Canvey Island F.C.

Canvey Island
Full name Canvey Island Football Club
Nickname(s) The Gulls
Yellow Army
The Islanders
Founded 1926
Ground The Frost Financial Stadium
Ground Capacity 4,500
Chairman John Batch
Manager Danny Heale
League Isthmian League Premier Division
2015–16 Isthmian League Premier Division, 14th

Canvey Island Football Club, known as the Gulls or Yellow Army, is an English association football club based in Canvey Island, Essex. Founded in 1926, the club play in the Isthmian League Premier Division, the seventh tier of English football.

History

Football has been played on the Island since Victorian times, with several precursors to the current team folding. Canvey Island F.C. were formed in 1926 but had not achieved major success prior to the early 1990s. The early records of the club were destroyed in a major flood during 1953, their loss referenced in the song "Canvey Island" on the album Do You Like Rock Music? by the group British Sea Power. The club had floated around the regional amateur leagues in Essex for that time. Former player Jeff King became both manager and owner of the then Essex Senior League side in 1992 and has led the club through four promotions in the football pyramid, reaching the Conference after a 2003–04 season that saw them win the Isthmian League by 19 points – winning the title with seven games to spare.

At the end of the 2005–06 season, however, owner-manager Jeff King announced that he was no longer willing to fund the club any longer and left to join Isthmian League Premier Division side Chelmsford City. This left the club in financial difficulties, and as a result of which Canvey voluntarily resigned from the Football Conference, dropping three divisions to join the Isthmian League First Division North in 2006–07. Long-serving reserves and youth team manager, John Batch, assisted by former player Garry Britnell, took over team management at the club following King's departure and began to re-build the club following the departure of the entire first team-squad.

In January 2008, the club had 4 of their players called up to play in the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers and International Friendlies. Midfielders Ryan Edgar and Danny Francis were called up for Caribbean country Dominica to face Barbados, with defender Chris Bourne and midfielder Clydie Roberts being selected for the Guyana squad to face Cuba. Canvey will play in the Isthmian League Premier Division in the 2008–09 season after winning the playoffs. They finished 5th in the league, beat AFC Sudbury in the semi-final and beat Redbridge on penalties in the final.

Manager John Batch decided to stand down[1] from his position as Canvey Island's first-team manager on 6 January 2012. After his business interests increasingly took up more of his time. Glen Alzapiedi who was the clubs first-team coach replaced him as Manager, but left the club in July 2012.

He was replaced by former-Canvey player and ex-Southend United manager Steve Tilson in July 2012,[2] who in turn was replaced by popular striker Danny Heale in May 2013.[3]

Chronology

Source: Canvey Island at the Football Club History Database

Cup competitions

Canvey's most significant cup success came in 2001 when they defeated Forest Green Rovers 1–0 after a 14th-minute goal by captain Ben Chenery in the final of the FA Trophy, the leading cup competition in England for clubs outside of the four top leagues- at Aston Villa's Villa Park stadium in front of a crowd of 10,007.

Canvey Island gained further recognition through FA Cup runs, notably in 2001–02 when they knocked out Northampton Town and Wigan Athletic en route to the third round proper of the competition. This gained much publicity for the club and featured on such programmes as the BBC's Match of the Day, and Sky Sports.

Stadium

Canvey Island play at their home matches at Park Lane. The ground is a few feet below sea level, making it one of the only football stadiums in the UK to be as such. The ground has a capacity of "over 4,500"[4] and the stadium has reached its capacity on one occasion, when the team faced Northampton Town in the FA Cup in 2001.[5]

Current squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
England GK Conor Gough
England GK Lewis Greene
England DF Ashley Dumas
England DF Jack Lampe
England DF Luis Morrison
England DF Ryan O'Rawe
England DF Jake Pitty
England DF Steve Sheehan
England MF Marlon Agyakwa
England MF Harrison Chatting
England MF Mitchell Gilbey
No. Position Player
England MF Rob Lacey
England MF Omarr Lawson
England MF Joey May
England MF Lee O'Leary
England MF Jack Simmons
England FW Jay Curran
England FW Jake Gordon
England FW Tony Stokes
England FW George Sykes
England FW Martin Tuohy

Former players

Notable former players that have played/managed in the Football League or foreign equivalent level.

Managers

Listed according to when they were managers for Canvey Island:

Honours

Records

References

  1. "John Batch Stands Down". Non League Chat. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  2. "Steve Tilson Appointed First Team Manager!". Canvey Island F.C. 12 July 2012.
  3. "Heale Replaces Tilson As Gulls Manager". Canvey Island F.C. 9 May 2013.
  4. "The Brockwell Stadium". Canvey Island website. Archived from the original on 12 December 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  5. "Club history". Canvey Island website. Retrieved 20 December 2010.

External links

Coordinates: 51°30′59.249″N 0°36′56.441″E / 51.51645806°N 0.61567806°E / 51.51645806; 0.61567806

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