Canvey Island 0–4 Hampton & Richmond Borough

From Prospects Stadium

Ryman Premier League

 

CANVEY Island endured a day to forget against relegation rivals Hampton & Richmond Borough as they were thumped 4-0 to leave them only two points above the drop zone.

The Gulls suffered their worst defeat of the season to leave them looking at the teams below them, with tough looking games against Leiston and Wingate & Finchley to end their season.

A double from Moussa Diarra, plus goals from Charlie Moone and Jerome Federico ensured an easy win for the visitors.

The Gulls came into the match unbeaten in their last three matches but Hampton had also been picking up points, including a 2-0 win over Kingstonian on Monday.

And it was the away side who started the brighter, with the lively pairing of Brendan Kiernan and Duncan Culley linking up well at the top end of the pitch.

It was the Hampton duo who combined for the first real chance of the match, with Culley taking Kiernan’s pass into his stride and lashing left footed beyond the far post.

Canvey were struggling to get a grip hold, with George Sykes leading the line for the hosts with Jay Curran injured and Enoch Showunmi only on the bench.

In fact the best chance of the first 30 minutes for Canvey fell to makeshift centre-back Mike Jones, but his dinked effort was marginally over the bar.

But it was Hampton who pressed forward and Ryan Newman’s effort was tipped over by Brown with the stopper again athletic in denying Culley.

But from the resulting corner the goal came. Diarra raced in and powered home a header to give the visitors a deserved lead.

The Gulls almost drew level on half-time but Harrison Chatting hit the outside of the post after he had rounded the goalkeeper.

And Canvey were made to rue that miss as Hampton continued to set the pace after the break.

And it was the same pair that had combined to open the scoring that made it 2-0. A free-kick from Newman was met by Diarra and he nodded past a despairing Brown.

Moone shot over when it was easier to score before he did make the game safe. Brown rushed from his goal following a lofted through ball but Moone got there first and he shot into an empty net.

Things went from bad to worse for the hosts with 15 minutes remaining. Federico slalomed past a couple of challenges and unleashed a swerving effort that Brown couldn’t get down to.

Canvey showed brief glimpses of getting back into the game but it ended 4-0, with 18th-placed Canvey, separated from the chasing Harrow Borough, VCD Athletic and Peacehaven & Telscombe by only two points.

 

Canvey Island: Brown, Banton, Dumas, Pitty (Showunmi), Jones, Easterford, Agyakwa (Gilchrist), Chatting, Smith (King), Sykes, Simmons

Hampton & Richmond Borough: Brown, Jelley, Onyemah, Diarra, Murphy, Newman, Ferderico, Sinclair, Culley, Moone, Kiernan

 

Other results:

Conference South: Staines Town 0-2 Concord Rangers

Ryman Premier: Peacehaven & Telscombe 0–2 Billericay Town

Ryman One North: Redbridge 1–3 Great Wakering Rovers