Margate 3-2 Canvey Island

Match Report by David Powell

Canvey Island's inconsistent form continued on Saturday as they were defeated 3-2 away at Margate in the Isthmian League Premier.

Despite taking an early lead, the Gulls were pegged back by their struggling hosts after a series of errors at the back, leaving them chasing the contest at half time - something which they could not overturn to gain anything from the game.

Canvey were without two key performers from last weeks derby win against Billericay Town, with Sam Higgins and Mason Hall unable to feature.
Despite recent poor form, the warning signs were there for Canvey early on, with the hosts making an intense start to the game, scrambling the ball into the net after just 2 minutes, though being adjudged as offside by the linesman.

It was Canvey though, who took the lead first, as a well delivered ball into area found Lance Akins waiting at the back post, his header deceiving the Margate defence as it looped over everyone and settled into the net at the far post.

Within a minute though, the hosts were level. They drove at the Canvey backline with purpose, allowing them to create space for Ben Greenhalgh on the edge of the box, and he made no mistake from 20 yards as he riffled a strike into the bottom corner to even up the game.

Suddenly, it was the hosts in the ascendancy, with their attacking threat leaving the Canvey defence at sixes and sevens, as they struggled to deal with the onslaught. At the other end of the pitch, the hosts too proved stubborn, dealing with whatever balls Canvey put into the box.

It came as little suprise then when the hosts took the lead on 24 minutes. It was their talisman again in Greenhalgh who got onto a header from a free kick to flip the script. The same player capitalised on more indecision at the back from the Gulls to get his hatrick and make it 3-1 on 38 minutes.

The Gulls were left scratching their heads and needed a response with a mountain to climb. Bradley Sach nearly reduced the arrears as he forced Harry Seaden into a good save on the stroke of half time, but with the whistle going shortly after, it was the hosts who deservedly lead the game at the break.

Into the second half and it was Canvey who came out with a renewed sense of purpose, but found a stubborn Margate defence ready to frustrate them, with their usual tactics coming up short on a zippy 4G surface.

They got the score back to within one on 54 minutes though, as they finally found a way through, with a good ball threaded low past the Margate backline, where Sach was waiting to beat Seaden one on one with a composed finish. Game on.

The hosts still looked a threat on the break though, and Jackson had to be alert to keep an effort from Steve Cawley out that would have sealed the game.

Canvey continued to huff and puff but their lion share of possession wasn’t enough to warrant much but half chances at the hosts goal.

Perhaps their best opportunity to level fell to substitute Elliott Ronto on 75 minutes, as he found a header from a cross that looped over the defence but crashed agonisingly off the crossbar.

The game fizzled out as time ebbed on, with Margate able to hold on to secure a first win since November, frustrating many of the Yellow Army, who'd traveled in good numbers again.

The Gulls will now need to dust themselves down again ahead of a big week in which they first travel to South London on Wednesday night - Cray Wanderers the opponents.