Ebbsfleet 2-1 U's: Red card blues
Monday 24th March 2008 - Ebbsfleet 2-1 U's: Red card blues
First impressions are important. In fact, once made, first impressions are very hard to overcome. I think our beloved United would be the first to admit that the frontage to the dear old Abbey leaves something to be desired, notwithstanding the improvements made over the last few years. But surely there cannot be a more unprepossessing sight in football than one's first view of Ebbsfleet United's dilapidated old Stonebridge Road ground.
The surroundings don't help; an area of North Kent just over the toll bridge that is a deeply unattractive mish-mash of factories, flats and warehouses out of some Orwellian dystopia-nightmare. Northfleet, home of a club now named after a railway station, makes Slough look like some kind of tropical paradise, and the first sight that greets one upon entering the town is the football ground. Or rather, a higgledy-piggledy array of huge advertising hoardings and a bumpy, puddle-strewn car park that looks like Steptoe's yard, only slightly less tidy. I'll bet this isn't a view which has been conveyed to the club's new owners.
As everyone knows now, Ebbsfleet have been taken over by a clever businessman and a gaggle of non-match attending computer geek types for whom 'Football Manager' just wasn't real enough. They now describe themselves as a 'global football club,' which is just as well because that Earthly popularity hasn't manifested itself in especially large matchday crowds. Perhaps the most revealing remark in today's programme came from a veteran 'real' (as opposed to 'virtual') supporter who wrote "You kept supporting the club in spite of your reservations and perhaps through clenched teeth." Many locals have, however, grasped the nettle and signed up, and the majority of the club's new 'society board' are long-term fans of the club. Hurrah.
Anyway, all thoughts of mutiny against the new regime have been shelved following the club's FA Trophy defeat of Aldershot to reach the holy grail of a Wembley final, and the programme for their first home game since then was predictably full of joyous reaction and celebration. Good timing for the Internet boys.
Thus far the Fleet's management team have been allowed to run things undisturbed, and all Abbey veterans will be pleased that Beck-era legends Liam Daish and Alan 'Twinny' Kimble are doing so well, both speaking warmly of their time at Cambridge in their editorials. Why isn't Tony Dennis managing in the Championship by now??
Once inside, Stonebridge Road is a good old-fashioned upper-non-League arena not unlike Dagenham, with a modest seated main stand on one side, a covered terrace on the other, a covered seated stand for the home fans at one end (formerly a terrace two years ago) and, inevitably, the obligatory uncovered terrace for the away support. The U's must be the only club in the country which offers better facilities to visiting fans than its own.
There was the odd quaint, quirky feature, like the gents' loos where the lights dimmed every time someone used the hand drier, and with Setanta covering the match, cameras and platforms popped up all over the place. The usual impressive turnout was present from the amber hordes on a chilly but mercifully dry night after the intermittent blizzards of this coldest of Easter weekends.
United continued their stumble towards the playoffs minus yet another player through injury, this time Paul Carden, a huge blow after his consistent excellence over the last few weeks. JQ, thumbing through his official UEFA coaching manual, opted for an interesting and radical change in formation, dropping Mark Beesley from Saturday and going for a positive 4-3-3 formation with a back four of Morrison, Albrighton, Coulson and Hatswell, a narrow midfield three anchored by Dan Gleeson (resplendent in black gloves, the big Jessie) in the centre, flanked by Rob Wolleaston and Courtney Pitt, and a front trio built around Magno Vieira with Lee Boylan and Jack Jeffery providing the width down the flanks. Full marks for boldness.
Ebbsfleet's results since reaching the Trophy final, 3-2 and 3-0 defeats, suggested that they may have taken their eyes off the Conference ball, so here was a chance for the U's to gain their first away victory since Oxford at the beginning of the month. They made a confident and lively start, using the pace of the front three and for the most part avoiding those mindless high balls of the last few games. Good start.
