Another long season has come to an end, with largely mixed results for south Essex’s clubs.

Here, Luke Lambert rounds up what has been an eventful and entertaining nine months.

Now, Canvey Island chief Danny Heale reflects on his side’s efforts, in a season that ultimately ended in massive disappointment following their relegation to the Ryman North.

l How do you assess what Canvey have achieved this season?

We knew from day one it was going to be tough. The old clubhouse was demolished last March and we knew we would be without it and its revenue until the end of the season.

We wanted to hang in there in the first half of the season and then push at the end to keep ourselves afloat. But the clubhouse cost a bit more than expected and was slightly late in its completion and we paid the price.

If we had the team we ended the season with we would have stayed up.

No-one has ever gone down on 53 points before and that is what happened this season. We went on a run and thought we had done enough.

But as our form improved so did everyone else’s. It’s a tough league and we just missed out.

l What was the biggest plus?

The decision to freshen it up when we did. We knew it wasn’t right so made the decision to let some players go.

That worked really well. We beat Dulwich home and away and we were very unlucky in the early weeks of the season. We conceded some very late goals and even the Leiston goalkeeper scored against us.

It was hard and we didn’t get much luck but it is what it is.

l And the biggest negative?

We had a terrible few weeks where we were well beaten by the likes of Folkestone Invicta and Staines Town and that was a low point for us.

That was when we knew that we needed more people to fight for us. We were let down by a few players, and saw that more than ever after these losses.

We changed it at the right time and the guys that ended the season here can be proud of their efforts.

l Best performance?

Beating Met Police 4-0 was one of the turning points for us in terms of our end of season run.

We looked very comfortable at Merstham and getting the better of Dulwich twice was excellent, particularly in front of such a big crowd at their place.

l Do you feel the team has progressed in the past 12 months?

I chatted with the board and we knew to make the club more sustainable and to do that we had to build the clubhouse.

We are bringing in a lot of money through that and it is exciting times for the club as a whole.

We have dropped down a league and obviously we didn’t want that to happen but there is plenty to look forward to.

We will be a big fish in the league next year and want to come straight back up of course.

l What have you learned about the team/and yourself this year?

It is mainly about recruitment. When things weren’t going our way we rushed into a few deals and sometimes it didn’t work out as well as I wanted it to.

But we made some good signings too and now need to do that on a more consistent basis.

Personally, I learned more last year than I did in the previous three in charge. You work so hard and you must make sure it doesn’t affect your day-to-day life. It is hard at times but we all want the same thing, for the club to be successful.

l What needs to change/improve next season?

I think we will have a stronger side next year. The way things are looking at the moment I can say that with a lot of confidence.

It is a fresh start for everyone and we need to be more efficient as a management team and in terms of what we produce on the pitch.

Also in terms of recruitment.

l Can you give your team a mark out of 10 this season?

First half of the season - 3, second half of the season - 6.