Match Report

Canvey Island picked up a point from a 1-1 draw with Hendon at Park Lane. For the second match in a row, Gulls were reduced to ten men when goalkeeper Ricky Wiseman was sent off eight minutes into the second half for a foul on Hendon’s Lubo Guentchev in the penalty area.

Canvey though showed great spirit to hold out for the remaining 35 minutes despite being under intense pressure and having to contend with a strong swirling wind that made playing conditions very difficult at times.

With the wind to their advantage, Canvey started brightly. James Bent fired a cross from the right across the box for Hendon but Canvey adjusted to the conditions quicker and were creating the early chances.

On 6 minutes, David Lee tried his luck from 20 yards and saw his dipping shot just clear the crossbar.

On 12 minutes, Canvey took the lead. Hendon keeper Berkley Lawrenchin misread the bounce of a left wing free kick into the penalty area as it caught in the wind and this allowed Jay Curran to nip in ahead of the keeper and head home for his third goal of the season.

Canvey were dominant now with Leon Gordon causing havoc down the right wing and Lee, Richard Halle and Craig Davidson bossing the midfield.

Curran fired a first time volley over the bar from the edge of the area after latching on to Halle’s header on 19 minutes.

Despite their dominance, Canvey were never able to test Lawrenchin enough although the keeper often looked shaky under pressure.

On the counter attack, Hendon often looked a threat with the pace of Bent and Sam Byfield causing the Canvey defence problems.

They might have equalised on 26 minutes when Guentchev got on the end of Jamie Busby’s right wing cross but saw his effort from 10 yards out deflected wide of the post by Tarkan Mustafa who did well to block the shot.

Hendon had to take off forward Chris Bangura through injury shortly afterwards with Casey Maclaren coming on to replace him.

Halle fired an effort high and wide on 31 minutes but it was Hendon who ended the half strongly creating a couple of good opportunities to equalise.

On 44 minutes, Byfield made a superb run down the left wing that saw him accelerate past several Canvey players as he raced into the penalty area. Wiseman though came out to block at his feet just as Byfield was about to shoot to clear the ball to safety.

Then on the stroke of half time, Guentchev burst down the right and his low cross fell to James Burgess unmarked at the far post. Burgess though could only scuff his shot just wide of the post.

The second half started with the wind increasing considerably. Canvey started well enough though with Davidson unlucky not to get on the end of a right wing cross in the six yard box.

The wind though was becoming increasingly difficult for Canvey and the game changed on 53 minutes with the sending off of Wiseman.

An error by the Canvey keeper saw him kick his clearance up field straight at Guentchev. Guentchev gratefully picked the ball up to race through and as he attempted to round Wiseman in the penalty area, he was caught by the Canvey keeper and went down. The referee had no option but to give a penalty and show Wiseman the red card for a professional foul.

Mel Capleton came on for Ryan Oliva to take Wiseman’s place in goal but his first act of the game was to pick the ball out of the net as Bent fired his kick home into the top right hand corner.

For the next 35 minutes, Hendon dominated the game with Canvey rarely able to get out of their own half. With Curran up front on his own, The Gulls found it difficult to get bodies forward to support him and with the wind becoming an increasing influence in the game, it was a real ‘backs to the wall’ defensive display to keep Hendon out.

Capleton was tested on 60 minutes when he did brilliantly to push away a powerful shot from Busby from 20 yards out.

Byfield tested Capleton with another good effort and on 64 minutes, former Canvey loanee Charlie Mapes was a whisker away from giving Hendon the lead.

Mapes escaped the Canvey defence down the right hand side of the penalty area but his shot was deflected against the face of the crossbar by a brilliant block by Mustafa.

Still the Hendon pressure kept coming with Bent heading a presentable chance over the bar and Capleton and the Canvey defence doing well to defend several dangerous corners.

Both Mustafa and Ben Patten were having outstanding games as Canvey continued to somehow weather the ‘storm’.

Byfield brought another good parry from Capleton at his near post on 78 minutes after cutting in from the left and getting a shot in and then on 86 minutes, Byfield got away down the left but his cross was wastefully headed over at the far post by Guentchev.

Canvey somehow were hanging on and luck seemed to be on their side deep into injury time when Mapes skipped past a tackle in the penalty area and fired in a shot that seemed destined for the net but crashed back off of the post.

There was still time for Gabriel Fanibuyan to go close to winning the game for Canvey with a curling shot from the edge of the area that dropped just wide of the post after good work by Curran.
The whistle blew soon after and Canvey will come away relieved to take a point from a match played in awkward conditions.

Canvey travel to Hendon’s near neighbours Harrow Borough on Tuesday night looking to continue what has been an encouraging start to the season.

Oysterfleet Man of the Match:

TARKAN MUSTAFA: An outstanding game at right back. Two superb blocks prevented near certain goals.

Match Report by David Powell.