April 2001 News

After Canvey's 2-1 loss at Croydon today and Farnborough's win at local rivals Billericay. Farnborough are tonight crowned the Ryman Premier League 2000/01 Champions. Farnborough gained all three points taking their total to 98 with 3 games left, while Canvey stay on 77 with 6 games to play, meaning our maximum total can only reach 95. Although the Championship is now out of our grasp, we only need six points from our remaining games to be sure of second spot. Our congratulations to Farnborough from us all at CanveyFC.Com (Ian, Merv & Matt) 28/4/01

F.A. Trophy ticket update:- The ticket office will now be open weekdays between 10 am and 4pm, and Saturdays between 9am and 12noon. Please note that the club have to levy a small administration charge on each ticket for credit card purchases to cover handling costs. 27/4/01

2001-2 replica shirts, and other new merchandise is due in from our suppliers on Monday. If you have placed an order, they will be despatched, as soon as possible. If you have not yet ordered items for the F.A. Trophy Final - why not do it now - you can shop online securely via your credit card at www.canveyfc.com/shop. As of next week, we will have new Trophy Baseball Caps, new badges in presentation boxes, new T-shirts, new Jester hats, new Topper hats, all of which can be ordered from your computer. Credit card purchases are not available at the club shop, so place your order today at the Online Shop. And don't forget to order for summer birthdays! Our thanks to First Hosting for providing this service. 27/4/01

I could just repeat the previous news article - but I will try to be original! The farcical situation continues! Tonight, the team and fans travelled to Borehamwood, where Enfield normally play their home games. Unfortunately a very heavy downpour also decided to visit the area around 6pm, and parts of the pitch were left well under water. I suppose driving through 2 foot of flood water on the local roads gave us a clue, before we arrived at the ground. The game will now be played tomorrow night (Friday), with a 7.30pm kick off. In the event of the game being postponed again, a reserve ground has been set aside. Our offer of using Park Lane, was declined by Enfield. Please keep an eye on the website tomorrow, as any change of venue, will be announced here. Look on the bright side, at least we have Monday off!! 26/4/01

Last night the team and fans travelled to Hampton & Richmond. Unfortunately a heavy downpour started just before kick off and continued for the next 20 minutes causing large amounts of standing water to build up. The referee decided to abandon the game on 33 minutes. Unfortunately under league rules refunds of gate monies only apply for the first 30 minutes. Mark Stimson had taken the lead for Canvey on 24 minutes with a curling shot, that appeared at first to be heading wide. The game will now be played on Wednesday 2nd May at 7.30pm. Admission prices will be halved, with both clubs getting a share of the gate receipts. 26/4/01

Congratulations also to defender Michael Bennett (left) and his wife, on the birth of their third Child on Thursday night. Ethan weighed in at 7lb 12oz. Mother and child are doing well. 23/4/01

Congratulations to the under 16's on winning the Essex Cup Final, which was played at Ship Lane, Purfleet against Brentwood Town on Sunday. Goals from Matt Grocott and Andrew Ferguson, secured a 2 - 1 victory. 23/4/01

Andrew Lea (right), was the first in the queue this morning to purchase tickets for the F.A. Umbro Trophy Final on the 13th May. Andrew chose to go behind the goal with the rest of the 'Yellow Army'. A queue had already started to form well before the daily opening time of 10am, and Keith Johnson (Commercial Director) and Frances Roche (Secretary) were on duty to sell tickets to the many residents of Canvey who want to see The Gulls in their first national cup final. Ticket prices are �10 behind the goal, or �15 in the main stand. See the details below on how to purchase your ticket for a major event in Canvey's history. 23/4/01

Canvey Island Football Club have issued the following press release:-

'After much discussion and bearing in mind our appalling fixture schedule it has been decided by the management and committee of Canvey Island Football Club that we cannot field a team to compete against Dagenham & Redbridge on Monday night in the Essex Senior Cup Final.

We have informed the Essex County and told them that we feel it would be inappropriate for us to field anything less than our best team in such a prestigious and important competition and we have asked them if they would consider postponing this final until after the F.A. Umbro Trophy Final on 13th May.

We are now awaiting their decision.

