CANVEY Island will head to Chipstead in the first qualifying round of the FA Trophy after sealing a resounding 5-0 replay victory over Middlesex’s Ashford Town.

The original preliminary round tie, which took place at the weekend, ended 2-2.

But the Gulls were rampant at Park Lane, with a Ryan Melaugh brace and goals from Tobi Joseph, Alex Stephenson and Kane Gilbert allowing Mark Bentley’s side to celebrate a comfortable win.

Canvey goalkeeper Danny Confrey kept out Ashford skipper Max Webb’s strike inside 10 minutes, but the Gulls should taken the lead moments later.

Jason Hallett turned a defender inside out before forcing Ashford custodian Joshua Wilson into a diving save.

However, Wilson parried the shot into the path of Josh Hutchinson, who somehow fired over the crossbar from six yards out.

The visitors responded with Vitor Monteiro beating the offside trap only to hit the side-netting.

Hallett then found the side-netting soon after, but Canvey broke the deadlock five minutes before the interval as Joseph’s long range strike deflected into the bottom corner of the net.

And the Gulls doubled their lead five minutes after the break as Melaugh’s cracking long range strike gave goalkeeper Wilson no chance.

Joseph should have doubled his tally for the evening when he was found by Hallett’s centre, but the frontman directed his effort wide of the target.

However, Canvey did not have to wait long for a third goal as Mike Finneran’s header back into the mixer, after Ashford struggled to clear a corner, was nodded into the back of the net by Stephenson just after the hour mark.

As a result, the central defender was able to celebrate his first goal for the club.

The goals kept coming as, eight minutes later, Melaugh netted for the second time.

Hallett’s through ball found Joseph, who unselfishly squared for Melaugh to drill home.

And, with 15 minutes remaining, substitute Gilbert – who grabbed a late equaliser from the penalty spot to take tie to a replay at the weekend – rolled the ball under Wilson to get in on the act.

Canvey will now head into their local derby with Basildon United this weekend full of confidence.