MARK Bentley was left frustrated as a last minute goal condemned Canvey Island to a 2-1 defeat at AFC Sudbury.

Gulls winger Kane Gilbert cancelled out Tom Maycock’s opener from the penalty spot, but Joe Grimwood scored a late winner to ensure Canvey suffered an Isthmian North loss for the first time since September.

And Bentley admits his side were not at their best.

The Gulls’ boss said: “It was a pretty poor performance.

“We were nowhere near it in the first half.

“I stuck with the formation which I thought we did well with against Chipstead on Tuesday night.

“We just didn’t show the bravery we did on Tuesday, I believe.

“We made loads of individual errors and we weren’t at it all over the pitch.”

Sudbury’s Sean Marks saw a fourth minute goal ruled out for offside, but the attacker played a crucial role as the hosts went ahead.

Marks was fouled by Alex Stephenson and the referee pointed to the spot.

Maycock sent Gulls goalkeeper Lamar Johnson the wrong way with the 35th minute penalty.

But Gilbert restored parity with six minutes remaining.

A Canvey counter-attack ended with Tobi Joseph’s cross being converted with a Gilbert diving header.

It looked like the visitors had snatched a late point, but Sudbury found the winner as the clash ticked into the 90th minute.

The Gulls failed to clear a corner and defender Joe Grimwood was on hand to force the ball home from close range.

Although Canvey were not at their best, Bentley felt his outfit could have claimed a positive result had they found their clinical edge.

“We had what were probably the two best chances in the first half,” added Bentley.

“Ryan Melaugh had a chance from five yards out and didn’t make contact with it.

“A couple of decent balls went in but no-one got anywhere near them and we allowed Sudbury to take the lead after giving away a stupid penalty.”

Bentley also believes Canvey should have respected the point rather than looking for a late winner.

“If you make it 1-1 when not playing well, we should have been happy with a point,” admitted Bentley.

“We needed to see it out but we didn’t take responsibility from the corner.

“It’s a set-piece in the last minute and after we had three chances to clear it, the ball fell at their feet and he scored. It wasn’t to be and we’ve got to move on.”