Arguably the best night of our history unfolded as we took on Isthmian Premier side Canvey Island, our local neighbours two levels above us, and our former landlord for six years.

Canvey took the lead early in the first half in what was expected to be a straightforward win for the home side. But Benfleet bounced back, and had the bulk of the possession all second half, creating a number of chances without success.

Then as stoppage time approached, goalkeeper Flo Gislette came forward for a corner and in fairytale fashion scored a belter of a finish to tie the game level at 1-1 with just seconds left to play.

Our legendary Frenchman then went on to save two penalties in the shootout to seal our progress through to the next round. It's the first and only time the two clubs have met in senior football, and no doubt Canvey will hope it's the last for a while!

The remarkable night has been covered across mainstream media – you can click the links below to see some of the coverage, and you can watch the goal below too...
TalkSport interview
The Sun coverage
Southend Echo article
BBC Radio Essex