CANVEY Island manager Danny Heale says maintaining an unbeaten run in the coming weeks will be important if his team are to avoid relegation from the Ryman Premier League.

The Gulls boss watched his side draw 1-1 with in-form Burgess Hill Town on Tuesday night, following their 4-0 win against Met Police on Saturday.

The result moves Canvey up a place to third-from-bottom and just one point from safety.

However, they have played more games than those around them and Heale says he felt his side was unlucky not to take all three points in Surrey.

“We were excellent in the first-half and deservedly took the lead,” he said. “But we conceded a dodgy goal on a funny pitch. It was bad luck and we could have won the game.

“That said we would have taken four points from the last two games. We need to start putting points on the board.

“We are starting to look like a team and we need to be ready for what is to come. We are up a spot and all we can do is win the games in front of us.”

Simon Thomas put Canvey ahead after 19 minutes on Tuesday, heading home after good link up down the left between Ashley Dumas and Harrison Chatting.

The away side had a number of good chances to add to that lead but they were pegged back with 20 minutes to go - Tyrell Richardson-Brown getting the better of Conor Gough in the Canvey goal.

But, despite dropping more points from another winning position, Heale believes the return to the team of several key players can give his players the boost they need ahead of games against Folkestone Invicta and a return game against Burgess Hill in the next week.

“We changed things around on Thursday heading into the Met Police game and it worked for us,” he said. “Simon Thomas is a target man and he and George Sykes worked really well together.

“Having Ryan Blackman and George Allen back from suspension and injury is huge for us.

“Playing against two form sides in four days is a tough ask and we got four points so there is plenty to work on in the weeks ahead.”