Vieira had the first shot on 6 when he sprinted down the left channel, cut inside but fired straight at keeper Lance Cronin, while the visitors' first corner arrived three minutes later but Wolleaston's kick could not find a white-shirted head.
United should, however, have taken the lead on 12. Pitt's through ball saw Cronin race out of his area like a headless roadrunner as Vieira and Peter Hawkins converged on it, too, and in a moment of high comedy the two Ebbsfleet men collided with each other and missed the ball, leaving Vieira to advance from thirty yards out on the now-open goal. He dribbled forward and finally shot from just inside the box, but he had taken too long and his goalbound poke was of insufficient power to beat Darius Charles, covering back heroically and clearing from inside the six-yard box. Good defending, but a criminally wasted opportunity to score. The Brazilian's reputation had been well and truly trimmed.
Would that turn out to be a pivotal moment in the match? We were to get our answer in unequivocal fashion within a quarter of an hour...
The busy Jeffery gained the U's a free-kick 25 yards out on 13 when he was felled by Hawkins, and Wayne Hatswell stepped up but could only blast into the wall. The hosts responded a couple of minutes later when Michael Bostwick shot from just outside the box and Josh Coulson deflected it just wide of the left-hand post.
George Purcell showed a more unsavoury aspect of Ebbsfleet's game when he lost the ball to a tackle by Hatswell and threw himself theatrically to the ground to claim a free-kick; ref Gibbs indicated that he was unimpressed, but he should have shown the hosts' front man the card that his behaviour merited.
John Akinde headed wide for the Fleet on 18, then two minutes later a high Michael Morrison cross from the right sailed all the way over to Boylan at the far post, but it seemed to be at an awkward height and the U's hitman could only screw an acrobatic header well wide. Jeffery had an effort blocked by Mark Ricketts on 25, then in the next minute came the key incident of the evening.
The United defence was caught napping by a simple through ball down the middle onto which Akinde gave chase, clear on goal. As he entered the D, he took a heavy touch on the ball towards the advancing Danny Potter, and at the players' point of intersection he took a dramatic tumble. Any contact had been minimal, and Akinde looked in any case to have all but lost control of the ball, running wide as Coulson dashed back to cover on the line, but in the modern style he had allowed his trailing leg to brush Potter's arms. Whether you call that clever, professional or little better than cheating is down to whether he is your player or not.
Whatever, Gibbs gave the penalty and showed Potter a thoroughly harsh red card, a double punishment out of all proportion to the original offence. With no keeper on the bench, old faithful Mark Peters was called upon to pull on a numberless grey jersey and enter the fray in place of the unlucky Boylan, JQ presumably hoping that the pace of Vieira and Jeffery would cause more of a threat on the break for the ten men.
Home skipper Chris McPhee stepped up to take the spot-kick and slotted coolly into the bottom left corner past Peters' correct but despairing dive. 1-0.
Remaining positive, United went to 4-3-2 with Jeffery foraging back to help Pitt down the left. Gleeson blasted over on 31, and two minutes later Vieira was upended by Hawkins thirty yards out and from Pitt's free-kick, Hatswell rose highest at the far post to nod powerfully down and into the far corner of the net. 1-1!
United seemed to be inspired by adversity and Ebbsfleet had difficulty in responding, the visitors defending strongly and always looking for a quick break downfield with Gleeson commanding in the middle and Vieira and Jeffery full of running. Albrighton, Coulson and co made such a good job of protecting their makeshift keeper that he did not touch the ball in anger until the last minute of the half, Peters clutching Akinde's header with assurance.
Last goal attempt of the half came, appropriately, from spirited United, Gleeson finding Vieira to send him into the box down the right channel, but his shot could not get past Cronin. The second half would be tough, but the doughty U's looked up for battle. Cry Danny, and loose the dogs of war.
United continued their encouraging attitude as within the first minute of the second half Vieira was knocked to the ground by Charles, earning the home centre-back a booking, and Hatswell touched the ensuing free-kick to Wolleaston, only for it to be blocked by the wall.
