Thurlow Nunn Division 1 South - Tuesday 11th November
Southend Manor 3-2 NW London
Rocco Montorio 16' (NW London)
Rocco Montorio 33' (NW London)
Jude Morgan 45+2' (Southend Manor)
Billy Cottrill 63' (Southend Manor)
Tashinga Zvirara 74' (Southend Manor)
NW London were involved in another gripping contest, but this time they ended up on the wrong side of the result in a 3–2 defeat away to Southend Manor.
It was a disappointing outcome for the Gorillas, who had never previously lost to Southend Manor in five meetings.
There was a full debut for 19-year-old Rocco Montorio, starting on the left wing, and he wasted no time making his mark. On a blustery evening, NW London started brightly and took the lead early on when Montorio jinked in from the left, played a smart one-two with Hugo Javaloyes, and calmly finished low into the far corner.
Manor almost equalised immediately with a long-range strike that flashed just wide, before Bernardino Andeme tested the home keeper soon after, only to fire straight at him.
Moments later, Montorio struck again in another moment of brilliance — latching onto a long pass from Valentin Burcea, he expertly rounded the goalkeeper and slotted home to double NW London's advantage.
It looked to be all going to plan for the visitors, with Manor struggling to create from their direct approach. But the game shifted just before half-time when a speculative free-kick from distance beat Will Barker, handing the hosts a lifeline at 2–1.
Javaloyes was forced off at half-time with a thigh injury, replaced by Fidel Aghati, as NW looked to regain control after the restart. The second half was quiet early on, but it burst into life when a long ball caught the NW defence out — Barker saved the initial effort, but the rebound was lobbed in to level the score at 2–2.
Further drama followed as Burcea was tripped off the ball by a Manor defender, who received a second yellow card to reduce the hosts to ten men with 20 minutes remaining.
However, against the run of play, Manor completed the turnaround when a curling strike from the left found the top corner to make it 3–2.
Despite the man advantage, NW London couldn't find a way back — several promising positions ended with over-hit crosses, and frustration began to build. Late on, Aghati was shown a straight red for a high challenge, leaving both sides with ten men.
Manor managed to see out the final minutes to seal a remarkable comeback, while NW London were left to rue a missed opportunity for three points on the road. The result keeps the Gorillas in 10th place in the Thurlow Nunn Division One South table.