Match Report by David Powell

Canvey Island continued their run of pre-season fixtures with a 7-0 defeat at Park Lane against a strong Southend United.

The National League side fielded a team including many first team players and impressive trialists, with a hat-trick from Callum Powell the highlight to help the Blues to an emphatic victory in front of a bumper crowd of just under 900.

Canvey themselves, started the game with several trialist players in the team, but found it difficult to keep pace with their higher ranked opponents.

After Evans Kouassi had fired wide in the first minute of the game, Southend took the lead on 13 minutes. After a good move down the right hand side, striker Dan Mooney launched a curling effort from the edge of the area, which deceived the Trialist keeper between the Canvey sticks.

Kouassi almost provided an instant response for Canvey, getting past a few visiting defenders but bending a shot just over the crossbar.

Odei Martin Sorondo then flicked a header wide from Conor Hubble’s right wing free kick on 30 minutes before Southend extended their lead. Canvey’s trialist keeper was unable to keep hold of Mooney’s right wing free kick and the ball dropped to one of Southend's trialist attackers to poke home from close range.

Mooney then made it three, weaving his way into the box before firing a low effort beyond the keeper.

In the second half, Southend really should have added to the scoreline after Jack Bridge was fouled in the box on 60 minutes. However, Mooney fired the resulting penalty straight at the keeper.

Six minutes later and the Blues were awarded another penalty. Powell was fouled in the box and he stepped up to fire home for the 4th goal of the game.

Powell scored his second goal of the game on 82 minutes after getting on the end of a long ball forward and crashing a shot into the top corner from the edge of the penalty area.

A minute later and the score was 6-0, with a Southend trialist receiving the ball on the right hand side of the penalty area and beating the keeper at his near post with a fierce strike.

Powell completed his hat-trick with another penalty in the last remaining minutes to complete a 7-0 score line.

It was a harsh lesson for the Gulls, who now face more similarly ranked opposition in the form of FC Romania of the Southern League Central Division 1, on Saturday at Park Lane.