Match report by David Powell

Canvey Island continued their pre-season with a 2-1 win over a young Southend United side at Park Lane.

On an unseasonably windy night, Gulls were good value for their win against a Southend side that featured Freddy Eastwood and Sam Brogan who both enjoyed spells on loan with Canvey last season.

With a swirling gusty wind to their advantage, Canvey were the better side in the first half and took the lead after 13 minutes.

Ryan Melaugh found space in the penalty area and fired in a shot that Blues’ keeper Callum Taylor saved with his legs. Taylor did well to save Melaugh’s headed rebound but the ball struck defender Jimmy Wallace and bounced into the net.

Melaugh poked an effort just wide moments later and then Taylor had to be agile to turn away a dangerous right wing cross that caught in the wind.

Southend gradually settled but other than a Jon Benton effort from 25 yards that Bobby Mason saved comfortably, rarely tested the Canvey goal.

In the second half, Blues were playing with the wind to their advantage but found Canvey’s defence in good form.

They did nearly find a breakthrough on 67 minutes when a good break from Benton down the right saw him lay the ball back to Matt Rush in the penalty area but he leaned back and fired his effort over the crossbar.

Moments later Canvey nearly increased their lead. Tobi Joseph showed good strength to hold off a defender and send in a curling effort that Taylor acrobatically pushed to safety. The ball was sent back in from the right to Harrison Chatting at the far post who fired over on the volley.

Southend came more into the game in the final 20 minutes and some neat passing and good movement started asking questions of the Canvey defence.

A good pass by Brogan found Rush but his shot from inside the penalty area was deflected over on 76 minutes.

Southend’s pressure yielded a goal on 80 minutes when Mason failed to hold on to a powerful strike from Oshane Stewart and Cameron Brown snapped up the rebound, stabbing the ball home.

Stewart fired narrowly wide from Benton’s short corner 5 minutes later but it was Canvey who won the match with the last kick of the game.
From a free kick 25 yards from goal, Conor Hubble stepped up to curl a superb effort into the bottom left-hand corner.

The final whistle blew moments later to seal a 2-1 win for Canvey in a match that despite the tricky weather conditions saw both sides play some good football.

Photo: Jon Andrews

LISTEN: Mark Bentley Post-Match Interview with Simon Pitts