Clacton triumphed 1-0 in the much-hyped East Anglian Cup battle with Wivenhoe at the Rush Green Bowl.

Simon Gray's 75th minute strike on Thursday night decided a match which was always fierce and competitive but lacked real entertainment value for a healthy crowd.

Clacton - who suffered a flu bug before the match that saw Mark Farthing, Dean Braybrook and Paul Hillier miss out - defended admirably under heavy Wivenhoe pressure particularly at the start of the second half.

Gavin Armitage and Norwegian Nicholas Nunn were particularly outstanding for the Seasiders as the Dragons threw everything at them. And Wivenhoe had a chance to salvage something from the game when Jon Collins was adjudged to have handled in the area late on.

It was a very harsh decision, but Gary Hudson's spot-kick was weak and wide and the Seasiders survived to win the game.

Clacton boss Steve Dowman said: "It was a little bit messy but that was to be expected with the hype that went in and the amount everyone wanted to beat each other.

"I was very pleased - they performed admirably."

Wivenhoe co-manager Steve Pitt said: "We were the better side in my opinion but if you create that much pressure and miss that many chances you will lose."

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