The visitors forced their way in front through Odei Martin-Sorondo not too long after the restart, before Charlie Edwards bagged a third with 20 minutes left to play.

And Edwards was on hand moments later to put the game well beyond the Bay, who sit second from bottom in the Isthmian League Premier Division table.

Fresh from an impressive second half performance against Carshalton Athletic, the hosts set about continuing where they left off, with Kymani Thomas curling inches wide of the Canvey goal after only 30 seconds.

Saturday’s visitors are a side in reasonable form and with just five minutes on the clock, only an excellent point-blank save from the returning Jordan Perrin denied Bradley Sach’s header.

But back came the Bay and just three minutes after the Gulls could have opened the scoring, great play from Thomas almost led to an opener for the men in blue. The winger went on a charging run, before picking Rory Smith out with a great cross.

The Bay forward managed to make a connection with the ball but he was left frustrated when shot-stopper Bobby Mason made a fine save to keep him out.

Canvey were struggling to deal with the early pressure and in the 15th minute, they found themselves a goal behind when Troy Williams’ excellent low ball was turned home smartly by Barrington at the near post, leaving Mason with little chance of stopping it.

Tails were up among the home players and with Williams charging down the wing with the ball at his feet, it was no surprise to see him try to pick Barrington out once again in the 20th minute, only for Mason to scurry off his line and pluck the ball out of the air.

Having put in an impressive performance off the bench against Carshalton, Thomas was rewarded with a place in the starting eleven, justifying his selection with a series of impressive runs.

Just shy of the half hour mark, an unfortunate slip when through on goal curtailed a great chance of scoring but credit to Kymani for reacting quickly to get back to his feet and keeping the chance alive.

Unfortunately, the referee judged that the Bay player had handled the ball on the floor, letting the Canvey defence off the hook.

The visitors were improving as the half went along, enjoying more of the ball and forcing the Bay players onto the back foot. With pressure mounting on the Bay defence, it wasn’t long before Canvey found their way back into the game through Paxman, who finished emphatically from just inside the box.

Low on confidence and without a win since their triumph over Lewes, Herne Bay were struggling to maintain the same style of play which saw them lead this game at one point.

The Gulls were in their rhythm now and were left cursing their luck in the 37th minute when Jamie Salmon’s towering header, which looked as though it was heading in, drifted agonisingly wide of the bottom corner of Perrin’s net.

With half time fast approaching, there was still an opportunity or two for the Bay to break on the counter and just before referee Teddy Osborn blew his whistle, Thomas was played in on goal by a deft Barrington header. Once again, Mason was quick to react, smothering the ball at his feet.

Wanting to get back on the front foot after the restart, The Bay players, led by interim manager Dan Lawrence, threw themselves at the Canvey goal. In the 52nd minute, Thomas did brilliantly by carrying the ball towards the visiting box before spreading it to Smith in a more dangerous position.

With the goal at his mercy, only a phenomenal last-gasp challenge from a Gulls’ defender denied the forward a great chance on goal.

However, the tide started to turn and not long after Kieron Campbell went off with an injury, Canvey forced their way ahead. In the 57th minute, Evans Kouassi bullied his way into a crossing position, allowing Martin-Sorondo to head home from a couple of yards out.

There were still chances for the Bay to level things up, with Thomas and Tushaun Walters, the man tasked with replacing Campbell, both seeing their attempts dealt with.

However, the hosts were dealt a blow when with just over 70 minutes on the clock, Edwards’ corner was turned home by Michael Hall was close range, leaving the Bay with a mountain to climb and not much time in which to do it.

Low on confidence, Lawrence’s side were wobbling, and it wasn’t long before Canvey struck again, with Edwards the man to finish well after 74 minutes as the Bay defence was split in two.

It could have been much worse for the Bay, as several important save from Perrin continued to frustrate the Gulls. Edwards in particular will wonder how he didn’t bag himself another, shanking an effort wide from close range after the ball was parried in his direction.

As if to cap off what was a tough second half for the hosts, there was some optimism of a very late fightback when Mason Saunders-Henry scored from close range to reduce the arrears, only to see that that linesman had raised his flag.

But it just wasn’t to be as the visitors returned to Essex with all three points.

Full time: Herne Bay 1 Canvey Island 4

Herne Bay Starting XI: Jordan Perrin, Troy Williams, Laurence Harvey ©, Dan Johnson, Marcel Barrington (Eddie Allsopp 72’), Rory Smith, Kieron Campbell (Tushaun Walters 55’), Kymani Thomas, Che Krabbendam, Bode Anidugbe, Mike West (Mason Saunders-Henry 84’)

Unused Subs: Kacper Gruszczynski, Jason Banton