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IN THE END, CLASS SHOWS There have been so many times in past seasons when Canvey have been the minnows in an important cup game and, against the odds, they have pulled off a stunning performance. Today the football boot was on the other foot and it was Aveley who were the underdogs, playing their biggest game of the season against favourites, Canvey Island. Although Aveley's performance wasn't exactly stunning, they more than held their own and Canvey had something of a struggle on their hands for much of the game. Canvey's strength in their recent FA Cup and Trophy campaigns has been their ability to play at the same level of the opposition. Fine when you lift your game to the level of Port Vale, Northampton or Wigan, but nail-biting for fans when you find yourself playing at the same level as a club from Ryman Division 1 North. For almost the whole of the first half and for much of the second, Aveley put up a spirited performance, their defence in particular working hard. Canvey could find no way through although they did create all the chances and were playing the better football. Had Aveley brought a reasonable following to support them, they might have been able to get behind their team and lift them. As it was, the atmosphere at Park Lane was rather subdued until later in the second half. Canvey certainly started the game firing on all cylinders and a familiar story started to unfold. When the ball was pushed around on the park, chances were created. However, when the ball was pushed high (and too deep) out to the flanks, chances were often wasted. The service could have been much better. Lee Boylan chased absolutely everything and when he combined with top scorer Neil Gregory, they looked especially dangerous. Boylan was on the end of so many passes and both his ball control and his distribution were excellent. He was desperately unlucky on 6 minutes when he was set up well by Greggers but his well placed shot from the edge of the 6yd box was palmed away by Darren Smith before being cleared by a defender for a corner. Canvey looked the better team because they were sharper in getting to the ball and they fought harder in the 50/50 situations. Aveley, on the other hand, stood back too far and couldn't get enough possession. This should have paid off for Canvey on 18 minutes when Greggers set Boylan up to 'score' a cracking goal from the edge of the 6yd box, only to be ruled off-side by the assistant referee. Once Canvey's initial flurry was over, Aveley did manage to get into the game and had their fair share of possession. For a couple of spells early on they did manage to stretch Canvey at the back. Ernie Bentley and Danny Curran worked hard and it was thanks to some timely tackles by Steve Ward that Danny Potter had relatively few saves to make. Jeff Minton was back today, following some trouble he has had with his shoulder, and he did well to keep coming forward and give some good service to the front men. He set Boylan up well with a terrific cross that he connected with, but the header went just wide. Minton was unlucky not to get onto the scoresheet himself on 24 minutes when he let loose a terrific volley, only to see it tipped over the bar by Smith. Fans sensed that goals would come, but it was desperately frustrating to see the chances being blocked, saved or turned around the post for corners. Aveley were defending well and No. 4 Steve Moseley had an exceptional game, leading his team from the middle of the park and giving good support all across the back line was No. 2 Carl Fannon. Canvey had an important let-off just before half-time when Danny Potter threw the ball out quickly, following an Aveley attack, but the Canvey keeper only managed to throw it as far as Danny Curran. Had the No. 11 been just a bit sharper, he might have taken advantage of the keeper's mistake. As it was, he took too long on the ball and he was easily dispossessed. Eventually (and without adding on any injury time) Mr Tincknell blew the whistle for half time with the scores at nil:nil. Probably a bit flattering to the visitors as Canvey were, in truth, the better team. Their problem was that they couldn't make their superiority count. Aveley were giving Canvey a good run for their money without ever looking too dangerous themselves. Half time Canvey 0 Aveley 0 The thing that was letting Canvey down on far too many occasions in the second half was their poor distribution of the ball. The surface may have been slippery but pitches are going to get far worse than this as the season moves on. Canvey passes were either far too long down the flanks with nobody able to chase them, or they were 'hospital passes' that were almost impossible to get to. Having said that, there were one or two Canvey players being just a little too feint hearted when it came to winning balls On 52 minutes Bertie Brayley came on for Scott Forbes and, suddenly, Canvey seemed to click into life. When Lee Protheroe came on for Craig Davidson 8 minutes later the transformation was just about complete. With some speed introduced down the left, the service started coming through to the front line and Smith now found himself quite busy. Canvey almost went one goal ahead after ten minutes of the second half and it was yet another combination of Greggers and Boylan. This time it was Boylan who set Gregory up with a through ball that found the No. 9 on the penalty spot but Canvey's top scorer just couldn't get the connection and the ball ended up somewhere in the car park. With Aveley now showing signs of tiring, Canvey were sending in more and more shots, although the all-important first goal was still being elusive. The visitors were staying in the game by virtue of some good defending and quick breaks. It ought not to have been enough - but it was. Eventually Canvey's goal came and, not surprisingly, it was Lee Boylan who grabbed it. Lee Protheroe worked so hard through the middle, after being sent forward with a good pass from Jeff Minton. He released the ball perfectly for Boylan, just on the edge of the visitor's penalty area. The Aveley defence made the mistake of pulling up and looking to the assistant referee for an off-side instead of closing Boylan down and by the time they realised the flag was going to stay down, the ball was in the back of the net. A good goal and a deserved lead. Would it be enough? Bertie Brayley was unlucky just a few minutes later, almost converting Chris Duffy's cross (or was it a shot?) from the right. Duffers had been set up well by Gregory and the cross/shot screamed across the face of the goal before landing rather awkwardly for Brayley. He did well to get a shot in, but the angle was rather tight and he could only manage to slam into the side netting. Kevin Dobinson came on for Jeff Minton on 83 minutes and he immediately got involved in the action. He was just running through into the danger area when he was upended rather severely, right on the edge of the 18yd box. It was a good piece of refereeing from Mr Tincknell who allowed play to carry on, giving Canvey the advantage. But when that advantage wasn't realised and the ball was lost, he brought the game back to the incident and awarded a direct free-kick. Lee Protheroe came forward and waited patiently for the defending wall to get back the required 10yds. In spite of much shouting from the keeper, there was still a gap on the right hand side of the wall and that is exactly where Protheroe placed his kick. It was hit so hard that Smith stood no chance of reaching it. A great goal that put the game beyond any doubt. Again, without adding any extra time for injuries or other stoppages, the whistle went early for the end of the game but by now it didn't matter. Canvey were through to the next round and will go into the hat on Monday morning. Aveley fans will probably talk about how near they came on the way home but, in the end, even they will have to admit that Canvey were the better team. They were better in terms of fitness, skill and tactics and although it took a long time to come, the goals were well deserved. In the end, class counts. Match Report by Merv. Teams
Weather Conditions: Dry but slippery surface after a morning's rain. What did you think of
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