LEON Gordon is the pride of Canvey Island today after taking his side through to the final with two headed goals in Suffolk last night, to beat AFC Sudbury 3-2.
The hosts twice came from behind after Canvey had taken the lead through Ian Luck and Gordon (55 minutes).
But Gulls earned a trip to take on Redbridge in the final at Barkingside on Saturday when, with six minutes of extra-time remaining, Gordon grabbed the winner.
The score stood at 1-1 at the break, with Canvey taking a 21st minute lead when striker Ian Luck took advantage of an underhit back pass to fire home from a tight angle.
But the hosts equalised seven minutes before the interval when they were awarded a controversial penalty which Jamie Rowe netted.
The Islanders, followed by over 200 fans, suffered a pre-match blow when defensive strongman Kevin Dobinson failed a fitness test on an injured ankle.
And during the first-half they also lost star front-runner Nicky Rugg with a knock.
Canvey went into last night's game on the back of a great run having lost just three times in their last 22 league games.
In stark contrast, the hosts were out of form, despite finishing second against the fifth place of Gulls.
Sudbury have won just once in their last seven Ryman One North starts.
Canvey won 2-0 at Sudbury in the league just three weeks ago but, a month earlier, the Suffolk side grabbed an injury-time 1-0 win at Park Lane with a goal deep into injury time.
The other semi-final, at Barking-side's Oakside Ground, was played under a cloud following the death on Monday of Redbridge vice-chairman Melvin Attwell, who lost his fight against cancer.
Redbridge, managed by former Football League star Dean Holds-worth, gained their place in the final with a 4-2 home success over Ware last night. The two teams qualified for the play-offs by finishing third and fourth in the table.
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