CANVEY Island chairman John Batch insists there is no gloom around the club despite a wretched run of results in the Ryman Premier League.

The Gulls occupy third-from-bottom in the table ahead of tonight’s game at fellow strugglers Hendon, but have conceded 16 goals in three of their last four matches.

Manager Danny Heale has admitted his players have let him down in recent times, with the most recent defeat a 4-1 home loss to Wingate & Finchley on Saturday.

But Batch has backed Heale and his management team to turn it around, as the Gulls’ new £350,000 clubhouse nears completion.

“On the pitch the results speak for themselves but not in terms of performances,” said Batch, who took over as chairman in March 2015.

“We have lost on Saturday but there was nothing in the game at all.

“They took their chances and we didn’t take ours.

“The management team are working their hearts out and are hurting and if you work hard at anything in life you will reap your rewards in the end.

“They are not sitting back and they know what they want - it is up to the players to go out and put it into practice.

“Danny and his team are active in terms of making this a better club.

“Off the pitch things are looking up,” he added.

“The club house is all but ready and is opening in the first week of December and that will be a huge asset for the club. It can provide some infrastructure and we don’t want to rely on people outside the club to fund it.

“In generations to come, people will enjoy and reap the benefits of it and that is positive for the club and the community.”

Batch believes tonight’s game at Hendon will be a tough test for the Gulls, with the artificial surface a barrier the visitors will have to overcome.

But he said it was a very winnable game.

“It doesn’t matter where they are in the league. You need to win your games and there is not a lot of difference between the teams at the top and the teams at the bottom,” he said.

“Hendon play on an artificial surface but if we perform and go with the right attitude we are capable of winning there. Our league position is gloomy but there is no gloom around the club. We are upbeat as they know what they want to achieve and what they need to do and that will come.”