We must apologise to all the fans that were looking forward to the final and hope they will have the opportunity to see it played later than originally planned but we are sure they will appreciate the very exceptional circumstances that we are faced with.'

Frances Roche, Club Secretary

John Kennedy (left) struck in the 55th minute to earn Canvey a share of the points in the clash with Aldershot. Despite Farnborough winning yesterday, Canvey are still in with a shout of the league title. The measure of Jeff's willingness to go for it, was in the fact that he was prepared to either withdraw or re-arrange if possible , the Essex Senior Cup final, a competition that he strives to win each season.

A full match report, along with more pictures from yesterday, can be found here.

The situation at the top of the table today is as follows:-

	Played	To play	Pts	Max Pts	Goal Dif.
Farnborough	39	3	95	104	59
Canvey	33	9	77	104	38

The Essex Senior Cup Final against Dagenham & Redbridge, due to be played on Monday 23rd April at Roots Hall has now been postponed and, hopefully, will be played after Canvey finish their horrendous backlog of league fixtures. As Canvey still have an opportunity of taking the Ryman Premier title, the club has been in negotiation with Dagenham and the signs are that the game will be played sometime after the 5th May deadline. As soon as we get details, we will post them on the website. 21/4/01

Canvey will be introducing their 2001 - 2 strip (left) at the F.A. Trophy Final. We are now able to offer fans the opportunity to be one of the first to wear the replica version of the new kit. These new shirts are due for delivery in the next few days, and by ordering online, you are guaranteed prompt delivery as soon as they come in.

Thanks to our site sponsorship by First Hosting, you are now able to purchase the shirts at the online shop at www.canveyfc.com/shop

Also being introduced are new T-shirts, Jester hats, Topper hats, F.A. Trophy baseball hats and F.A. Trophy enamel badges (in presentation case). Many of these items are due in this week, so if you place your order today, we will ship the items out to you, the moment that they arrive. 21/4/01

Last night Canvey played their second game on the trot, defeating Slough Town by a John Kennedy strike in the 20th minute. For the third game in succession, Farnborough could only manage a draw. This means that the gap at the top has narrowed to 16 points with 6 games in hand for the Gulls. You can read the match report here, with a picture from the action, and the latest table is here. On Saturday, Aldershot visit Park Lane, in another crucial game. Victory for the Shots, would hand their Hampshire neighbours a boost, however this is not a boost many of their supporters would like to give. On Sunday fans are urged to stay in bed all day and have a rest, as next week Canvey are in action Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday! As usual your website team will be covering all the games, and bringing you reports and photographs - coverage that will not be found anywhere else. 20/4/01

Canvey are pleased to announce, that Park Lane, has today been graded for conference football, and meets the requirements as laid down by the Nationwide Conference League. 20/4/01

Tickets for the F.A. Umbro Trophy Final on the 13th May, will go on sale from Monday Morning. As always the website is first with the news!

Where:	The ticket office is situated in a chalet on the right, as you enter Kings Holiday Park, which is at the end of Creek Road / Hindles Road.
Phone Sales:	Available on 01268 510346 during opening hours below. This number is for sales only, not for other F.A. Trophy enquiries, or even general club enquiries.
When:	Monday to Friday 10am - 4pm, Saturday 9 - 12noon.
Cost:	Adults �10, behind the goal, �15 in the main stand Children Under 16 �5 anywhere Disabled (wheelchair) �5, 1 helper �5 - situated in Main Stand area. (A small administration charge will be levied for Credit card sales)
Payment:	Visa, MasterCard, Switch, Delta, Cash, Cheques payable to 'Canvey Island Football Club'.
Coaches:	�15 Adults - �7 under 16's - Tickets on sale at the same time

No tickets will be sold at Park Lane. If you have any other questions please do not ring the above number, as it is for sales only - instead email us at fat@canveyfc.com.

