NATHAN Wilson believes White Ensign are starting to gather positive momentum in the Essex Senior League this season.

Wilson headed home the only goal of the game to help Ensign beat Benfleet 1-0 at Burroughs Park on Saturday - despite having Billy Bonham-Dare sent off after just eight minutes.

And Ensign’s skipper was delighted with the spirit on show.

“I’m so proud of everyone,” said the 19-year-old.

“To dig deep together for the whole game, we showed great character and resilience to stay focused and not let the external factors of the game affect us.”

The win moved Ensign 10th in the table.

And the defender was pleased to play a big part at both ends as he notched up his fifth goal of the season to secure all three points alongside a hard-fought clean sheet.

“It feels great to help the team down the other end,” said Wilson.

“Scoring more goals is something I’ve been trying to figure out for a while and is part of my process I want to make more consistent so it’s nice to see hard work paying off.”

However, Wilson and White Ensign will now be turning their attentions to the FA Vase.

Fellow Essex Senior League side head to Burroughs Park on Sunday.

And Wilson is looking forward to the contest.

“We’re really excited and we’ve got lots of positive momentum behind us now so it’s about continuing on that path,” said the centre-back.

“West Essex were a tough team when we played them earlier on in the season so I’d expect the same sort of challenge from them.”

West Essex are currently 12th in the standings, two points behind Essex.