Thamesmead Town 1-2 Waltham Forest Thamesmead slumped to their second Ryman League defeat in a week at home to Waltham Forest on Saturday.

Having been successful twice against the Essex side this year, Thamesmead were hoping to gain another three points and restore a bit of faith in the team, however Forest had other ideas.

A vastly different team (it is said they have signed 83 players so far this season) with a lot of the latest recruits coming from Thurrock F.C. the team started brightly and came forward in numbers.

The game swung from end to end with neither side really dominating. On eight minutes, a corner for Thamesmead was met by James Brown, but the header went straight to the keeper.

On twelve minutes, a cross from the left was neatly flicked on by the Forest no. 9 for the ball to fall to the back post, but the resulting shot somehow managed to travel right across the goal from just four yards, going out for a goal kick.

The game continued with neither side dominating, when on 24 minutes, Forest passed down the left where Tony Fraser came in off the line and hit a superb shot from 30 yards that cleared Conneally in the Mead goal, to find the net.

Thamesmead tried to respond but could not find any kind of penetration, indeed Lee Cobourn was cautioned for a foul on 33 minutes, which broke up a promising counter attack from Forest.

The Mead were becoming frustrated and were restricted to long range efforts from Dimmock and Smith towards the end of the half.

Then, in the last minute of the first half, becoming something of a trade mark for Thamesmead, Forest got their second goal from the same player, in the same position, but this time Fraser striking from 25 yards to put the visitors two goals clear.

The second half saw Rikki Cable come on for Lea Dawson for the Mead to set out and attack earnestly to get back into the game. Committed to going forward , this left The Mead slightly exposed at the back and on 52 minutes, Lew Watts was cautioned in similar circumstances to Coburn.

Mead were now spending most of the time in Forest's half and from a corner on 55 minutes the ball fell to

Thamesmead debutant Lew Wood 4 yards out from goal, but his shot was parried by the keeper. From another corner on 57 minutes the ball came out to Rob Tarrant who's shot just went over the bar.

Shortly after, good work from Cable resulted in a tantalizing cross from the left but no one was able to get a finishing shot from it, but finally, in the 70th minute he played a decisive ball through the middle that allowed Wood to turn and play the ball around the keeper before firing into the empty net.

With 20 minutes to go, Forest seemed to wobble. The flow was definitely in Thamesmead's favour, but missed passes or wrong options taken meant that little scoring opportunities came their way and Waltham hung on for the 1-2 victory.

Thamesmead line up: Conneally, Williams (Bourchescu 60), Cobourn, Watts, Moore, Tarrant, Smith, Brown, Dawson (Cable 45), Dimmock, Wood.