Olaniyan saves Bognor Regis Town’s unbeaten home record but Canvey Island claim point

In front of a crowd of 743, Bognor had to battle back for a point at the MKM Arena that meant they end 2023 in 12th place in the Isthmian premier table – eight points off the play-off places and eight points off the relegation zone.

Bognor's only change to their line-up saw Ben Anderson in for the poorly Matt Burgess. Kieran Douglas did warm up with the side but wasn't quite ready to make the bench.In a quiet opening it was Lucas Pattenden who burst through beating the offside trap, but his low cross towards Alfie Bridgman was cut out on six minutes. Pattenden got a cross in again from the right but despite Dan Smith holding the ball up, Canvey's defence were able to clear their lines on 12 minutes.Smith picked out Pattenden again and he ran into space before crossing it along the deck towards Tommy-Lee Higgs but the defender got there first.Conor Hubble sent Canvey's first cross high into the box but Luca Albon's header from the edge of the area was poor and bounced out. On 23 minutes Smith was set through the middle and teed up Higgs, who hit it first time off a defender at goal. But keeper Samuel Jackson easily made his first save of the day. Soon after, Jackson gathered a curling corner from Calvin Davies.On 28 minutes the flag was up for offside as Canvey put the ball low into the net following a free-kick by Hubble. Tobi Tinubu did brilliantly to stop Joe Rabbetts's cross finding Pattenden on the back post along the deck on 29 minutes when he slid in. Then a corner by Davies picked out Smith on the back post and he swirled a header towards goal but the flag was up as the ball went out of play.Jamie Salmon latched on to a poor clearance by Ryan Hall before shooting low at goal from 30 yards out but the keeper saved. Bognor were still looking to create chances and Harvey Whyte's ball into the box bounced once before Jackson gathered it on 41 minutes.Rocks defender Spencer Spurway was closed down by Charlie Edwards and the ball ricocheted back into the grateful arms of Hall. Then Rabbetts was set through down the left before he crossed dangerously into the box but Jackson cut that out.A ball fell kindly for Pattenden on the right and he waited for Higgs to make his run into the area. He played the ball inside but Higgs went to ground under a challenge – he was denied a penalty to end an uneventful first half. HT 0-0In the first meaningful action of the second galf, Smith squared the ball inside to Higgs who, on the turn, hit a curling strike agonisingly wide on 50 minutes in a game that really needed a goal to liven things up.Whyte won the ball in Canvey's half before finding Higgs, who slipped a pass into Smith – and he made a run before he smacked it at goal – but Jackson made a good save to push it away on 52 minutes. Davies hit the resulting corner into the area but Pattenden sent his header well wide at the near post.After the Rocks lost possession, Hubble hit an ambitious effort from distance spotting Hall off his line, but he did make it back to gather it in the area. Rabbetts looked as if he was brought down in the area but the referee ignored the claims.Davies was caught late by Edwards and had to receive treatment. No free-kick was awarded as the officials did not seem to see it. Davies went into the book on 57 minutes as he went late into a challenge on Edwards. Then a free-kick by Hubble picked out Jamie Salmon and he chested it down before diverting it into the net on 57 minutes to give Canvey a 1-0 lead.Rocks made a double substitution on 58 minutes as Bridgman and Higgs were replaced by Jasper Mather and Dan Gifford. Pattenden had a cross swiftly diverted away by Elliott Johnson and the follow-up corner by Davies was confidently saved by Jackson on 65 minutes.Bradley Sach diverted the ball over Hall from outside the box but it bounced wide. Davies curled a free-kick forward into the box but Smith was up unmarked to glance his header off target on 68 minutes.Whyte was deemed to have fouled Sach and Hubble curled the ball, in but Hall punched it away with one glove. A decent interception saw Hubble speed through but his strike from over 25 yards was always rising over the bar.Gifford went down in the box and after the referee debated it with the linesman he bizarrely gave a drop-ball, uncontested, for Canvey to boot away on 79 minutes. Edwards went into the book for dissent as Davies committed a foul as Canvey tried to dig out the ball from their own half in the 81st minute.Bognor got their equaliser on 84 minutes. Whyte headed the ball to the back post from a left-sided cross and it was Olaniyan who rose to head it in.Hubble curled a dangerous cross in which was headed on by Edwards and then flicked agonisingly over the bar by Salmon on 86 minutes. Bognor pounced on the attack as Mather swung a ball across to Pattenden but his pass back to Gifford was cut out.Sam Higgins spotted Hall off his line and hit it towards goal but it was wide. Late drama saw Gifford go into the book for throwing the ball down angrily after a throw-in decision. Edwards was shown a yellow for dissent and Tinubu also went into the book for a late challenge on the touchline.But after five minutes of stoppage time the referee blew the final whistle and the points were shared.

The Rocks head to face Sussex rivals Lewes at the Dripping Pan on New Year’s Day (3pm).Rocks: Hall, Whyte, Rabbetts, Davies (c), Spurway, Robson, Pattenden, Anderson, Smith (Olaniyan 73), Higgs (Gifford 58), Bridgman (Mather 58). Subs not used: Howick, Briffa.