Canvey ‘deserved’ win against nine-man Ricay
MANAGER Gary McCann admitted Canvey Island deserved their win against Billericay Town on Saturday in an Isthmian League Premier Division game that saw the visitors finish with nine men.
Sam Higgins opened the scoring for the hosts just before the halfhour mark and by half-time, he had added a second.
Between the two Canvey goals, Billericay’s Adam Leathers had picked up two yellow cards in quick succession, leaving the visitors a man down for the best part of an hour.
Louis Ramsay came on as a 75thminute substitute for McCann’s team and lasted less than ten minutes on the pitch before he was shown a straight red, to leave Ricay with nine men for the final five minutes. In that time, Canvey added a third goal through Tobi Tinubu.
With Chatham Town and Hornchurch both winning, the weekend’s results see the top two in the Isthmian League Premier Division pull away from third-place Billericay.
And Ricay boss McCann believes decisions just didn’t go his side’s way.
“It was deserved,” McCann said of Canvey’s win. “We can’t get away from that and I think we have to credit Canvey and how they set their team up.
“We have to be accountable for the two goals we conceded in the first half but we had an awful lot go against us today and I’m not going to sit here and criticise my players on the back of that.
“I thought the players, and especially the ones who played that first 30 or 35 minutes of the second half, acquitted themselves really, really well.
“I thought the first goal we conceded was really disappointing and I thought there was a foul in the build up to it. But credit must go to the forward because he’s worked himself away from his marker and finished well.
“But if you look at the build up to that goal, and I know it looks like we are trying to find excuses, but there is a blatant foul on Matt Johnson in front of the two dugouts.
“But we have to credit Canvey; I’m disappointed. No one wants to be party to a derby defeat even if it is on the road in tough conditions and tough circumstances.
“I know the fans will be critical of the result but a lot has gone against us today.”
Billericay host tenth-place Horsham on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Brentwood Town’s Isthmian League North Division game against Stowmarket Town was postponed on Saturday due to a waterlogged pitch.