Wikipedia

Canvey Island F.C.

Canvey Island Football Clubis afootballclub based inCanvey Island,Essex,England. They are currently members of theIsthmian LeaguePremier Division and play atPark Lane.

Canvey Island
Full nameCanvey Island Football Club
Nickname(s)The Gulls, The Islanders, Yellows
Founded1926
GroundPark Lane,Canvey Island
Capacity4,100 (500 seated)[1]
ChairmanJohn Batch
ManagerBrad Wellmen
LeagueIsthmian LeaguePremier Division
2023–24Isthmian LeaguePremier Division, 14th of 22
Websitehttp:// canveyislandfc

History

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The club was established in 1926 and initially played in the Southend & District League.[1]They later joined the Thurrock Combination, winning the League Cup in 1952–53 and the league and League Cup double in 1955–56.[2]In 1957 the club joined theParthenon League,finishing bottom of the league in their first season.[3]The following season saw them finish sixth and win the League Cup,[2]and in 1959–60 they were league runners-up.[3]In 1963 they switched to theLondon League,joining the reformed Division One.[4]In 1964 the league merged with theAetolian Leagueto form theGreater London League,with the club placed in the A division.[4]In1967–68they were Division One champions and won the League Cup, retaining both titles thefollowing season.[2]

In 1971 the Greater London League merged with theMetropolitan Leagueto form theMetropolitan–London League,with Canvey Island placed in Division One.[4]When the league merged with theSpartan Leaguein 1975 they joined theEssex Senior League.They were runners-up in 1978–79 and won the League Cup the following season.[2]They won the league for the first time in 1986–87.[4]After winning the league and League Cup again underJeff Kingin 1992–93, a season which also saw the club reach the semi-finals of theFA Vase,they moved up to Division Three of theIsthmian Leaguein 1994.[4]Theirfirst seasonin Division Three saw them finish as runners-up, earning promotion to Division Two. The club went on to win Division Two thefollowing season,resulting in promotion to Division One.[4]They also reached the first round of theFA Cupfor the first time, eventually losing 4–1 toBrightonin a replay.[4]

Although Canvey Island were relegated back to Division Two at the end of the1996–97 season,they were Division Two champions in1997–98and Division One champions in1998–99as successive promotions saw them reach the league's Premier Division.[4]In2000–01they finished as league runners-up, and also reached the second round of theFA Cup;the first round saw them beatSecond DivisionPort Vale2–1 in a replay atVale Parkafter a 4–4 draw at Park Lane. In the second round the club were drawn at home to near-neighbours Third DivisionSouthend United;in a game switched to Southend'sRoots Hall,they lost 2–1.[4]However, the club's biggest success came in theFA Trophy,where they reached the final atVilla Parkafter beating three teams from theFootball Conference.[5]In the final the club beat favouritesForest Green Rovers1–0,[6]becoming the first team from the Isthmian League to win the competition for 20 years.[5]Thefollowing seasonsaw them finish as Premier Division runners-up again, as well as reaching the third round of theFA Cup.After winning 1–0 against Football League clubsWigan AthleticandNorthampton Townin both the first and second round, they lost 4–1 atBurnleyin the third round.[4]

In2002–03Canvey Island finished as Premier Division runners-up for a third consecutive season, but thefollowing yearsaw them win the division to earn promotion to theConference National.[4]The season had also seen them reach the FA Cup first round for a third time; again drawn to face Southend, they lost 3–2 in a replay at Park Lane after a 1–1 draw at Roots Hall and theFA Trophyfinal, where they lost 3–2 toHednesford Town.[4]Another first round appearance in 2004–05 ended in a 4–0 defeat toAldershot Town.[4]After two seasons at the fifth level, King decided the poor attendances did not justify continued investment in the club and they took voluntary demotion to Division One North of the Isthmian League.[7][4]In2007–08they finished fifth in the division, qualifying for the promotion play-offs. After defeatingAFC Sudbury3–2 in the semi-finals, they beatRedbridge5–4 on penalties in the final after the match had ended 1–1 and were promoted back to the Premier Division.[8]

Canvey Island were relegated back to the (renamed) North Division at the end of the2016–17 seasonafter finishing third-from-bottom of the Premier Division. Thefollowing seasonsaw them finish sixth in the North Division, qualifying for the play-offs. After beatingBowers & Pitsea2–0 in the semi-finals, they lost 3–1 toHaringey Boroughin the final. In2020–21the club reached the first round of the FA Cup again, winning 2–1 atBanbury United,[9]before losing 3–0 toBoreham Woodin the second round. The2021–22 seasonsaw the club finish as runners-up in the North Division, going on to beatFelixstowe & Walton United3–1 in the play-off semi-finals before winning the final againstBrentwood Town4–1 on penalties, earning promotion to the Premier Division. The club finished third in the Premier Division thefollowing seasonbefore being beaten byAveleyin the play-off semi-finals.

Ground

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Upon formation, the club played at The Paddocks on Long Road on the island, before moving to Furtherwick School. FollowingWorld War II,Canvey Island returned to The Paddocks. In 1955, the club moved a short distance to Poplar Road. Whilst in the Parthenon League, the club moved to Park Lane in 1962.[10][11]It currently has a capacity of 4,100, of which 500 is seated and 827 covered.[1]In the summer of 2018, it was announced that the club would also be hosting the home matches ofBenfleet.

Honours

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  • FA Trophy
  • Isthmian League
  • Greater London League
    • Division One champions 1967–68, 1968–69
    • League Cup winners 1967–68, 1968–69
  • Parthenon League
    • League Cup winners 1958–59
  • Essex Senior League
    • Champions 1986–87, 1992–93
    • League Cup winners 1979–80, 1992–93
    • Harry Fisher Memorial Trophy winners 1993–94[2]
  • Thurrock Combination
    • Champions 1955–56
    • League Cup winners 1952–53, 1955–56
  • Essex Senior Cup
    • Winners 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2011–12

Records

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See also

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References

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  1. ^abcdefghMike Williams & Tony Williams (2016)Non-League Club Directory 2017,Tony Williams Publications, p318ISBN978-1869833695
  2. ^abcdeClub HonoursArchived7 March 2017 at theWayback MachineCanvey Island F.C.
  3. ^abParthenon League 1951–1966Non-League Matters
  4. ^abcdefghijklmnopqCanvey Islandat theFootball Club History Database
  5. ^abTrophy finalists out to confound criticsBBC Sport, 10 May 2001
  6. ^Canvey stun Forest to lift TrophyBBC Sport, 13 May 2001
  7. ^King to ease on Canvey investmentBBC Sport, 10 April 2006
  8. ^2007–08 Isthmian LeagueFootball Club History Database
  9. ^Banbury United 1–2 Canvey IslandBBC Sport, 7 November 2020
  10. ^"A Look Into History 36".Essex Senior Football League.29 May 2020.Retrieved10 January2022.
  11. ^Jon Weaver (2005)The Football Grounds of Rural Essex,p13
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