The U's did not stop pushing and probing, Pitt prominent on the ball although his final delivery was variable, and it was ten minutes into the half before Ebbsfleet got going. Peters produced a fine reaction save from a McPhee header on 55, and he comfortably clutched another Akinde nod a minute later, making this goalkeeping lark look positively easy. Well, easier than Pepe Reina found it on Sunday, anyway.
The hosts were, however, beginning to brew up a head of steam in a sustained spell of pressure. Purcell's curler of a shot cannoned off the far post on 58, then an inswinging Stacy Long corner from the left skimmed off someone's noggin and was hoofed clear by Pitt, guarding the back stick.
On the hour Long's free-kick fell to Charley Hearn and his first-time shot bounced into Peters' arms, and two minutes later Purcell essayed another curler and the heroic man in grey dived to make a good save at the near post at the expense of a corner.
The pressure, however, finally took its toll on 63. Bostwick's cross from the right was helped on to Akinde, and from fifteen yards he guided an unstoppable shot into the bottom left corner which no keeper could have got near. 2-1.
United responded by making two changes inside the next five minutes, Danny Brown making his first appearance since January in place of Morrison, Gleeson reverting to right-back, then Stephen Reed replaced Pitt for his first start since 1st March.
Reed wasted no time in displaying the positivity of his colleagues and on 73 thrust down the left, cut inside and was clattered cynically to the floor by Ricketts, who received the yellow card he deserved. It signalled the start of a spell of nasty, violent challenges by Ebbsfleet players which did them no credit at all as they strove to get to grip with their gutsy visitors.
Hatswell fired the ensuing free-kick into the wall, again, and on 76 Bostwick was next into the book for an unpleasant challenge on Brown. Four minutes later Raphael Nade replaced Akinde, who was roundly booed by the amber hordes for his 'professionalism'. United continued to look the brighter side against all the odds, Reed flashing a tremendous cross across the six-yard box on 81 that was put behind for a corner, and from the flag-kick United came agonisingly close to the equaliser that they deserved as Wolleaston found Hatswell's head at the far post, but this time his nod flew just the wrong side of the post.
Purcell was next into the book on 86 for a crude push on Albrighton as Ebbsfleet seemed happier to waste time than push for a third, confirmed by Daish a minute later when he introduced Luke Moore in place of Purcell to eat up more seconds. The hosts' fifth yellow arrived on 89, Sasha Opinell making himself look even sillier than his blond-barnet'n'black-designer-stubble look by getting carded for arguing about a free-kick conceded by Hearn on Reed. Not as silly as Javier Mascherano, though, obviously.
United, however, seemed at last to have run out of puff. Several would-be through balls in the four added minutes were skewed tiredly out of play and when Gleeson made one last excellent forward run, he could only blaze over the top. The hosts nearly stole an undeserved third at the death when McPhee hammered an angled drive onto the top of the bar, then it was all over.
Every United player could be proud of the way he battled and the team could consider itself unfortunate not to have gained at least a point. That is, however, three 2-1 defeats in a row away from home, and the rot must be stopped now if the season is not to end in major disappointment. Of most concern, apart from not having a keeper for Saturday, is the fact that the U's no longer have a settled side, or even formation, going into the most important part of the year. Come on, JQ, time to conjure up a cunning plan from that coaching manual...
Statto Corner
Danny Potter is only the fifth United goalkeeper to be sent off since 1970, although there have been eight red cards for the men between the sticks. In fact no U's keeper was dismissed in the Seventies or Eighties, the first being John 'The Legend' Vaughan on 1st March 1991 in a 3-1 defeat at Crewe (he was replaced in goal by another legend, John Taylor).
The fun really started on New Year's Day 2001, when Lionel Perez was sent off in a 6-2 defeat at Bristol City. Eight days later Shaun Marshall saw red in an LDV defeat at Southend, then Le Dieu Lionel achieved his hat-trick with further dismissals in November of that year and January 2002.
