PRICE IS RIGHT AS GULLS GO BACK UP
MATT PRICE proved to be the Canvey Island hero as his cheeky Panenka sent the Gulls back into the Isthmian Premier for the first time since 2017.
The frontman cancelled out Tom Richardson’s early Brentwood Town opener and then scored the winning spot-kick as the Isthmian North play-off final was decided by penalties in front of a bumper crowd of 2,532 at Park Lane.
While Canvey were perfect from 12 yards, Rob Harvey’s effort was saved by Bobby Mason and Ashley Nzala fired over, leading to Brad Wellmen hailing his side’s achievement.
The Canvey boss told The NLP: “Our goal at the start of the year was to get promoted and we have gone all the way down to the wire.
“We had a great crowd and this is for the whole club – the committee, tea ladies, volunteers, everyone.
“I was part of the management team which got relegated, so it was personal for me to give something back.
“The least I needed to do was get us into the Isthmian Premier and it’s an unbelievable feeling.”
Brentwood were in dreamland inside four minutes as Richardson pounced on a misplaced clearance from Jey Siva and stabbed the ball underneath Mason.
Nzala passed up a golden opportunity to double the visitors’ lead as his attempted lob was easily gathered by Mason after finding himself through on goal.
Canvey were then let off the hook when Mason Hall appeared to handle the ball and referee Michael Robertson-Tant waved away the penalty appeals.
They responded by upping the ante and, having seen Blues goalkeeper Harry Girling’s attempted clearance blocked by Price and drift inches wide, a brilliant goal-line clearance from Matthew Cripps kept Har
rison Chatting at bay.
The Gulls’ pressure eventually told seven minutes before the break as Evans Kouassi’s inch-perfect cross was nodded home by Price.
In a second half starved of goalmouth action, Price fired wide from long range and Brentwood right-back Harvey was denied by Mason.
Price thought he had doubled his tally in the early exchanges of extra-time as he rounded Girling and slotted into an empty net, but the striker was adjudged to have kicked the ball out of the custodian’s hands.
Harvey came agonisingly close to finding a late Brentwood winner as his free-kick flew past the post and Canvey were to take advantage in the shoot-out, with Price’s promotion-winning effort leading to a pitch invasion.
While Brentwood chief Rod Stringer was keen to hail his charges, he felt his side were denied a stonewall penalty.
He said: “We are very disappointed, but the boys gave it everything they had and it all boiled down to five kicks.
“We had a great chance to go 2-0 up. If that goes in, I think we win the game and we also had a major penalty shout.
“The referee was close to it and didn’t give it when everyone in the ground saw it, so why didn’t he?
“That was a major turning point, but my players were amazing.”