Thurrock 0, Braintree Town 2

THURROCK'S hopes of winning the Essex Senior Cup for a third season in a row ended on Monday night when they were soundly beaten by Ryman Premier high-fliers, Braintree Town.

Town, who top their league by three points and have two games in hand on most of their rivals, scored five minutes into the game and again with three minutes left to see off a disappointing Fleet side who rarely threatened their opponents goal.

Braintree striker, Carl Griffith, opened the scoring when he beat the Fleet off-side trap to slot home a ball helped over a static back line by ex-Canvey Island midfielder, Steve Parmenter.

The visitors could have doubled that advantage six minutes later when a swift break saw Griffith play in winger Jermaine Hunter who should have scored but instead blasted straight at Glenn Knight.

By this time Thurrock boss, Colin McBride, had been forced to re-shuffle his pack with Boniek Forbes replacing Mark Janney who had picked up a knock.

Even with Forbes' pace on the field, Fleet struggled to get in behind a well-organised Town defence, marshalled by the experienced Paul Lorraine, in what was an instantly forgettable half.

Braintree full back, Mark Jones, tested Knight from distance and Parmenter almost scored a freak goal when his long range effort hit a divot and nearly flew into the net, but chances for either side were few and far between.

Parmenter tested Knight again shortly after the re-start with a crisp drive from the edge of the box as the visitors continued knocking the ball around with the confidence you would expect from a top-of-the-table side.

That confidence was almost dented minutes later when Fleet's top scorer, Steve Harper, got himself clear of the Town defence for the first time in the game but squandered a gilt-edged chance.

The ex-Burgess Hill Town hit-man latched on to a cute flick from Richard Goddard and powered towards goal. With just the giant keeper, Nick Morgan, to beat Harper elected to slot it into the near corner of the goal but he got his angles narrowly wrong and shaved the post with his effort.

Lee Hodges then forced a one-handed save out of Morgan with a dipping free kick as the home side suggested they would at last find some urgency to their play but Town weathered the storm and never really looked like conceding after that.

The impressive Robbie Martin came desperately close to adding a second when his skidding shot was turned around the post by Knight but the visitors didn't have to wait too much longer to settle the tie.

Martin swung in a dangerous corner that no Fleet defender dealt with and there was the highly-rated Eugene Ofori to convert from no more than six yards.