Canvey Island 1–0 Brentwood Town

From the Frost Financial Stadium

Ryman Premier League

 

CANVEY Island made it four wins from four in the league as they overcame Brentwood Town by a solitary goal.

Tambeson Eyong scored midway through the second-half to hand Canvey the points in a match they owed a debt of gratitude to goalkeeper Conor Gough, after he made a string of fine saves to preserve a clean sheet.

Canvey came into this match on the back of three straight wins, and fancied their chances against a side who only came up from the division below last season.

But it was the visitors who had the best chances of the first 20 minutes. Liam Hope saw an effort deflected wide from the edge of the penalty area, but it was the skipper who was leading the charge.

Martin Stokes sent a header wide, although he was always stretching for it, but a second header that went wide after 17 minutes should have brought the opening goal, as the Gulls defence went missing.

Ryan O’Rawe tested Conor Gough next, although Canvey were growing into the match. Martin Tuohy sent an acrobatic effort narrowly wide of the post after Lawrence Yiga had shanked an effort at goal.

Goalless at the break, Canvey burst into life in the second-half. Neat footwork by Dan Gilchrist, the club’s top scorer in the reserves last season, saw space open up but his low shot was narrowly wide of the far post.

Glenn Poole sent a fierce drive over the angle of post and bar although they should have taken the lead on the hour mark. Substitute Ozzy Adeniji sent a cross into the box and, as Martyn Guest failed to gather, Harrison Chatting’s point blank range strike was blocked by O’Rawe.

But the opening goal midway through the half, and it was perhaps no surprise that Eyong got the goal.

Glenn Poole sent in a surprisingly poor free-kick, but the ball made it to the far post and Eyong was there to poke home.

But at 1-0 the match was still in the balance, and Gough needed to be his best to keep out the lively Jamie Guy, blocking with his legs from close range.

Richard Halle went closest to the next goal, but his header was just over the bar and that miss almost proved costly when Brentwood had a late effort cleared off the goal-line by the well-placed Eyong.

 

Canvey Island: Gough, Sheehan, Dumas, Eyong, Halle, Yiga, Agyakwa (Adeniji) (Bonnett-Johnson), Poole, Gilchrist (Pitty), Tuohy, Chatting

Brentwood: Guest, Gordon, Goodacre (Anderson), Symons, O’Rawe, Stokes, Hahn, Ngandu, Hope (Holdsworth), Guy, Fisher (Letchmere)

 

Other results:

National League South: Eastbourne Borough 0–0 Concord Rangers

Ryman Premier League: Billericay Town 2–3 Staines Town, Merstham 2–2 East Thurrock

FA Trophy preliminary round: Royston Town 3–0 Great Wakering