It was almost five years before another keeper was red-carded, then Paul Crichton (above) managed it twice in three matches in December 2006. Welcome to an exclusive club, Danny!
Of Ebbsfleet's ex-U's managerial duo, Liam Daish was sent off twice in U's colours, in a League Cup defeat of Maidstone at the Abbey in August 1989, and in that famous last game of the regular season at Aldershot in May 1990. Alan Kimble was never dismissed in the black and amber.
United have now played six times at Stonebridge Road since their first visit in September 1958, and only twice have avoided defeat, in a 0-0 draw in their first Conference encounter with Gravesend & Northfleet in August 2005, and in their only victory in the Southern League on 22nd April 1963, 2-0 thanks to a brace from Matt McVittie.
Player Ratings
Potter 6. A little unfortunate to see red, little to do before that.
Morrison 7. Solid enough game in the unfamiliar position of right-back.
Albrighton 7. Reliable as ever, although his distribution was variable.
Coulson 9. What a terrific first season this young man is having.
Hatswell 8. Not perhaps the best conventional left-back, but a great asset in and around the opposition box.
Wolleaston 7. Gradually improving from his recent lull in form, if still nowhere near his best, and displayed good workrate.
Gleeson 8. Surprise hit of the night, Dan was an excellent steadying influence in centre midfield.
Pitt 7. Got through a lot of work in a more infield position, but got caught in possession too many times due to some indecisive dwelling on the ball.
Boylan 6. Unlucky to be the one sacrificed when Potter was dismissed.
Vieira 7. Gave Ebbsfleet plenty to think about with his pace. If only his finishing were of the same standard.
Jeffery 8. This lad's a real battler and he worked his socks off all match.
Peters 9. The stuff of legend, he looked comfortable in goal throughout; "Wales' Number One" made a couple of superb stops and was only beaten by a shot which no keeper could have stopped.
Brown 6. Understandably ring-rusty, he made a reasonable contribution.
Reed 7. Looked lively and threatening down the left.
Match Summary
A glaring miss by Magno Vieira and a harsh red card for Danny Potter sealed United's fate at one of their bogey grounds, but they can still be proud of a battling display from which they were unlucky not to claim a deserved point.
Man of the Match
Josh Coulson. Absolutely exemplary display of strong, no-nonsense defending, decisive in the tackle, careful in distribution and unbeatable in the air. The world is his lobster.
Ref Watch
Gibbs 4. Very harsh red card for Potter, and never really got to grips with Ebbsfleet's gamesmanship and wild 'tackling.'
Non-League Player's Name of the Week
Barwell's Francino Francis.
Soundtrack of the Day
Black Keys 'Strange Times'
The MP3 Files
Mark Peters lends an ear to the Stonebridge Road sounds. "I'm glad to see the Eighties enjoying something of a revival thanks to TV's 'Ashes To Ashes,' albeit the very early Eighties, because those were my formative years. I still have happy memories of supping underage lager and black at Goth Night on Thursdays at the Skull Club in Llanbedr-Dyffryn-Clwyd, dancing to Fields Of The Nephilim, March Violets and Sisters Of Mercy. Unfortunately the Eighties music on offer in Northfleet amounted to some of the worst songs I've ever heard in my life: 'Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,' 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun,' 'We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off,' 'It's Raining Men,' 'Simply The Best,' horrible, horrible, horrible!
"The more modern stuff wasn't much better: Inferno, Girls Aloud, The Feeling, that pointless Queen cover by McFly, and who on Earth thought anyone wanted to hear Sandi Thom ever again? The only listenable music was U2's 'Beautiful Day' which the players ran out to, and that's hardly original, is it! Where are The Cult when you need them, eh, look you? Hwyl! MP3 verdict: 1/10."
Andrew Bennett
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