Match Highlights

NOW BRING ON PORT VALE

Canvey are through to the next round of the AXA FA Cup and will play Port Vale at home on 18th November.  A terrific reward for a solid, workmanlike performance against a useful looking Cambridge City.  This was not the best football that Canvey have ever played, but it was better than Cambridge and that, on the day, is all that counts.

Mind you, it was still exciting and for spells of the second half it was nailbiting stuff.  But the reality is that this Canvey side was never going to lose tonight and they worked hard, as a team, to keep their opponents at bay.  From the kick-off Canvey's defence looked solid and dependable and whenever Steve Ward is in the back four, you know that not much is going to get through.

Wayne Vaughan came close with a header on five minutes, but the most dangerous looking shot of the opening spell came from the boot of Tesfaye Bramble after 6 minutes when he unleashed a powerful volley from 20yds out and was unlucky to see it go just wide.  From here on in, both teams took it in turns to put the other under pressure and this was the state of affairs for almost all the game.

Steve Parmenter had a particularly successful game, doing so much fetching and carrying and Neil Gregory was again superb in the air.  He was able to lay off so many beautiful balls that it's a wonder it was taking Canvey so long to score.  Tilson put Vaughan through on 17 minutes and the tenacious little forward saw his shot put out for a corner by Martin Davies.  From the corner Mick Bodley came close with a dangerous looking header that was pushed out for yet another corner.  This time it was Vaughan again who came so near with a lethal looking volley.

Then things seemed to switch to the other end of the park and Cambridge took a turn at putting Canvey under some pressure.  Chris Tovey in particular was unlucky to see his powerful drive go just wide.  There were thrills and spill at both ends now although Cambridge didn't seem as imaginative in front of goal as their visitors.  Canvey were able to distribute the ball with more flair and create more danger than the home side.

Canvey's lead came through a Steve Tilson penalty after 32 minutes when Gregory was upended in the penalty area by Wenlock.  Referee Mr Ross of Chingford had no hesitation in pointing to the spot and with consummate ease, Tilly put his team one goal ahead.  This was a lead that Canvey defended furiously and although Cambridge were eager to get back on level terms, Canvey were not going to give anything away without a struggle.

The second half saw Cambridge come out and straight onto the offensive.  They knew that they could only take the game if they attacked Canvey.  This suited the visitors fine and for much of the second half it was a good attack versus an excellent defence.  In that defence everyone played particularly well but Micky Bennett and Peter Smith enjoyed coming forward to stir up some action.  Add this to Tilly's usual excellent game, popping up all over the field of play, and there was little doubt who was going to come out of this one as eventual victors.

Fans thought they had witnessed the goal of the season on the hour when Bennett started a brilliant run from just inside the Cambridge half.  He just ran at the defence and they just backed away.  He finished the move off with a great shot at goal only to see it tipped over the bar by a very agile Davies.

Whenever Cambridge did break through, it was usually orchestrated by No 8 Bramble.  He always looked tasty when he was on the move but Cambridge had nobody who could do anything with his crosses.  Ashley Harrison rarely broke into a sweat, except when he collected crosses or on the occasions when he came off his line to pick up long lobs into his area and clear them upfield again.

With 20 minutes of the game left, Cambridge tried again to step up a gear and they did put Canvey under some considerable pressure.  They forced a series of corners and even had several near misses headed or cleared to safety.  But Canvey held on until the 84th minute and then took the game beyond doubt.  Steve Parmenter worked particularly hard out on the left flank to set Wayne Vaughan up in the middle.  The shot was hard and goalward, it beat Davies but home fans will tell you that it was cleared off the line by Shane Wardley  and then kicked to safety.  Even one or two Canvey fans standing behind the goal will tell you the same thing.  Did it go over the line, or didn't it?  Actually, it makes no difference because the referee thought it did and pointed to the centre circle.  The referee's decision is final, even when he is wrong.  I was unsighted and couldn't possibly comment ;-)  But Vaughan's arm shot up in victory, the referee agreed and it was now two - nil.

Cambridge never gave up, but they never got stuck in enough either.  Canvey were well worth their win and even allowing for a dodgy second goal, even a one - nil win would have been enough.

Particular mention must be made of the Yellow Army.  The singing and chanting never stopped for 90 minutes and credit to the players who all made the effort to salute the fans at the end of the game.  All the visitors enjoyed themselves and are now looking forward to the next round.  For the home fans it must be a disappointment, but on the day their team paid the price for lacking in that extra bit of push and drive, for the flair and creativity that wins important games such as this one.

Match Report by Merv.

Weather Conditions: Dry, pleasant evening.

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