Six goals . . . the woodwork hit three times . . six bookings and a sending-off - it is clear already that Nationwide Conference life is going to be anything but dull for Canvey Island.
It's there - Lee Boylan celebrates one of his goals against Tamworth
After both sides had been forced into early substitutions - Ty Gooden replacing Jeff Minton for Canvey and Chad Sheppard stepping in for Tamworth's Jason Blunt - the visitors went ahead from their first real penetrating attack.
Player-manager Mark Cooper had hit the woodwork with a 14th minute free-kick before Tris Whitmarsh broke on the right from what I saw as a clear offside position to cross for on-loan fellow striker Neil Ross to head home.
Gulls continued to play the brighter football, but without penetration, and were cruelly exposed at the back after 35 minutes.
A quick ball out of defence saw Lee Colkin break free down the left, waltz round Peter Smith, and shoot home past the helpless Danny Potter.
King had introduced the attacking skills of John Keeling into the side for the first time and his ability to run at defenders was certainly menacing the Tamworth rear-guard.
A superb move a minute before half-time saw Potter's long clearance helped on by Neil Gregory for Boylan to set Keeling up to fire home a tremendous half-volley.
It was just the pick-me-up Gulls needed. As the second-half got underway, the bulky ex-Football League man Matt Redmile was finding it increasingly difficult to cope with the skills of Gregory and, to my mind, clearly fouled him in the box.
Boylan slammed home the 52nd minute penalty and, despite Minton's absence, the Island side were now at their irresistible best.
After Chris Duffy had hit the woodwork, Sedgemore's quick-thinking saw a free-kick over the top allow Boylan to ram home his second - and his 150th Canvey goal in only his fourth season.
Dave McGhee, again majestic at the heart of defence, picked out Duffy's superb run down the right.
But the wing-back, having beaten Price, failed to put the ball in the net and the chance was gone.
Just how costly that kind of miss can be at this level was emphasised when Whitmarsh moved swiftly onto a knock over the top from a free-kick to level after 70 minutes.
Published Monday August 23, 2004
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