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Three Games Against The
Ex-Canvey All Stars There was always going to be needle in any game against Grays Athletic - especially with Stimmo and five other ex-Canvey players in the line up - but the one sure way to silence your detractors is to beat them. And beating them by six goals to nil is a clear enough message for anybody. As one despondent Grays fan mumbled as I walked past, 'Their touch and pass game is too good for us!' On the coldest night I have ever experienced at Park Lane, it was a joy to watch Canvey strut their stuff. Were Grays really that poor, or is this Canvey team (that has now scored 16 goals in their last four games) that good? The old days of 'sexy football' seem to have returned and after their last few terrific performances, you have to agree that this is one helluva footballing side. But it almost went wrong for Canvey on 30 seconds when the lanky Carl Leaburn fluffed a relatively easy chance in front of Danny Potter's goal. But what he was really doing was setting the tone of the visitors performance for the rest of the evening. He always did well in climbing up and getting some very clever knockdowns, but there was never anybody on the end to convert. When Grays did set themselves up with a shot it was either way off target or extremely tame and easily taken out by Danny Potter. From the start it was entertaining football with Mel Capleton being kept much busier that his counterpart in the Canvey goal. But there was little he could do to stop Lee Boylan's rocket on 20minutes. A through ball found Jukka Ruhanen just on the edge of the penalty area and with a perfect touch he knocked the ball on to Boylan who was running into the 6yd box from the right. He connected with a perfect volley and before Capleton knew what was going on, the ball was in the back of the net. Boylan almost got a second goal just a few minutes later but he was unlucky to see his shot blocked, But on 32 minutes he made no mistake and with another knock-on from Rudi, he repeated his earlier effort and grabbed his 27th goal of the season. What was interesting about both these goals is that they were scored from the right - an area that was being 'defended' by player/manager Mark Stimson. Even more interesting when Canvey's third goal came from exactly the same position. This time it was Kevin Dobinson who obliged, being on hand to convert a long cross over from the left, courtesy of Steve Parmenter. It was pretty much one-way traffic with Canvey able to switch the ball from one flank to the other with relative ease. They were demonstrating that the way to create chances was to move the ball around and to use the space, running both on and off the ball. Grays, on the other hand, were using the direct approach, trying to run through the middle of the Canvey defence. Once upon a time this might have been a successful route to Potter's goal but tonight nobody, not even the tenacious Adam Miller, was getting through. Leaburn did find himself in front of goal on a couple of occasions, but with no killer instinct himself and no support around him (Wayne Vaughan was out there, he just wasn't getting involved) all the chances were wasted. And so the first half ended with Canvey in a comfortable lead and Grays struggling to get a foothold. Half time Canvey 3 Grays 0 The second half was almost a complete re-run of the first with Canvey coming close on several occasions, Grays trying (usually in vain) to get into the Canvey penalty area and fans enjoying the spectacle. There was lots of banter coming from the Yellow Army, aimed mostly at Mark Stimson, but on the pitch it all seemed quite calm. With a comfortable lead, Canvey eased off the gas for the first 20 minutes or so but then Dobinson got his second goal and it all started up again. The goal was an unusual one, coming from a free-kick out on the left that was sent over to the far post (Stimson's side again) where it found Neil Gregory. Greggers tapped the ball into the middle where it found Dobbo with his back to goal. Not wanting to waste his chance he gave the deftest of back-heels and sent the ball into the back of the net. Unusual or not, it put Canvey into a four - nil lead. All credit to Grays. They were now four goals down and the match was way beyond redemption, but they never gave in. They kept coming forward and although they tended to lose their way in front of goal, they tried desperately to stay in the game. In total they hit the Canvey woodwork on three occasions and fluffed at least two simple tap-ins, but in spite of this they still never managed to look threatening. At the other end, by contrast, Canvey just kept coming forward and putting in cross after cross, shot after shot, near miss after near miss. Mickey Lee, who had come on for John Kennedy, was enjoying plenty of freedom down the right flank and on 84 minutes he almost got himself onto the scoresheet. It was a superb volley from just inside the 18yd box and although it was always going into the back of the net, Rudi managed to get a toe to the ball, giving it enough of a deflection to claim the goal for himself. The Grays defence screamed at the assistant referee for an off-side decision but he was having none of it. Whoever gets the final glory, it was a good goal and the fifth of the night. Lee was also involved in the sixth goal. He made a terrific run down the right and, in plenty of space (Stimson's side of the pitch again!) he came close enough until he saw both Steve Ward and Neil Gregory waiting in front of goal. With a perfectly weighted cross, Lee found Greggers who hit a superb volley that Capleton didn't even see. Six - nil. Another great performance against Canvey's favourite enemy and the third one of the season. To some people, the Bryco Cup may not count for a great deal, even reaching the semi-final, but any victory against Mark Stimson's Grays always counts with the fans. Now on to Braintree for a very important league game on Saturday. Match Report by Merv. Teams
Weather Conditions: Dry but the coldest night of the season so far at Park Lane. What did you think of
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