Keep faith in us - that's the defiant message from Canvey coach Glenn Pennyfather despite the Islanders' Ryman League Premier Division mini-slump continuing with defeat in Surrey on Saturday.

Gulls had on-loan Colchester striker Neil Gregory and winger Sammy Cooper, signed from Billericay, making their debuts, but lost more ground in the honours chase with this latest setback.

Said Pennyfather: "The big problem at the moment is that we're not sticking away the chances we are creating.

"Our build-up play is very good and Sammy Cooper supplied some fabulous crosses in his first game, but at the moment we're just not getting on the end of them.

"Our failure to do this is putting extra pressure on us as the back and all three opposition goals on Saturday were down to mistakes on our part.

"We'd be far more worried if our general level of play had gone downhill, but this isn't the case."

Manager Jeff King recently called for everyone at the club to pull together to help the team back on the right track and this is a theme that Pennyfather emphasises.

He said: "The last thing we need at the moment are doom and gloom merchants. This club has come a fabulous long way in a short space of time and it's at periods such as we're suffering at the moment when you really need everyone to get behind you to give things a lift."

Gulls will certainly need that next Saturday when they host a bottom of the table Heybridge Swifts side who gave a clear indication that they are last beginning to get their act together by pulling off a 2-1 home win to end the long winning run of Chesham, who are a place above the Islanders in fourth spot.

As so often happens in football, when things are not going for you Dame Fortune takes a hand, and the Gods certainly didn't smile on Canvey here.

After Fleming had scored an 18th minute opener for the home side, Jeff Brazier stepped forward to hit a 40th minute equaliser when Carshalton failed to clear a corner.

However, with Cooper running riot down the left, the new winger's progress was halted by a kick on the ankle which forced him off and Richard Newbury, a target for Gulls recently but unlikely to join the Park Lane set-up due to living a long distance away in Camberley, scored twice in little more than sixty seconds after 71 minutes to make sure the three points stayed at home.

Gulls will look for further success away from the League tomorrow night when they visit Schweppes Essex Senior League Basildon United in the Essex Thames-side Trophy.

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.