Canvey Sink Chesham Deep Into Relegation Swamp.

On a day where Aldershot have taken all but the title, Canvey Island needed to get last Tuesday's result out of their system and concentrate on the games left. Today it was lowly Chesham United's visit to Park Lane. Sitting just one place above the relegation zone at 3pm the very low Easter weekend crowd expected United to come at Canvey with everything they had. But by the time 90 minutes were up this afternoon, Chesham can consider themselves lucky not to conceded double what counted.

Many fans were surprised to see Chris Duffy standing on the terraces rather than out warming up with the rest of the team. This resulted in Ollie Berquez pulling on the number 3 shirt as well as Steve Parmenter returning to the starting line-up from injury and Craig Davidson replacing Micky Bennett.

Canvey started the first half kicking towards the Park Lane end of the ground and for the first five minutes it was fairly even with a strong easterly wind playing havoc with the ball. But it was Canvey that adapted to the conditions first with some good play coming down the right from Ben Chenery. After only seven minutes some good work on the left by Steve Parmenter, who sent in a deep cross the Neil Gregory, but Gregors miss-hit the ball and sent it spinning up into the air and just wide of the goal for a goal-kick.

As the first-half progressed Canvey became very dominant in the middle of the park and were putting together numerous strings of passes in a bid to move goal-wards. One such move found Steve Parmenter with the ball again out wide on the left. Parms' cross took a slight deflection and found Neil Gregory, Gregory was closed down quickly and managed to lay the ball off to Kevin Dobinson, Dobbo hit a 30 yard strike that looked good to begin with, but kept rising and sailed over the crossbar. Canvey's first real chance of the game after only thirteen minutes and it was becoming considerably easy for the Yellows already.

Canvey were beginning to dominate the Chesham half so early in the game and many crosses were being put into Delroy Preddie's penalty area, but credit where credit's due Chesham's captain Grant Cooper managed to cut out many and send them back out even if it was to an awaiting yellow shirt. A goal was certainly coming Canvey's way and on sixteen minutes when the weak Chesham defence failed to clear a Canvey attack Gulls captain Neil Gregory pounced on the loose ball and struck it as hard and accurate he could. Although the ball was miss-hit and it did clip a defender's thigh it managed to sail into net with Preddie stranded.

Three minutes later and another Canvey attack landed at the feet of Canvey's top scorer Lee Boylan, Boylan took the simplest of touches but managed to hit the foot of the post. The loose ball fell to Preddie, but he fumbled the ball and knocked it out for a corner. Jeff Minton's resulting set-piece fell to the head of Ross Johnson who sent the ball just shaving the bar.

With twenty-four minutes gone Chesham managed a rare break away the shot was parried by Danny Potter and out for a corner. It was Neil Gregory who had dropped back to clear the ball, but in the swirling wind the ball went out of play for another corner. Danny Potter made a rare fumble for the ball and the Canvey defence managed to half-clear the ball away only to a Chesham shirt, but Potter made the simplest of collections.

On twenty six minutes Canvey gained a free-kick out wide on the left. This allowed Canvey to make a substitution with Lee Protheroe replacing Ross Johnson, who had sustained an injury earlier in the game. As Roscoe made his way straight to the treatment room, Jeff Minton sent in one of his in-swinging crosses. The ball sailed deep into the Chesham six yard box and Ben Chenery was on hand to poke the ball home only inches from the goal-line.

Another rare effort for Chesham United fell to the feet of number 3 Daniel Braithwaite, who's 18 yard strike thundered against Danny Potter's crossbar, eventually bouncing to safety. Two goals to the good and Canvey were running riot over their opponents. To be honest Chesham had no organisation at the back, their defence did not hold firm and crumbled every time they came under pressure. Any ball they did manage to latch onto was sent spinning up into the air or half cleared it was very poor and with the weather conditions like today any sliced ball or under hit strike could've ended up in the car park or the back of the net.

Thirty-two minutes gone and another corner for Canvey was yet again only half-cleared it fell to Lee Boylan, and as he had his back to goal, he felt the urge to be generous tapping the ball to the oncoming John Kennedy who's rifling effort sailed over the bar. It was Steve Dogbe's turn to try and get something out of this first half for Chesham his break-away shot was superbly stopped by Danny Potter, but he couldn't hold the ball. Fortunately Dogbe's follow-up was poor and was hit straight at Potter who claimed comfortably.

In the middle of the park, very much unlike last Tuesday every flick and 50/50 ball fell for a Canvey player and the Gulls managed to make almost every pass to a yellow shirt. Seven minutes before half-time and Ollie Berquez was judged to have handled the ball in the Canvey penalty area, although it did hit his upper arm play was allowed to continue for several minutes until the shot that had deflected of Ollie went out for a corner. Rather than giving the corner, Mr. Beevor brought the play back to the handball and awarded the penalty. Grant Cooper converted the spot-kick, slotting the ball into the bottom-left corner as Danny Potter dived the wrong way to his left.

Half-time: Canvey Island 2, Chesham United 1.

