Redbridge welcomed an in-form Tilbury side to Oakside, with the visitors fielding three former Motormen in their starting XI.

From the opening exchanges, the home side were firmly on the front foot and thought they had taken an early lead through Malachi Napa, only for the offside flag to deny him. It proved to be only a brief reprieve for Tilbury, as moments later Napa raced onto a perfectly weighted through ball from Louie Remi and showed great composure to fire past Dion Henry.

The Motormen doubled their advantage soon after when Joseph Johnson delivered a dangerous cross into the box, which Pedro Carvalho powered home with a commanding header.

Redbridge remained well on top, though Tilbury were handed a golden opportunity when Samuel Nwabuko was beaten to the ball, leaving Dan Trendall with an empty goal. Thankfully for the hosts, covering defenders were on hand to clear the danger.

A sweeping Redbridge move then saw the ball worked across the pitch, with Napa switching play out wide to Mekael Williams, whose effort drifted just wide of the upright. Ayodeji Olukoga then battled his way into the box, but Henry was quick off his line to narrow the angle and force a shot wide.

Tilbury were handed a lifeline when they were awarded what appeared to be a soft penalty following an innocuous challenge. Former Redbridge player Ronnie Winn stepped up and calmly converted.

The visitors rode their luck again shortly after when Henry’s clearance rebounded off a Redbridge player and looped high into the air, completely deceiving the goalkeeper. The ball fell kindly to Remi, but with the entire goal at his mercy, he somehow fired wide.

Early in the second half, Tilbury came close to levelling when Trendall’s cross found Tyler Forbes, who from just inches out blasted over the bar. However, the Dockers were not to be denied for long, as another ex-Motorman, Jake Brocklebank, fired home to make it 2–2.

Redbridge responded immediately. Williams delivered an inviting cross, which Napa met with a delicate looping header that dropped neatly into the corner to restore the home side’s lead.

Sikiru was then almost played in, only to be denied by an excellent last-ditch tackle from a Tilbury defender. The Motormen soon added further daylight, scoring a fourth when Napa struck again from a tight angle to complete his hat-trick.

The game was not over yet, as Redbridge lost possession, allowing Tilbury to attack down the right. A cross found an unmarked Trendall, who headed home to reduce the deficit.

Seven minutes of added time were signalled, but Redbridge held firm to see out the victory and secure a deserved three points.

report by Adam Silver