CANVEY Island favourite Ashley Dumas says the club's current crop is one of the best he has played with and has backed the Gulls to pick up vital points against lowly Farnborough tomorrow.

The 28-year-old is in his sixth season at Canvey and has won a host of admirers for his energetic displays from left-back.

Dumas, who has won the Essex Senior Cup with the club in 2012, acknowledges results have not been good enough, with 13 goals conceded in their last three games, including a 4-1 reverse at East Thurrock on Tuesday.

The left-back missed the defeat because of work commitments, but he will return tomorrow and says he is confident the Gulls can get the result they need to get back to winning ways.

"We should be doing better than we are, without a doubt," said Dumas. "I don't want to make excuses but I do think we haven't been getting the rub of the green recently. We have had spells in games where our level has dropped but we have enough talent in the squad to get out of this situation.

"I look around the dressing room and we have some very good players in this team.

"That said, it will be a tough game as there are no easy games in this league. Danny (Heale) always tells us that and he is right."

Canvey have been shipping goals at an alarming rate in recent weeks, and haven't kept a clean sheet in the league since their seven-match winning run came to an end on October 20.

And Dumas knows that needs to change if Canvey are to get out of their rut of 11 defeats in their last 15 games.

"We need to start conceding fewer goals and we need to show what we are capable of against Farnborough," he said.

"We are conceding goals but the back four is very strong. The centre-halves are exactly what you want in this league and Tam(beson Eyong) and Jake Pitty are very talented as well.

"We know we are good enough."

Dumas is a hugely popular member of the squad and is highly rated by his team-mates, having been named as the first-choice left-back in the Echo's Best XI by a number of past and present colleagues.

And he says he appreciates it, and the banter that comes with it.

"It is nice to see," he said. "I have played with a lot of people and I am proud to see my name in the paper alongside so many good players.

"I seem to get a bit of stick to do with the tan, but what can I say, I like a holiday!"