Wild at the double as Chichester City complete double over Canvey Island

The win at Canvey Island moved Miles Rutherford’s men up to eighth place in the Isthmian Premier Division, although Chi finished the game with ten men as skipper Rob Hutchings was sent off late on.

There was just the one change to the starting XI that had lined up away at Plymouth Parkway last time out in the FA Trophy, when Chi recorded a 4-0 victory, with Mo Jammeh coming in for Lloyd Rowlatt, who joined Olly Munt, Billie Clark and Finlay Chadwick on the bench.

Ethan Prichard linked up with Wild in the second minute after Chichester won a couple of throws but the ball got headed back to Bobby Mason in the Gulls’ goal easily enough. Da Costa got done by Kane Gilbert but the cross was eventually cut out for a corner. Canvey captain Jamie Salmon took this before Chi shot stopper Kieran Magee was impeded.

His counterpart was caught by Wild in the next move and play was stopped as he received treatment. The hosts broke again as Ewan Sanchez and full back Matthew Yates combined and whipped over a delivery that was too deep and went out for a goal kick.

Isaac Bello had a decent shot 10 minutes in which was steered away for a corner kick which Prichard took and Wild headed the wrong side of the post. Canvey Island centre forward Chris Harris tried his luck from distance but was off target too before the ball got smuggled back to Magee after a good move from the home side.

Harris forced Magee into a super save and was flagged offside twice as the Chi back line marshalled itself effectively. Hutchings found Wild nicely at the midpoint but his knock on couldn’t pick anyone out. Salmon played on to Gilbert whose final pass was too firm and went out for a Chi throw.

Hutchings’ ball to Bello got hit a bit strong as well as both sides tested each other out. Minutes later Jaxon Brown and Harris threatened once more but the visitors somehow cleared before Ben Pashley got the ball back to Magee.

Wild had another chance although a brilliant defensive tackle led to a Chi corner on 24 minutes which Prichard again took and Hutchings’ cross towards Wild was headed back to Mason.

Da Costa lost the ball as the Gulls probed but Magee made a useful stop and then Wild broke the deadlock on 27 with a composed finish. It wasn’t 1-0 for long as seconds later a Magee clearance somehow looped in freakishly off Sanchez for 1-1.

A Bello long throw on the half hour mark came to nothing and Prichard won another one after good work from Joe Moore in midfield. Emmett Dunn got away with a foul in the 34th minute but Ryan Davidson picked up the game’s first yellow for an offence not long afterwards.

Despite protests from Chi players the hosts were strangely awarded a goal kick after Wild, Prichard and Hutchings combined. And then Magee was at it again to deny Gilbert for a Canvey corner.Tom Stephen took this and Harris headed over.

Magee then beat Gilbert to the ball as the No11 threatened and Pashley got fouled in the box when the home team pressed on the stroke of half time. Prichard took a lovely first touch just before the break but fired narrowly wide.

Dunn, who scored the opener in Plymouth, wasn’t far off with a super hit on 47 and then Prichard got fouled by Salmon and his colleagues cleared the resulting Hutchings’ set-piece. Magee claimed Stephen’s cross at the other end and Da Costa got booked for a foul on Brown for a free kick which Sanchez struck wide.

Wild, Prichard and Bello hooked up and won a corner which Hutchings took.

This was cleared without any trouble before Bello was fouled and Prichard’s set-piece led to Chichester getting caught offside. And then Da Costa smashed in his second goal in two games from close range to give Chi the lead on 58 minutes.

Jammeh, quiet for much of the first half, made some impressive interventions and Prichard pulled a lovely save out of Mason. Then Bello broke into the box but the Gulls somehow cleared and weren’t far off equalising with 20 to go as Yates shot over the woodwork.

Davidson headed on a long Bello throw which presented Moore with an opportunity he hit wide and Mason denied Prichard after playing a neat one-two with Wild. Mason claimed Prichard’s ball into the danger area on 75 minutes but was beaten by Wild again, who scored in that win against the Essex side in the opening game of the season at Oaklands Park, for his 14th of the campaign in all competitions, following a delightful pass from Jammeh.

Chichester were reduced to ten for the last 12 minutes or so of normal time as Hutchings was sent off for an indiscretion and then to make matters worse, they conceded an 85th minute penalty which Brown tucked away calmly to give Canvey a lifeline.

Clark and Chadwick came on for Prichard and Wild, and Dunn and Magee got booked for a dodgy tackle and time wasting respectively. The Chi custodian gathered after a mistake by Canvey sub Emmanuel Adebiyi and Harris spurned a chance to level at the death as he headed wide.

Chi welcome Horsham to Oaklands Park on Tuesday (5th November, 7:45pm).

Chichester City – Magee, Davidson, Hutchings, Moore, Da Costa, Pashley, Prichard, Dunn, Wild, Jammeh, Bello. (Munt, Clark, Chadwick, Rowlatt)