Canvey Island have made an official protest to the Football Association regarding their black players being victims of racial abuse from a small section of the home crowd at last week's visit to Halifax Town.

And home officials of the Yorkshire club are said to have identified some of the culprits guilty of making monkey chants, principally at full-back Peter Smith, during the later stages of Gulls' 4-1 Nationwide Conference defeat.

Stadium trust chief executive Geoff Butler has promised that the guilty fans will be banned once the police have confirmed the names of the offenders.

Butler said: "One thing that has become clear this week is that the vast majority of the supporters have shown that they do not want this type of behaviour at the Shay."