TILBURY's management team apologised to supporters after Tuesday night's 4-0 defeat at the hands of derby rivals East Thurrock.

After a run of four matches without defeat, the best of the season, Tilbury had high hopes of securing at least a point from the derby but they failed to ignite on a damp Chadfields evening and were ruthlessly brushed aside by the promotion-chasing Rocks.

Joint manager Neil Speight summed up the disappointment after the game when he said: "Defeat can be acceptable when everyone gives their all but I am afraid tonight's display, other than a couple of individual performances was lamentable.

"I have absolutely no idea why a team that has improved so much and ought to have been confident, should give in so easily.

"East Thurrock won virtually all the individual battles. Rarely can the distance two teams are apart in a league table have been so obviously shown on the pitch as it was tonight. It was men against boys; winners against losers.

"We had thought we might have turned a corner but obviously not. Losing tonight isn't the be all and end all of the season, and I believe we can still survive, but if tonight's performance is replicated you can nail down the coffin, call in the vicar and get on with burial ceremony.

"As a team we let everyone down and as part of the management team I can only apologise for a lack of commitment and belief. We used 14 players tonight and we had a coaching and management team of four, including myself, and out of those 18 people only three -- and I'm not one of them -- who can take pride in their performance. It simply wasn't good enough from start to finish."