DANNY Heale has called on his players to “stand up and be counted” when they travel to Witham Town tonight.

Canvey Island travel to Witham in the third round of the Essex Senior Cup, aiming to end their run of six games without success.

And manager Heale has said he will make changes from the side that went down 3-1 at home to Leiston three days ago, saying his team “carried too many people” on Saturday.

“Individual mistakes cost us,” said the Gulls manager. “The weather conditions were outrageous as well but we didn’t help ourselves.

“When you lose a goal after 50 seconds after giving away possession cheaply it doesn’t set you up very well for the game, but we got back into it and gave as good as we got.

“The sending off (of John Easterford) was comical and a real kick in the teeth but we have to move past it and, with a bit of luck, we will get back to winning ways.

Witham’s match at Met Police fell foul to the weather on Saturday, but Heale said he is keen to prolong their run in the Essex Senior Cup, after exiting both the FA Cup and FA Trophy in recent weeks.

“The FA Cup thing has been hanging over us for a bit now and we need to move past it,” said Heale. “People have got to stand up and be counted. You learn more when you lose than when you win and it is up to the players to show their worth.”

The Canvey boss said he will be aiming to bring in a few more players before the next league game at Wingate & Finchley.