Witham Town 1-7 Canvey Island

An exceptional second half performance saw Canvey Island run out 7-1 winners away to Witham Town in the BetVictor Isthmian League North on Tuesday night.

With nothing between the two sides at the break at a chilly Simarco Stadium, the Gulls moved through the gears after the restart and put the hosts to the sword in clinical fashion.

Manager Mark Bentley made two changes from the side that were beaten 2-1 by Dereham Town ten days earlier. Winger Ernest Okoh was handed his debut and started on the right in place of Rob Lacey.

Sam Bantick was suffering from kidney stones but was named on the bench, with his place alongside Jason Hallett in attack taken by Tobi Joseph.

Both teams created half chances inside the opening exchanges. On three minutes Witham midfielder Liam Whipps lined up a low shot from 25 yards. Whipps aimed for the bottom corner but Rob Budd was able to watch it drift a couple of yards wide.

Ernest Okoh’s first involvement saw him cut in from the right on six minutes, making his way into the area and shooting low but straight at goalkeeper Rhys Madden who saved.

Canvey keeper Rob Budd showed good alertness on 19 minutes when a poor defensive header from James White looked to have played Scott Kemp in. Budd raced off his line, winning the ball with his feet in the nick of time and managing to clear for a throw.

Ryan Melaugh had two good opportunities soon afterwards, the first of which the result of a swift counter-attack. Tobi Joseph squared possession to Melaugh, but after taking a touch his shot from 20 yards was deflected over for a corner.

Melaugh did manage to hit the target on 23 minutes when he fizzed an attempted cross over from the left. The ball was heading in at the front post but was kept out by the feet of Rhys Madden who showed good reflexes.

The chances kept coming for Canvey, with Ernest Okoh seeing a shot catch a bobble before going over on 26 minutes after some good build up play from George Woodward and Dan Humphreys.

Eight minutes later a lofted ball into the box was brought down by Jason Hallett on his chest with his back to goal. Hallett did well to turn and shoot, missing the target by a narrow margin with the goalkeeper rooted to the spot.

Witham came close on 36 minutes when a ball across goal from the left found the run of Oliver Bell. Rob Budd came off his line to close down the shot, with Bell sliding the ball underneath him but the wrong side of the post.

Another counter-attack from Canvey nearly resulted in a goal on 41 minutes when a long ball forwards was brought under control by Tobi Joseph to the right of goal. Joseph squared for Jason Hallett who held the ball up and allowing Ryan Melaugh to join in from the left. Hallett slid in the winger, but his shot with the outside of his foot was off target.

Canvey took the lead on 43 minutes with a move that was started by Darren Phillips, winning two tackles inside the centre circle before picking out Tobi Joseph with a low pass. Jason Hallett overlapped his strike partner and took the ball into the box, doing well to keep it under control on the bobbly playing surface before sliding home from 10 yards.

The lead lasted less than a minute when former-Canvey defender Billy Willis played a good cross over from the right. The ball was allowed to travel all the way across the face of goal and to the back post where Scott Kemp was on hand to tuck it away.

The Gulls started the second half brightly, with Tobi Joseph being played in on goal inside two minutes of the restart. Joseph ran in behind the defence but saw his shot kept out by the chest of Rhys Madden who had come off his line.

Dan Humphreys then had a shot from a similar area blocked by a defender before Canvey regained the lead on 54 minutes.

An excellent free kick into the area from the left from James White fell perfectly for Jason Hallett who stretched to poke the ball home for his second of the evening.

Having missed some chances to score in the first half, Ryan Melaugh then helped to put the result beyond doubt with two exceptional crosses from the left.

On 66 minutes a ball from deep to the back post was met by Ernest Okoh who slid in to shoot across goal and in to mark his debut with a goal.

Two minutes later Melaugh put the ball over from nearer the touchline which found Jason Hallett at the near post. The ball was travelling at a rate of knots, but this didn’t deter Hallett who connected with a stunning acrobatic volley to complete his hattrick and score his 20th goal of the season.

Witham’s body language noticeably changed after the fourth goal and more goals seemed there for the taking, and with Canvey’s poor goal difference this was an opportunity too good to not take advantage of.

Tobi Joseph made it 5-1 on 75 minutes having been sent through one-on-one, and three minutes later James White curled home a beauty of a free kick after Dan Humphreys had been fouled in a central position 25 yards from goal.

The scoring was rounded off with three minutes remaining when Ryan Melaugh added to his two assists with a richly-deserved goal, smashing the ball high into the roof of the net from the left.

It could have been 8-1 in the final minute of normal time when James White stood over another free kick from even further out, but this time his shot dipped onto the crossbar.