Oh, So Close

This was a game that Canvey wanted to win, it was a game that they could have won.  But perhaps the pressure of five games in eight days was beginning to show.  Canvey certainly gave it everything they had but when it came to converting chances into goals, they just couldn't find that extra bit of magic.

From the off, Canvey went into domination mode.  They controlled the midfield and at the back, Ward, Bodley and Chenery demonstrated once again that they are one of the strongest defensive line-ups in the league.  As the first half got under way, home fans were waiting for the goals to go in.  John Kennedy beat Stuart Searle in the Shot's goal within a few minutes of the whistle, but the crossbar defeated his effort and the ball was eventually cleared for a corner.

It came as quite a surprise when Mark Graham put the visitors into a 9th minute lead.  A long lob came over the Canvey defence from the left that didn't look too dangerous.  It fell to Graham's feet and he only took a half-hearted shot but it caught Ashley Harrison off balance and he just couldn't get down to the low shot.  The ball seemed to trickle into the net, but it was a goal all the same.

The set-back didn't seem to phase Canvey too much.  They got straight back into the driving seat and set about grabbing one back.  Wayne Vaughan almost did it when he sent in a long hard shot that Searle could only block.  The rebound almost fell to Steve Parmenter but he was 1/2" short of getting onto the end of it and the ball was eventually cleared.

Desperate to get a goal back, shots at goal were coming in thick and fast and the visiting defence was working at full stretch to keep Canvey out.  Even Mick Bodley came up for a shot on 15 minutes but it was a typical defender's shot and landed somewhere at the back of the car park.

Aldershot have always been a strong team who play with plenty of pride.  No game against them is ever going to be easy, but it has to be said that Canvey were running things in midfield but they didn't seem to be getting the breaks that you need when you are up against such a strong side as Shots.

Neil Gregory had a header cleared off the line and Wayne Vaughan can consider himself so unlucky that he couldn't find the net, in spite of some dangerous looking shots.  It looked like it was going to be one of those days when nothing would go Canvey's way.

At the other end, Gary Abbot always looked tasty when he got hold of the ball, but Steve Ward held him up well.  But Aldershot could only manage two shots in the first half, one of which went in and Canvey were trailing.  It may not be fair, but it's football.

The second half started and Canvey were still looking for justice.  They were throwing everything they had at Shots but they dug themselves in well and their armour seemed impossible to pierce.  Until John Kennedy found a chink in the 55th minute and unleashed a terrific shot that was unstoppable.

The goal came about from a free-kick just on the half-way line.  It fell to Neil Gregory who got it through to Steve Tilson.  Tilly, in turn, managed to get the ball out to the right when JK was coming into the area at full speed.  He connected and there was no doubt that this one was destined for the back of the net.

Being back on level terms was a signal for Canvey to step up the pressure even more, but Shots sensed this and they too brought their game up a notch.  They gradually took more and more control of the midfield and, it has to be said, their passing (particularly headers) from defence were finding their mark every time.  They were managing to collect the 50/50 balls and they also had the rub of the green.  All this combined to give them their best session of the game.  They were creating more pressure now and Canvey had to work hard at the back to keep them out.

Whenever Canvey built their attacks on the floor, they looked good.  Too often, though, they resorted to putting high balls forward that Wayne Vaughan just couldn't get to.  By way of contrast, Aldershot were passing the ball well on the floor but whenever they put it high, they had a fair degree of dominance in the air.  Abbot forced a superb save from Harrison with 10 minutes to go and still the game was on level terms.

Jeff brought Peter Smith and Ian Thompson on to give an injection of freshness to the Gulls and it almost paid off.  Some of Smithy's crosses were excellent and Tommo seems to fool many defences with his jinxing runs.  But still Canvey could not convert these opportunities into goals.

The minutes ticked away and Canvey were wondering just what they had to do to grab back all three points.  In the end they just couldn't do it.  But it wasn't for lack of trying and it was, in general, a very entertaining game.  It would have been even more entertaining if JK's last minute effort had gone in, but that's football.

Following Farnborough's two draws over the Easter period and the fact that Canvey haven't lost a league game since 23rd December, it is still possible for The King's Men to steal the crown.  The fixture backlog is the biggest hurdle to get over, but things look set for a real humdinger on 1st May.