Ashley Harrison, has been awarded the March Umbro Safe Hands award. During the month Ash kept a clean sheet in all three league games, as well as keeping the strikers of Telford & Chester at bay. Ash makes it a double for Canvey with Jeff picking up the Manager of the month award. 16/4/01

The final two outstanding league fixtures have now been squeezed into the fixture list. This Thursday we are now away at Slough Town, with a 7:45pm kick off, and on Sunday 29th we have a 2:30pm kick off away at Basingstoke. Please check either the 'fixture congestion' link above, or the full fixtures / results page here. 16/4/01

In case you missed them - we now have around twenty photographs online from the away game at Chester. A few of the pictures are on the match report page, with many more on a separate page - there is a link at the end on the match report, or just click here. Please remember all our photographs are copyrighted - however if you are interested in a copy of any of the images at any size up to A4, please have a word with Ian at the ground. We plan to revamp our gallery page very soon, to have a searchable database of all our photographs, which now number in the hundreds. 15/4/01

T omorrow (Monday), Canvey travel to 3rd placed Gravesend & Northfleet. On Boxing day, Canvey were held to a one all draw, by the north Kent side. Canvey will be looking for maximum Easter points following their 2 - 1 victory over Billericay on Good Friday. A full match report, and photographs can be found here for the Billericay victory. On Saturday, Farnborough's run of 16 straight league victories came to an end as they were held by relegation battlers Slough Town. An updated league table can be found here. 15/4/01

Who is your player of the season? Voting is now open for the 2000 - 01 player of the season. Voting slips can be obtained from the club shop. Last year Steve Ward was voted as the 1999 / 00 player of the year - will he retain his title, or will someone else snatch it away - remember your vote counts!! 15/4/01

F.A. Umbro Trophy Update:- Tickets will go on sale on Monday 23rd April (St. George's Day). Canvey have been allocated the main stand (Trinity Road), and the stand to the right behind the goal. Tickets prices have been set at �15 in the Trinity Road Stand, and �10 behind the goal. We will be releasing the phone number for credit card bookings, and the location for purchasing tickets in person during the next few days. Disabled persons & 1 helper are priced at �5 per person, and these are situated in the Trinity Stand area. Coach seat prices will be announced shortly, and these tickets will be able to be purchased at the same time as your match ticket. Our Trophy Final page has been updated, with a layout of the ground. If you have any queries, please email us at fat@canveyfc.com, and we will find out the facts not the fiction for you. 15/4/01

The Under 16 Essex Cup Final date and venue have been changed. It was to have been played at Maldon town F.C., but has now been changed to Ship Lane, the home of Purflleet F.C. The game is on Sunday the 22nd of this month. The kick off time is 10.30 am.

Our next league game will be on Friday against local rivals Billericay Town. The game kicks off at 12 noon at Park Lane. You can visit the Billericay website here. If you are driving to the ground, please note that as this is Good Friday, there will be three processions heading towards the town centre from different churches on the Island for a 11.15 service in the town centre. You may find therefore that you are held up briefly on your journey. Billericay were the last team to beat Canvey in the league back in December - so the team are out for revenge.... 11/4/01

F.A. Umbro Trophy Final - we expect an announcement over the next day or so, after a meeting tomorrow (Wed) at Villa Park, with regards to tickets & coaches etc. We have set up a page aimed at giving you the definitive answers to your questions. Please click here for more information. If you have any further questions please email fat@canveyfc.com, and we will get you the facts rather than the fiction. You can visit the Forest Green Rovers websites at Forest Green Official and Forest Green Unofficial. 10/4/01

In light of last night's EGM decision, super-secretary Frances Roache, has arranged 3 further fixtures. Please see both the fixture congestion calendar (link above) and also the fixtures page. Unfortunately this has meant games on consecutive days. 10/4/01

Canvey reached their second cup final in 3 days after a win over local rivals Purfleet, last night in the Essex Senior Cup. They will now go on to face high flying Conference rivals Dagenham & Redbridge, at Roots Hall on the 23rd of April. A match report of last nights game is now online here, along with pictures of all the action. 10/4/01

The Isthmian league clubs have tonight rejected a proposal to extend the season by one week. It was defeated by 40 clubs to 8. The League have agreed to a question from the floor that if a club wishes to play two fixtures in one day it can - leniency will be applied with regard to 'fielding the strongest side available...". Games can be switched or played on neutral grounds except promotion and relegation fixtures which cannot be switched - these can only be played as scheduled or at a neutral venue. 9/4/01

