kicking out at substitute Darren Edwards with nine minutes to go. Relish immediately threw on Phillip Walsh for Coupe in a bid to stave off defeat, but City, who did not have a shot on target until the 71st minute, never looked like equalising in the closing stages. Normally so adept at bouncing back from defeat in positive fashion, the visitors failed to deliver the goods on this occasion. But the supporters who endured a cold and largely miserable afternoon in the South East can console themselves with the thought that the last time their side suffered two league defeats on the trot, they won 15 and drew three of their next 18 games en route to promotion. Repeating that sort of form will be somewhat tougher in a higher division, but a similar upturn in fortunes would give City every chance of extending their season beyond the end of April.