Just two minutes into the second half and Chesham 'Keeper Delroy Preddie was booked for dissent, "An A1 class muppet" were his exact words. Three minutes later Lee Boylan was put through one-on-one with Preddie. Boylan pulled out wide with a defender hot on his heels, Lee fired the ball low and across the face of goal into the lower left-hand corner of the net to score his 40th of the season and Canvey's third of the game.

Another chance for Canvey fell to Neil Gregory just two minutes later. A great cross from Jeff Minton was watched by Gregory who tee-ed up to strike his trademark volley. His volley thundered goal-wards, but unlike many before him Preddie managed to block the shot and sent it out for a corner. It wasn't going to be Gregory's day today and his miss of the season just on the hour summed it up. Lee Boylan collected the ball on the edge of the penalty area out on the left. His cross fell to Gregory, who, standing on the six-yard box with just Preddie to beat, scuffed the ball as it bobbled past the post and out for a goal-kick. Gregors put his head in his hands and his frustration was easily understandable.

A double substitution by Chesham tried to get something out of the game, especially when news was coming through that many of the teams battling against relegation today were actually pulling results out of the bag. Notably Heybridge Swifts were leading at Enfield who were eventually relegated after today's games, Braintree were winning at already relegated Hampton, Aylesbury United were three goals to the good against Hayes and Hitchin Town were holding Grays Athletic to a point a piece. 

It was Canvey's turn for a substitution twenty-two minutes into the half as Mark Graham replaced the hard working John Kennedy. Two minutes later their were rays of hope and disaster for Canvey fans. Ben Chenery had the ball at his feet planning to make a counter attack when he was chopped down by ex-Billericay attacker Paul Fewings, however as the ball had fell the Canvey's Ollie Berquez the Referee allowed the advantage to be played. Berquez was through one-on-one with Preddie and with a little shimmy he had rounded the Chesham goalkeeper and slotted home with ease. With play paused, Chenery was allowed to receive treatment and things didn't look good. While Fewings was being booked by the referee for the initial tackle a stretcher had been called and Cheners was carried off with, to be revealed after the game a severely bruised knee. Bertie Brayley was his replacement with Kevin Dobinson dropping back into the heart of defence.

Five minutes later and another Canvey chance went begging, Lee Boylan who had been put through one-on-one again sliced the ball with the outside of his boot. Two minutes later he had the chance to score again! In exactly the same scenario albeit a much tighter angle, Boylan was closed down quickly and a good stop was pulled off by Preddie. 

Chesham attempted another last gasp substitution with ex-Grays and Billericay Striker Andy Douglas being replaced by Mark Nwokeji. Boylan should've got his fifth of the game in the final minutes when Bertie Brayley laid the ball off to him, but Boylan shot wide and so Canvey's tally remained at four. It was a day for big score-lines as both Aldershot Town & Beford Town each put five goals past their respective oppositions and in a very rare occasion Maidenhead United managed to have an attacking frame of mind when they put four past Sutton United.

With the final scores ringing around the ground as the fans were departing, Aldershot had almost certainly won the title needing just one point from their remaining five games, but for Chesham United it was much worse, albeit on goal difference they now find themselves 22nd in the league table and caught in the thick swamp of relegation commodity. For Canvey Island though second place is almost certain for them, but a much more worrying note is will we have enough Defenders left at end of the season?! The Gulls lost two today, and the Yellow Army are hoping that Micky Bennett, Steve Ward & Gavin Cowan will be declared fit much sooner rather than later with the Essex derby at New Lodge taking place in under 48 hours.

Full-Time: Canvey Island 4, Chesham United 1.

Match Report by Matt. Pictures by Ian

Photos: Click on the right and left arrows above to scroll through the images. Click on any thumbnail to view it in a larger format. There are 13 images to view. If the arrow is dark there are more images to the right or left. Pictures are © Ian C. Walmsley / First Images 2003

Neil Gregory eyes the ball carefully ready for another Canvey attack

Kevin Dobinson challenges Chesham's Paul Fewings for a midfield ball.

Cheners signals to the Ref for a foul - check out the elbows! Or is he getting himself inline for a keepers job next season?

Danny Potter swoops low to his left to collect a simple Chesham attack with relative ease

Jeff Minton looks to knock the ball back into the penalty area

Ben Chenery gets on the edge of a Jeff Minton free-kick......

.....and pokes the ball home from close range for Canvey's second of the match

Solid Midfielder Kevin Dobinson wasn't pushed off the ball that easily in yesterday's game

Neil Gregory lets rip his effort from the edge of the area for Canvey's first

Ollie Berquez congratulates Neil Gregory on scoring his 21st of the season

Craig Davidson gets ready to build up another Canvey attack from the heart of defence

Ross Johnson gives it his all in an attempt to halt a rare Chesham effort

Danny Potter grasps at a tricky ball as Craig Davidson and Anore Scarlett look on

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Neil Gregory eyes the ball carefully ready for another Canvey attack

Photos: Click on the right and left arrows above to scroll through the images. Click on any thumbnail to view it in a larger format. There are 13 images to view. If the arrow is dark there are more images to the right or left. Pictures are © Ian C. Walmsley / First Images 2003

Weather Conditions:  Dry with a huge wind chill factor

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