Kingstonian 2-1 Canvey Island

Match Report by Jonathan Andrews

Canvey suffered their second defeat in South London in a week, going down 2-1 to Kingstonian at Imperial Fields.

It was an uninspired performance from the Gulls, who went behind after just 2 minutes. They thought they'd salvaged something from the game when Charlie Edwards headed home midway through the second half, only to succumb to a 93rd minute loss to compound their afternoon.

In their new, blue away strip, Canvey were given the blues just two minutes into the game. The defence backed off too much to allow Eddie Dsane space to cut into the box and fire a low drive that had Sam Jackson beaten.

The Gulls began to recompose, but lacked their normal fluidity and creativeness as they found another home side stifling their rhythm.

They found themselves with a good chance on 13 minutes, as home keeper Endurance Johnson fumbled his catch under pressure from Bradley Sach, though the striker could only put his header wide of goal.

Kingstonian still looked threatening on the break as the Gulls recent defensive frailties looked evident again. They first put a chance just over Jackson's crossbar on 15 minutes, before the keeper was on hand 8 minutes later to pull off a fine save to keep the score at just one.

Both sides would go close before the break, with a fizzing ball going across the area for the home side but no strikers were on hand to apply the finishing touch.
For Canvey, both Bradley Sach and Evans Kouassi were on hand, with the former seeing his goalbound effort being headed away by a Ks defender, and the later putting a golden one on one wide of the goal, but the offside flag spared his blushes somewhat.

Brad Wellmen rung the changes early in the second half, with Ntim, Deslandes and Edwards coming on for Hubble, Paxman and Salmon. It began to make a difference as the possession turned more in the Gulls favour, but their lack of composure meant chances on target were at a premium.

In fact, it was the hosts again who had the first big opportunity of the half, with Sam Jackson once again on hand to produce a good save to keep them out.

Eventually, Canvey's quality would finally find them an equaliser. Deslandes and Akolbire began causing a succession of headaches down the right, with the latter getting into space on 75 minutes and lifting an inch perfect ball into Charlie Edwards, who sent a bullet header past Johnson to put the Gulls on level terms.

Suddenly, it seemed like it was Canvey who could go on and win the game, and they spurred two golden chances to do it.

First, Evans Kouassi once again broke through on goal, one on one with Johnson. With no offside flag this time, it seemed like this would be the moment, but in a rare off day for the Canvey talisman, he opted to try and dribble the ball around the keeper, allowing him to get down low and get hands on the ball, much to the frustration of the travelling Yellow Army behind in the stands.

Minutes later, Luke Deslandes was desperately unlucky to not get his first goal for the club, as he picked out a cross at the near post and hit a clean strike at goal, only to be denied by the woodwork.

As the final few minutes of the game began to tick over though, it was the hosts who came forward, asking questions once again of the Canvey defence, though not seeming to have the composure in front of goal to kill the game.

On the 93rd minute however, they'd call the Gulls bluff. In a similar happenstance to Tuesday's 4th, Canvey's defence backed off enough to allow Darnell Goather-Braithwaite to dance into the box, the Ks striker having time and space to fire low into the far post to win the game at the death.

Canvey were left wondering where it all went wrong at full time, with their start to season having been made more difficult by their own indecision.
They'll need to pick themselves up ahead of a bumper bank holiday weekend, with Bognor Regis Town the visitors next Saturday before an Island derby away on Bank Holiday Monday.