Ryman Premier
Grays Athletic 1 v 4 Canvey Island
GRAYS Athletic looked every inch the relegation candidates as they suffered their seventh straight league defeat, going down 4-1 to Canvey Island at Mill Field.
The first attack of the day came from a marauding Danny Bunce who earned a corner. Bunce took the corner from which Ruddock Yala had the simplest of free headers in.
It was great to be playing in fresh spring conditions and Canvey looked like they were taking their time to get into their stride.
Canvey earned their first corner in the 11th minute after a thirty yard shot from Mike Jones was turned over by Lloyd Anderson.
Grays felt they had a fair shout for a penalty when Joel Nouble was bundled over in the box but the referee waived on.
Nouble looked like he had the measure of the Canvey defence but wasn’t sharp enough in front of goal. Unlike, Nick Humphrey, whose neat header in the box in the 22nd minute put the Gulls level.
The Gulls were now much more settled whilst Grays were soon looking like the team that had lost so many games in a row.
In the 30th minute, Chatting silenced Grays as he banged the ball home from close range after some dreadful attempts to clear the ball.
Grays tried to play themselves back into the game. A Phil Anderson header flashed past the post but Grays starting to become unrecognisable from the beginning of the season were looking like a rag bag of individuals who were well meaning but out of their depth.
They had a chance to equalise when they earned a penalty in the 38th minute but Danny Bunce hit it straight at keeper Guzman. Canvey then went straight up the other end and after some neat interplay, John Sands scored from close range.
Canvey picked up where they left off and would have scored were it not for a good close range save from Lloyd Anderson.
Canvey scored a fourth in the 58th minute when Mike Jones was able to bundle the ball home after more woeful attempts to clear by Grays.
Grays made a few changes, plugged away but hardly threatened Canvey. A rare chance for Grays came from a free kick just outside the area but all that happened was that Canvey countered with John Sands running the length of the pitch but his final pass went astray.
Grays somehow somewhere need to find some momentum and durability. The inability to clear is killing them but then again it seems so long ago that they had a settled eleven.
Att: 253
Grays Athletic: Anderson L, Pope C, Flynn L, Anderson P, Yala R, Osman B, Docker J (Fry D 65), Beaney K, Nouble J (Day D 74), Bunce D, Small J (Carlos 53) J.
Subs not used: Maxwell R, , Kirby R
Canvey Island:Guzman G, Hawes J, Dumas A, Game M, Bartley R, Humphrey N, Sellears S, Jones M, Curran J, Sands J, Chatting H
Subs not used: Webb C, Kinch S, Bryan-Edwards R, Strickland T, Hallett J
Ref: P Howard
