Report by John Patrick Heeley

It's easy to point the finger at a bad refereeing decision for Wigan's failure to progress through to the Second Round of the FA Cup but, although West Midlands official Mark Warren played a big part in an afternoon that Wigan will want to forget, it was a lack of discipline on Latics part that allowed their non league opponents to take the advantage and ultimately the game and a place in the Second Round for only the second time in their 75 year history.

Tony Dinning, who seems to be picking up cards like they've gone out of fashion, was given his marching orders for stamping on Neil Gregory in the 38th minute after the Canvey Island striker had done a bit of ankle tapping on Wigan's £750,000 midfielder.

The 26- year-old has amassed 6 yellows and 2 reds in the 14 games he has played in since his move from Wolves at the beginning of September and can now look forward to another suspension of at least three games when he appears before the FA.

Lee Ashcroft joined Dinning with less than 10 minutes of the game remaining when he was shown his second yellow of the afternoon following a clash with Micky Bennett who was conveniently replaced minutes later.

The dismissals aside, the referee and his assistants Messrs. Warrent and Foulkes gave a dire perfomance at the JJB Stadium, incensing the Wigan fans so much they had to be escorted from the pitch by stewards under a barrage of abuse hurled at them from the stands.

To be fair to Canvey Island, conquerers of Port Vale at the same stage of the competition last season, they came to the game with a job to do and they succeeded.

In a scrappy game the Rymans Premier League leaders settled down to business early on in the proceedings and didn't seem to be phased by the surroundings or the occassion.

They gave a good indication of their intentions in the opening few minutes when they forced a a number of corners as they went on the offensive right from the start but never anything really threatening as a lot of the game seemed to be played in the middle of the park.

Micky Bennett wasted a golden opportunity for the visitors in the opening few minutes when he sent his shot sailng high and wide into Row Z of the North Stand.

The woodwork came to the rescue of the part timers when Mick Bodley's attempt to clear a cross from Lee Ashcroft was sent against the foot of his own post and behind for a corner

Wigan were then denied by a double save from Ashley Harrison in the Canvey Island goal when he first stopped a Jeff Kenna effort and then followed that up with another fine block from Lee McCulloch.

Then came the first of Mark Warren's controversial decisions when Andy Liddell was sent clear down the right side of the area by Jeff Kenna only to be sent crashing to the ground by Harrison.

The referee indicated a goal kick which means that he believed the keeper had not made any contact with the ball therefore it would be safe to assume that the only contact he did make was therefore with the player.

So it amazes how not only was there no penalty awarded but how the keeper stayed on the pitch.

In the 27th minute Paul Dalglish latched onto the end of a Peter Kennedy cross but saw his volleyed effort go inches over the bar, landing on the roof of the net.

With just over seven minutes of the half remaining Tony Dinning complained to the referee about the treatment he had been receiving from former Ipswich Town trainee Neil Gregory but when the official ignored him he took the law into his own hands and lashed out at the Canvey Island striker right under the referee's nose who wasted no time in dishing out Dinning's second red card of the season.

The sending off sparked the visitors into life but saw shots from Neil Gregory and recent signing Spencer Knight go sailing over the bar from yards out.

The second half was no better with very little in the way of goalscoring chances going either way but the dismissal of Ashcroft proved to be a catalyst for Wigan's defeat.

The Wigan number 10 tangled with Micky Kennedy and with the majority of the crowd anticipating a booking for the Canvey Island midfielder the ref pointed the yellow card at Ashcroft quickly followed by a red for his second cautionable offence.

Minutes later Bennett was replaced by striker Wayne Vaughan as Canvey manager Jeff King decided to use his side's two man advantage and it certainly worked and with only two minutes of normal time remaining a cross into the area from ex Wigan player Chris Duffy was helped into the path of NEIL GREGORY by the head of Peter Kennedy and the striker buried the ball into the back of the net with a rocket of a shot to send the 300 or so travelling Canvey Island fans into rapture.

The visitors hung on for a memorable win and even with a further four minutes of stoppage time added on Wigan couldn't come up with anything constructive to save their blushes.