It Certainly is a Game of Two Halves

With a full squad to pick from for this early Saturday kick-off, Jeff King favoured a bit of a change from the team that lost to table leaders St. Albans last Tuesday night.

Ashley Harrison started his first league game wearing the number one shirt and Bertie Brayley scoring a great goal last Tuesday re-partnered Neil Gregory up front. David Gregory, Danny Potter, Micky Bennett, Spencer Knight & Lee Boylan warmed up the bench.

Aylesbury it was dominated the opening minutes and like most games this season the Ducks went one-nil up within five minutes and yet again it was from a corner. The corner from the left was half-cleared and with Harrison stranded and virtually pinned to the floor Aylesbury's number two hammered home.

The Referee today was extremely poor and although being a biased Canvey fan, I have to say that he gave everything to Aylesbury no matter how little it was. As the game went on he was continuing to lose the plot for both sides. He was missing fouls for both teams left, right & centre.

Just past the half-hour after a sliding tackle in the Canvey penalty area, he awarded an in-direct free-kick for a back-pass. What happened next was rather strange from where I was standing. Ashley Harrison had joined the Canvey defensive wall and after a bit of running around and a punch or two thrown, the Duck's number eight Fiston Manuella was shown two yellow cards at the same time, one for the punch thrown and one for mouthing off to the ref. Ben Chenery was also shown a yellow card for reasons unknown. Once things had been sorted the free-kick was a good one and it was only the quick reactions of Ollie Adedeji who headed the ball off the line.

Many Ducks fans thought that this sending off was a major turning point in the game. Number nine almost doubled Aylesbury's lead when he picked up the ball out on the right and shot across the face of Harrison's goal, putting the ball just wide. This sudden scare sharpened Canvey's senses and they manage to turn the balance of the game and a good chance by Neil Gregory lacked any power behind it and was easily collected by Adam Wheeler.

The mounting pressure began to break the Aylesbury back-line, who could only half-clear and slice balls away. One such ball led to a corner from the right. It was Lee Protheroe who rifled the ball across and with Neil Gregory nodded the ball on very delicately it landed at the feet of Ben Chenery who poked the ball home from seven yards. This was exactly the thing Canvey wanted just before half-time to even the odds.

Half-time - Aylesbury United 1 Canvey Island 1.

Adam Wheeler was replaced at half-time by Gary McCann due to injury and the Canvey onslaught began! Aylesbury's number six had Aylesbury's best chance of the second half only two minutes in when a curling shot was just a foot wide of Ashley's right post.

Just passed the hour Neil Gregory thought he had put Canvey ahead when he headed the ball into the far corner of the net from about twelve yards out, but that was ruled out for offside.

It was only a minute later though that Jeff Minton got his first goal for Canvey Island. Bertie Brayley hit a twenty yard shot that had such force McCann could only palm it away to the feet of Minton who reacted quickly and stabbed the ball into the back of the net to definitely put Canvey into the lead. I myself was still spending an hour and ten minutes in the Aylesbury Burger-Bar queue and from where I was standing you would have thought it was Scott Forbes who had scored by the way he was jumping around the pitch.

Sixty-five minutes into the game and where number nine had, had the chance the put the Ducks two-one up. It was Neil Gregory following the exact same process, but his shot actually landed in the bottom far corner of the net to put the Gulls three-one up.

On sixty-nine minutes Chris Duffy was put into the Referee's book for up-ending an Aylesbury player. Ashley Harrison pulled off a superb save from an eighteen yard rocket launched straight at the goal.

Spencer Knight got his studs into the game on seventy-three minutes replacing the tiring Scott Forbes who had improved greatly from last Tuesday too. Aylesbury also made a double substitution at this time and the rather ineffective Billericay bench-warmer Joe Baker and number four was replaced by numbers sixteen and fourteen.

Five minutes later Bertie Brayley got his second goal in two games, but as I finally managed to get hold of some chips I missed it! Four-one up and Lee Boylan was brought into the action replacing Neil Gregory.

Ten minutes till full-time and Spencer Knight scored a beautiful, fluke of a goal. Spencer picked up the ball wide out on the left and his precise cross was heading straight for McCann, but totally evaded the 'keeper and landed into the back of the net. Eat your heart out Chris Duffy!

The elder Gregory was introduced in favour of Lee Protheroe and just minutes from scoring that major fluke Spencer limped off heavily clutching the back of his thigh. Having used all three of their subs it was ten-v-ten and even numbers.

Just a minute from time and Lee Boylan rounded off a great performance. He was put through about twenty-five yards from goal and out-pacing the Aylesbury defence he was clear one-on-one with McCann and Boylan calmly slotted the ball home under the slow reacting Goalkeeper. In the dying seconds Bertie Brayley was put in the Ref's book for a bit of a rough challenge but in the end it finished six-one to the men in yellow.

Bring on Hendon Tuesday and next Saturday we play our favourite team to thrash Heybridge Swifts! Going on today's performance I think we might just get seven next weekend, after which we visit the Rec to take on the might that is Aldershot.

Full-time - Aylesbury United 1 Canvey Island 6.

Match Report by Matt.

Weather Conditions:  Dry & bright.

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