Canvey Island 1 Blues 3

For the second consecutive season the Blues picked up three points at the Prospect Stadium, scoring three times in the process. After an early opener the Blues always looked like getting something from the game and were helped by the hosts going down to ten men in first half stoppage time. The visitors started with the same side that had won at Leighton Town in midweek and kicked off defending a very strong wind and got off to the best possible start in the opening minute. Gareth Heath released Joe Francis from central midfield and the Blues winger showed the home defence a clean pair of heels and reached the by-line before a perfect pull back across the face of the box for Tom Winter who timed his run into the box to perfection to sweep home. Canvey responded almost immediately but John Sands saw his half volley just clear Danny Gay’s bar. On ten minutes home keeper Tim Brown made his first telling save of the game as Tom Winter robbed Mike Jones allowing Gareth Heath to play in Leon Ottley-Gooch but the Blues striker was denied by a fine save by Brown low to his right. With the wind advantage the hosts began to press and Conor Hubble cleared a Rio Bryan-Edwards header off the line from a Marlon Agyakwa corner. Danny Gay then held a driven John Sands free kick high under his bar before Canvey drew level on 15 minutes. Ben Marlow’s left wing centre was met by Jay Curran who had got between defenders to glance a header beyond Danny Gay and into the left hand corner. Two minutes later the Blues were inches away from regaining the lead. Canvey left back Ashley Dumas tried to head back to his keeper but misjudged his keepers position and as Brown parried Tom Winter instinctively sent a header goalwards only to see John Easterford clear off the line. Boosted by the wind Canvey continued to pepper the Leiston goal with long range efforts but all too often they were straight at Danny Gay. On the half hour mark John Easterford went into the Referee’s notebook for a foul on Joe Francis and from the resulting free kick Conor Hubble’s effort was inches wide with Tim Brown at full stretch. The Canvey stopper then made a fine save to keep out Leon Ottley-Gooch’s half volley from the edge of the box and minutes later thwarted Leon Ottley-Gooch again after the Blues striker had shown great determination to win the ball off Mike Jones and then John Easterford but Brown denied him in a one on one situation inside the box. The first half then ended with a dismissal as John Easterford picked up his second yellow card following a trip on Gareth Heath leaving the hosts with ten men.

With the strong wind and numerical advantage Leiston resumed the second half in determined fashion and minutes in Tim Brown was forced to claw out Gareth Heath’s curling effort as the Blues corner count began to increase. Eight minutes into the half the visitors regained the lead and it was a second goal for Tom Winter. Tim Brown’s sliced clearance fell straight to Scott Mitchell who found Leon Ottley-Gooch on the edge of the box who then picked out Joe Francis wide on the left and his cross found Tom Winter who, for the second time this afternoon, timed his run perfectly to head home. Four minutes later the game was as good as won as Leiston added a third. Adam Tann’s long diagonal pass searched the run of Joe Francis who stretched to send a first time cross into the path of leading scorer Gareth Heath who buried his shot from close range for his fourteenth goal of the season. Joe Francis took a heavy knock into the advertising boards crossing for the goal and on the hour was replaced by Patrick Brothers after another foul. The Blues pressure continued with numerous corners following some last ditch defending. On 72 minutes Conor Hubble saw a deep free kick crash against the crossbar and then three minutes later he collected a Blake Saker and cleverly skipped inside two defenders before crashing an effort back off the post. Josh Merritt then sent a header from a Patrick Brothers cross just wide before a vicious 40 yard effort from Scott Mitchell was parried by Tim Brown. The Blues goal had a quiet second half as the ten men struggled to find any pressure in the final third as the Blues gained three more important points to lift them up into fourth spot.

FT – Canvey Island 1 Blues 3

Blues line up – Gay, Saker, Boardley, Mitchell, Jefford, Tann, Winter (Merritt 74 mins), Heath, Ottley-Gooch (Block 86 mins), Hubble, Francis (Brothers 60 mins), Sub not used – Rossis

Goals – Curran 15 mins (Canvey Island), Winter 1 & 53 mins, Heath 57 mins (Leiston)

Yellow cards – Easterford (Canvey Island), Merritt (Leiston)

Red card – Easterford (Canvey Island)

Man of the Match – Tom Winter

Attendance - 271