BASILDON United used their FA Vase disappointment to fuel their fire as they upset Canvey Island in the Essex Senior Cup.

The Bees withdrew from the Vase after their match against Gorleston on Saturday was abandoned following the death of a spectator – with Basildon winning 1-0 when the game was stopped on 90 minutes.

Manager Aaron Bloxham felt Gorleston should have awarded Basildon the tie but, after they failed to do so, the team made a decision to drop out and focus on the Essex Senior Cup.

And he said he was so pleased to progress at the expense of the Gulls.

“I am over the moon,” he said. “It was hard to put the FA Vase to one side but we took it out on Canvey and we took our chances. We score a lot of goals and I fancy our strikers and we got the job done.

“That was a strong Canvey side we played and we deserved to win. The difference between the teams out there was the desire and heart and we just wanted it more.

“They had chances and the ball but we coped well and stuck to it and came through it.

“I said Vase talk was banned from the changing room and maybe it inspired us and pushed the boys to another level.”

Taylor Sinfield and Nathan Dewberry got the goals to dump out Danny Heale’s side.

Both sides had chances in the first-half but the breakthrough didn’t come until 52 minutes.

Sinfield was on hand to tap home and 12 minutes later it got even better for the Bees.

Dewberry smashed a low shot in from 25 yards to double the lead and although Jack Lampe hit the post for Canvey, Basildon were worthy winners.

Bloxham said it was a team decision to withdraw from the Vase but was critical of the manner Gorleston and the FA handled the process.

“We are gutted to go out of it,” he said. “But we feel Gorleston should have stepped aside and done the right thing in a footballing sense.

“We also felt the FA put unfair pressure on both sides to arrange something so quickly after it happened. It should have been left until later this week for anything to be sorted.

“It was a lot to ask of both sides. Gorleston congratulated us after the game and we felt they went back on their decision and went with their hearts rather than their heads.

“It was a team decision and we decided to pull out. We have five players out so is it fair we have to go up there with an understrength team.

“We won the game in my mind. We want to move on from it and what happened on Tuesday night was more impressive because of it.”

Basildon, the lowest ranked side left in the tournament, will visit Ryman North side Heybridge Swifts in the next round.