Canvey Island, with one eye on another possible money-spinning run in the FA Cup competition which has brought them so much glory in the last two years, have added further to their considerable defensive strength.

Latest new arrival is 22-year-old Chris Perkins, with Southend United earlier in his career, who has joined the Park Lane outfit from Nationwide Conference Kettering.

He goes straight into the Gulls squad for tomorrow's home Ryman Premier Division derby with Purfleet -- a game which is quickly followed by another league encounter, a trip to Boreham Wood, on Monday.

Chris Perkins - new Canvey signing, seen here in his days with Southend United, is straight in the squad for tomorrow's derby with Purfleet

Only after these two matches are out of the way will the Islanders start to focus on their bid to reach the FA Cup competition proper for a third successive season when they visit Ryman Division One North Slough Town tomorrow week.

Victory in that match would net Canvey another £20,000 but, far more importantly, would put them in with a chance of continuing their giant-killing cup heroics.

In the past two seasons they have dispensed with Nationwide League clubs of the calibre of Port Vale, Wigan and Northampton.

Visitors Fleet have good reason for wanting to forget about the cup after last week's humiliating defeat at the hands of Ryman Second Division Flackwell Heath.

One immediate result of that cup demise is that strike duo George Georgiou and Colin Simpson have been released and the front-running positions tomorrow will be in the hands of Cliff Akurang and Steve Brown.

For more on Ryman Premier League sides see our Ryman Premier League section

Published Friday October 18, 2002

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