THE MATCH: A return to winning ways is paramount for Canvey Island when they head to Hertfordshire to face Ware tomorrow.

The Gulls were surprisingly beaten on home soil by Mildenhall Town last weekend as they slipped 11 points off the automatic promotion places.

Canvey may have games in hand on the teams above them but they will not want to risk dropping more points at a lower placed opponent.

Ware are currently just six points off the bottom and are in a relegation dogfight along with several other clubs.

They were winners at Bowers & Pitsea in their final game of 2017, but that is Ware’s only league win since October 3.

THE INSIGHT: “I have learned this season that you just need to move past results quickly,” said boss Danny Heale. “You can’t dwell on results and we know we are slipping up against those at the bottom and we have had a big team meeting regarding it this week.

“We are turning up to games and for whatever reasons we can’t break these teams down.

“Ware is a big game for us and we always seem to bounce back after we have had a setback and I will be demanding that of the players in this game.

“I said to my boys at the start of the season we need to be in and around the play-off positions at the start of 2018 and now we need to stay in the pack and pounce when we can.”

THE TEAM NEWS: Ashlee Jones has left the club, but George Craddock, Mitch Gilbey, Ryan Charles (illness) and Steve Sheehan (suspension) all return.