Canvey Island picked up their first league victory since the middle of October with a hard fought 2-0 victory over Takeley at the Steves' Taxis Stadium.

Neither side created much in the first half an hour of the game

Mitchell May skewed a shot wide and then Charlie Panton got on the end of a long pass beat Kristers Ozol to the ball but was unable to find a yellow shirt in the middle.

Takeley featured former Canvey striker George Sykes and he was often a nuisance for the Canvey defence.

Canvey made the best start possible to the second half taking the lead after 47 minutes.

Great play by Evans Kouassi down the left saw him drill a ball into the six yard box that Ross Wall rifled into the roof of the net from close range.

Wall blazed over on 61 minutes from a good position before David Hughes in the Canvey goal was forced into a good save to keep the score level.

Kouassi wasn't far off adding a second with a low shot that just zipped past the post after good hold up play by May.

Takeley very nearly grabbed an equaliser with a header back across goal which just eluded the onrushing forward in the middle.

Gulls though sealed the game in stoppage time when they won a penalty after an energetic run by substitute Jaylen Jones saw the young winger bundled over in the penalty area by a clumsy tackle.

Conor Hubble stepped up and fired an emphatic penalty into the net to seal a valuable three points for Gulls.

Canvey are next in league action on Saturday when they face Fakenham at home.

Match Report by David Powell