Canvey Island will look get back to winning ways in the Isthmian League on Saturday, as they host Whitehawk at the Steves Taxis Stadium.

Our Opponents

The Hawks are competing their 2nd season back at Step 3 following on from their playoff winning 22/23 Isthmian League South East campaign. The club have seen their flag rise higher than Isthmian football in recent years however, achieving promotion to the National League South in the 12/13 season, where they spent the next four seasons making a name for themselves, including a playoff semi final appearance in 2016. Sadly for the club however, relegation in 2017 began a cascade of bad fortune, with further relegation from the Isthmian Premier almost seeing them fall through the trap door again before then manager Shaun Saunders came in to steady the ship and take them back to Step 3.

Saunders took the club to 9th in the table last season in a solid return campaign to the Isthmian Premier. However, his departure earlier in the campaign, along with a succession of other personnel changes, has seen the club languish in 20th at the time of writing following a difficult start. After the resignation of Ross McNeilly a few weeks ago, former assistant manager David Altendorff took the reigns. Despite a positive 0-0 draw at home to Billericay Town, they suffered a 2-0 defeat in their last outing on Tuesday, beaten by local rivals Hastings United away from home.

Altendorff has a squad at his disposal capable of turning the tide in their season however. Players like Greg Luer and Oscar Borg have experience higher up the pyramid, whilst the likes of Andrew Briggs and Tyrese Sutherland have come in after challenging for promotion in the division below.

The two sides met twice in the league last season, with the Hawks getting the better of Canvey at Park Lane in a 2-1 win, despite Conor Hubble opening the scoring from the spot, before the Gulls got their own back later in the season at the Enclosed Ground with a 2-0 win - Jamie Salmon and Elliott Ronto on the scoresheet for the Gulls that day.

The Gulls
Canvey meanwhile, will want to get back to their recently progressing league form after a disappointing 3-2 loss at home to Chichester City last weekend.

Goals from Ewan Sanchez and Jaxon Brown weren't enough to overcome the deficit, seeing the Gulls slip back down a tight table following on from midweek results.

They'll go into this game with a win under their belts however, having overcome Essex Senior League side Buckhurst Hill 3-0 in the Essex Senior Cup 3rd round last Tuesday.
A Bradley Sach brace and a goal from Chris Harris were enough for the Gulls to put themselves in the hat for the next round at Myrak Park.

***
Yellow Army, thank you once more for your support both home and away in recent weeks.

It truly makes a difference to the side to have a support fighting their corner, and with some massive fixtures coming up in the next few weeks, they'll need that support to help propel them up the division.

Come on you Gulls!

Kick Off - 3:00pm

Admission Prices
Adults - £12
Concessions - £8
U16s - £3*

*Accompanied by an Adult.

Merchandise
We'll have a range of club merchandise on sale in the clubhouse, including the new 24/25 kits!

Parking
Parking at the Steves Taxi's Stadium is free to all but limited to first come / first serve. Additional parking can be found on the adjacent side roads, but please be mindful of our neighbours if using this option. Parking on Park Lane itself is also strongly advised against.

In The Clubhouse
We have a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks stocked in the clubhouse.
Hot food and drink is also available in our outdoor kiosks. Please remember that these kiosks are currently cash only.

We also have live Premier League and SkyBet EFL Championship action on our big screens in the clubhouse, including:

12:30pm
Cardiff City vs Blackburn Rovers

5:30pm
Brighton & Hove Albion vs Manchester City