Grier's Guide to East Thurrock United
The match: East Thurrock United v Kingstonian, FA Trophy. Saturday 30 October, 15:00.
The club: Founded in 1969, they won promotion to the Isthmian League in 1992. Their honours include winning Division 1 North in 2011 and the Essex Senior Cup in 2019.
The town: The borough of Thurrock is probably best known for Tilbury docks, the Circus Tavern of darts fame and Lakeside shopping centre. But Corringham, where the ground is, has a distinct feel of an English village with a pretty church, a pub and a green all sitting opposite the ground. You'd have no idea that just a short stroll from Rookery Hill sits the huge London Gateway docks, designed to take the sort of mega-sized modern container ships that can't dock at the older ports further down the river.
The ground: Rookery Hill, Corringham, Essex, SS17 9LB. It has plenty of character - a slightly cobbled together feel with various small stands and shelters dotted round the ground.
Tickets: £12 adults / £8 concessions / £3 U16s / U12s free
Directions: You can get the train from Fenchurch Street or West Ham to either Stanford le-Hope or Basildon. Buses 11, 100 and 374 go between the two via Corringham. By car a traffic-free run would get you there in an hour and a half. Note there will be a closure to part of the A13, with the Council recommending a diversion via the A127 and A128 - details are at https://www.thurrock.gov.uk/a13-roadworks/widening-a13. There's a free car park at the ground and if it gets full there's plenty of parking on nearby roads.
Our record there: Our most memorable visit was on the opening day of the 2012-13 season, when we drew 1-1 after Andre McCollin was sent off on his debut after clashing with Steve Sheehan, and Wade Small was robbed of a late winner by the referee's ludicrous failure to play advantage when he was wiped out in the process of scoring.
Players to watch: Young striker Alex Hernandez is top scorer with seven goals so far this season.
Recent form: Our hammering at Folkestone was bad news but East Thurrock suffered even worse on Saturday, losing 8-0 at home to Enfield. Popular ex-K Muhammadu Faal scored a hat-trick.
Crowd: One of the lesser-supported teams in the league but it's usually a friendly place to go and their crowds are better than they used to be following years at Conference South and Isthmian Premier level.
Drinking: The Bull, practically opposite the ground by the village green, is the obvious choice and has the feel of a pleasant local.
Food: The tea bar was always decent, otherwise The Bull serves either main meals or sandwiches.
