Non-League and Academy football writer

On Tuesday evening I made the trip down to Canvey Island, for what was my first ever visit to the Movie Starr Stadium/ Park Lane, in Canvey. This was actually the second time that I had seen Canvey Island play in less than a week, having attended their away Isthmian Premier Division fixture with Wingate & Finchley, last Saturday. Canvey Island lost that game 6-2 to Wingate & Finchley, despite taking the lead twice in the match. However, on Tuesday, Brad Wellmen’s Canvey Island side managed to win against Cray Wanderers 2-1, in what was a good and competitive game of football, despite the fact that Cray Wanderers played much of the game with ten men. Former Spurs youth team player Neil Smith and his assistant, former Spurs player and Republic of Ireland Under 21 international Tim O’Shea are a big part of the coaching staff at Cray Wanderers, with Neil Smith as the manager. Canvey, who were without their top scorer from last season – Evans Kouassi, because of injury, started the game well against Cray Wanderers. They got the ball into the Cray penalty area on a good number of occasions, and they were seeing more of the ball during the opening stages of the game, as they created some good goalscoring chances. However, Cray, who were working hard off the ball and also doing well defensively, had a man sent off on 37 minutes, after Cameron Black collided with Canvey player Louie Arrowsmith, resulting in Cameron receiving his second yellow card of the game.

With Cray Wanderers having been unfortunate I thought to have had a man sent off, they did however, respond well to it. They were starting to show more creativity to their game as well as defending their penalty area well out of possession of the ball, and this resulted in Cray Wanderers’ centre-forward Gary Lockyer heading a clever effort into the Canvey goal, beyond goalkeeper Sam Jackson on 45 minutes, from Anthony Cook’s cross. Although unfortunately for the away side, Cray Wanderers’ lead didn’t last more than five minutes. Canvey Island managed to find an equaliser just before half-time, with Mason Hall heading home after meeting Conor Hubble’s corner-kick. This was a goal from Mason Hall that was very similar to the headed effort that he scored against Wingate & Finchley on Saturday. The second half once again and this time unsurprisingly, saw Canvey Island see even more of the ball than Cray Wanderers. But Neil Smith’s side showed real team spirit and determination, as well as defensive quality, to make it as difficult as possible for Canvey Island to score against them, with ten men. Cray Wanderers’ defender Jack Holland made some crucial defensive interventions during the second half, and Nyren Clunis impressed me with a good all-round performance, and he defended well throughout the second half, for the away side. Cray did create one promising chance during the second half, I thought, from which they could have regained their lead from.

Cray Wanderers performed really well defensively with ten men on the pitch, limiting the home side to not very many really good chances, but it was Canvey Island who eventually did find the winning goal, in the 86th minute of the game. A really fine headed effort from Bradley Sachs, into the far corner of Cray Wanderers goalkeeper Shaun Rowley’s goal, after he had connected with Louie Arrowsmith’s cross into the Cray penalty area really well, won them the game. It was a good game of football on Tuesday, and I enjoyed my first visit to Canvey Island FC. They have a nice ground at Park Lane, and the game itself was a good and competitive one. I wish both sides well for the rest of the season.