Match Report

Canvey were denied a share of the points at Ware on Saturday afternoon, with a 92 minute winner from Daryl Hanson separating the sides. However, despite the result, The Gulls will feel that they had done enough to snatch all three points, but it wasn’t to be their day.

On a difficult playing surface which could have done with a cut, it was Canvey who started the brighter out of the blocks. The unchanged line up from Tuesday’s victory over Maldon looked lively in the early stages, though Ware still looked dangerous on the counter attack.

This became apparent on 18 minutes, when a long ball was brought down on the edge of the Canvey box and squared to Andy Crawford. He calmly slotted home to across Ricky Wiseman’s goal to put his side 1-0 up.

Canvey responded well and began to carve out chances, Jay Curran notably coming close after 26 minutes. As the pressure built, Ware conceded a free kick after a foul on Leon Gordon was committed. The subsequent ball from Lee Jay beat both attack, defence, and goalkeeper as it nestled into the bottom left hand corner of the net after 32 minutes.

Canvey kept the pressure on looking to take the lead, but Ware remained a constant threat up front, using the long ball game to good effect. This almost proved costly approaching half time as a long kick from goalkeeper Anthony Anstead bounced passed George Blewer allowing Ware through on goal. Only brave goalkeeping from Wiseman meant Canvey would go into the break all square.

The second half continued along the same course, with Canvey dominating possession and Ware countering with pace and purpose. A double substitution at half time saw John Frendo and Daryl Hanson replace Jimmy Martin and scorer Andy Crawford as Ware looked to change the flow.

However, they were struggling to cope with Canvey’s attacking play, and 10 minutes of constant pressure in which 5 corners were won should have resulted in a goal. Ware goalkeeper Anstead pulled off a string of good solid saves to deny the visitors from taking the lead.

Despite this pressure, Ware stuck to their task persistently, and their never say die attitude eventually won them the game in the 92nd minute. A long ball from the Ware midfield seemed to be over hit and comfortable for Ricky Wiseman to collect. However, he allowed the ball to bounce rather than deal with the danger, with the ball subsequently looping over his head. The run of Daryl Hanson turned out to be worthwhile, as his refusal to give up on a seemingly bad ball meant he could tap home to gift victory to the home side.

Canvey thought they had pulled one back with the last kick of the ball, as a cross from the right wing saw a flick on header from Kevin Dobinson. The ball was then acrobatically volleyed into the net by Jay Curran, only for the Assistant Referee’s flag to be raised for offside, which appeared to be the correct decision.

So, Canvey’s roller coaster season continues at pace, and they will hope to get back to winning ways again when Aveley visit Park Lane on Saturday.

Man of the Match:

JAY CURRAN : Worked hard to create opportunities on a difficult playing surface.

Match Report by Glen Eckett