Villa Park here we come... Canvey Island have progressed through to the final of the F.A. Umbro Trophy. The game will be against Forest Green Rovers of the conference, and will be at Villa Park on Sunday 13th May, with a 12noon kick off. We will announce ticket info, and details of coach travel very soon. Please keep an eye on the website. We have a match report online here - the photos will be online shortly. Congratulations to all involved yesterday. 8/4/01

Canvey left this afternoon, for a hotel on the outskirts of Chester, in confident mood following their 2 - 0 victory over Chester last Saturday. Tomorrows game at the Deva Stadium, will see the victors progress to the final at Villa Park on Sunday 13th May. Jeff King is expected to field an unchanged team from last week, having rested several key players in the midweek 2 - 0 victory over Harrow Borough. The only difference that we expect is Vaughan to start with Jones on the bench. If you are not travelling north, you can listen to the entire game live on BBC Essex on 95.3FM and 765mw. If you are travelling, directions to the ground can be found here, and the all important weather forecast for the ground is here. As usual we are sending our star reporters & photographers to the ground to cover the match for you, and we hope to get the results onto the web as soon as possible after the final whistle. The match is also the featured game on the non-league show on Sky Sports, next Thursday. 6/4/01

Jeff King has been named Manager of the Month for March. During the month, Jeff has led the side to victory over conference teams Telford and Chester, and maintained a 100% record in the league. 6/4/01

Canvey v Chester Update:- The coaches will be departing Park Lane at 9am now and not 8am, as previously advertised. Seats are still available on a 4th coach, so if you would like to travel up to the English / Welsh border, please call Chris Gardner on 01268 696913 or Dave Doughty on 01268 697091. Don't get left behind on Canvey - go and support the Gulls in what could be an historic game. The club shop will be open this Thursday evening from 8pm, for any last minutes scarves & hats etc. As Dick Marshall said in tonight's Echo ' If fans do not travel to Chester to support Jeff and the players, then they need their heads examined!' Don't miss out join in. Canvey's odd's have been cut once again - when will the bookies learn :-) Hereford are the new favourites at 5/4, Canvey are 9/4, Chester 10/3, and Forest Green 6/1. 2/4/01

Picture Copyright CanveyFC.Com / First Hosting

Just prior to yesterdays game against Chester City, Canvey's treasurer Rod Hall, assisted with the Ryman Chairman, Alan Turvey, presented three cheques to local charities. The cheques were from the F.A. to recognise Canvey's achievements in the F.A. Cup earlier this season. A total of �7,620 was handed out, split between the District News Charity Fund, HAPEE, and the Martin Fletcher Brompton Fund. Representatives from all three charities came to Park Lane yesterday to receive the customary giant cheques. 1/4/01

Picture Copyright CanveyFC.Com / First Hosting 2001

Tonight Canvey are still unbeaten at Park Lane since the opening day of the season - Chester came to do what every Conference and League side has failed to do at Park Lane this season - win. They failed, and so it is Canvey that take a 2 goal lead back to the Deva Stadium in Chester in a week's time. The goal scorers for the Gulls today were Tilson & Vaughan . Jeff King (left with Vaughan), was delighted with today's result, and looked forward to the next 90 minutes of this two legged semi-final. A full match report with photographs is now online here.

Seats for the coaches going to Chester on Saturday are filling up fast - if you forgot to book your place today, please call Chris Gardner on 01268 696913 or Dave Doughty on 01268 697091. Book it soon, or you may find yourself left back on Canvey! (We cannot guarantee that seats will still be available, as the number of coaches available to us is limited.)

If you are unable to make the 2nd leg, we understand that BBC Essex will be covering the game live - it will probably be split frequencies with Canvey's game being on 1530mw and 95.3FM We will confirm this later in the week. Today's goals will be shown on the non-league show on Sky this Thursday.

In the other semi-final between Forest Green Rovers and Hereford it finished 2 all. Both of the second legs kick off at 3pm next Saturday, with the reward for the victors - a final at Villa Park on Sunday 13th May with a 12 noon kick off. 31/3/01