Canvey Island finished their pre-season preparations with a 3-1 win against Pitching In Isthmian South East side Phoenix Sports at Park Lane on Saturday.

The Canvey bench featured defenders Mason Hall and Sammy Knott, both of who signed league registration forms after the match.

The Gulls could have taken the lead after 15 minutes when Elliott Ronto was fouled inside the area as he was about to score. Conor Hubble stepped up but saw his penalty saved by the legs of the goalkeeper after shooting low down the middle of the target.

The ball did find the back of the net to give Canvey the lead three minutes later. Louis Hunt capitalised on a goalkeeping error, collecting the loose ball and taking a couple of touches before slotting into the bottom corner.

The lead didn't last long however as the visitors levelled from the penalty spot on 20 minutes.

Louis Hunt should have scored his second of the afternoon on the half-hour mark after having the ball cut back to him by Tobi Joseph. However, the forward was unable to convert from point-blank range to ensure the two sides went into the break deadlocked.

Canvey regained the lead on 52 minutes courtesy of another mistake from the visiting goalkeeper. A miskick landed straight at the feet of Conor Hubble, and he made amends for his earlier penalty miss by shooting into an empty net from distance.

The victory was sealed with three minutes remaining. Some neat buildup play culminated in Elliott Ronto feeding Evans Kouassi who rounded the keeper before coolly sliding the ball into an unguarded net.

Photo: Simon Pitts

LISTEN: Mark Bentley Post-Match Interview with Simon Pitts