Canvey Island 1-2 Metropolitan Police

Canvey Island fell to a humbling 2-1 defeat against the league’s basement side Metropolitan Police on Saturday.

The Met had yet to register a league win in eleven attempts prior to this match but made the most of an inept performance from the Gulls to claim the three points.

The match started as quite an open affair with both sides looking strong going forwards but a little vulnerable in defence.

The first opportunity fell to the visitors after only six minutes when the ball was played into the area for striker Orlando Smith who shot with his right foot with only Lewis Moore to beat. However, the much-travelled forward dragged his shot across goal and wide.

Canvey’s first sight of goal came two minutes later when the ball was played infield from the right to Jack Simmons with space opening up in front of him. Simmons advanced to the edge of the area before scuffing a shot straight at Met goalkeeper Nathan Baxter.

A minute later Martin Tuohy created a chance for his strike partner George Sykes, sending a cross over from the right which Sykes stole in to meet on the volley. However, Nathan Baxter did well to pull off a save from point blank range diving to his left.

Sykes returned the favour for Tuohy soon afterwards, winning a foot race down the left wing before crossing low towards Tuohy. The striker opened up his body to shoot across goal but uncharacteristically missed the target.

Having created several chances in the opening period they were presented with one on 11 minutes when Nathan Baxter came a long way out to try and punch clear a free kick. Baxter didn’t make clean contact on the ball which fell straight to Jack Simmons, but his lob towards an unguarded goal from 20 yards went over.

The Met had the ball in the net on 22 minutes when Lewis Moore rose to collected a deflected free kick but was bundled into the goal. The referee blew for the foul but the flag had already been raised for offside so that decision took precedence.

Martin Tuohy had another chance ten minutes later when a ball was played out of midfield for the forward to run onto down the right. Tuohy spotted the keeper off of his line and shot early, but Baxter backpedalled in time to make the save on the line.

Canvey kept the pressure up and were denied by a brilliant save on 35 minutes. Lee O’Leary played a short ball to Harrison Chatting 20 yards from goal, with the midfielder hitting a sweet left-footed shot was kept out thanks to a tremendous stop from Nathan Baxter diving high to his right and conceding a corner.

The visitors opened the scoring in the second of four additional minutes on the counter attack from a Canvey corner. The ball was played down the left for Orlando Smith who squared for Dean Lodge to pick out the bottom corner.

The Met could have doubled their lead less than sixty seconds later when Jake Reid drove to the byline on the right wing before pulling the ball back to the edge of the area for Orlando Smith, but his shot was too powerful and went over the crossbar.

Canvey could have equalised on the stroke of half time when George Sykes displayed some neat footwork to beat Steve Sutherland coming in from the left. Sykes crossed to the far post for Martin Tuohy who fired into the side netting.

After a quiet opening period to the second half Canvey drew level in the 69th minute when substitute Joey May whipped in a corner which found Jack Lampe who scored with a thumping header.

Having got themselves back into the match Canvey created a few half chances to take the lead. On 75 minutes Harrison Chatting hit a swerving shot from 20 yards which went narrowly over the bar, and three minutes later Jack Simmons fired over from a headed knockdown by Lee O’Leary.

The Met regained the lead on 81 minutes when a simple ball from Tom Hickey cut through the Canvey defence and allowed Elliott Charles to simple task of running in behind and shooting over Lewis Moore to put his side back ahead.

Canvey threw bodies forward in search of another equaliser but the closest they came was on 85 minutes when Lee O’Leary headed wide from an Ashley Dumas cross from the left.