In their National League draw with in-form Southend on Good Friday, manager Danny Searle thought Ebbsfleet was the better team for extended periods of play.
Replace In front of a boisterous crowd at Stonebridge Road, forward Harry Cardwell had netted Kevin Maher’s Shrimpers’ 17th league goal of the season with a flick in the first half. Dominic Poleon scored less than ten minutes after coming on.
They’re a pretty good side, according to Searle, whose team is currently four points clear of the relegation zone. Their quality is evident.
“You can tell they have a strong core of players because of their bench strength and the number of players who were not even on the pitch today.
We had to play at our best, and I thought we were excellent, if we were to have any chance of winning the game.
“To be honest, I felt like we were the better side for the most of it.”
Top scorer Poleon of Ebbsfleet was given a chance after a mistake, and he maintained composure to score his 16th goal of the season to tie the score at 1-1, even though Southend, the visitors, continued their winning streak to 12 games.
Report: Southend 1-0 Ebbsfleet
“Dom possesses that attribute in large measure,” Searle said, noting that Fleet side has not lost at home since he took over last month.
As I’ve mentioned to numerous individuals, the building has three extremely talented forwards. We’re in luck.
“We have one that will come on when the other two maybe aren’t putting the ball in the back of the net.”
The game drew 4,019 spectators, the largest attendance at Stonebridge Road in many years. This number included a sizable 1,795 attending from away.
“This is why you want to play football, isn’t it?” said Searle.
“As a manager, you want to watch exciting football in front of large audiences. That is an excellent football game, even if you are not biassed.
I wasn’t too happy with how chaotic and almost end-to-end it got at times.
“However, I believe we have mostly controlled the game overall.”
The Fleet had a strong start, but after 20 minutes, Cardwell’s free kick from Oli Coker put them behind.
“It took the wind out of our sails a little bit,” acknowledged Searle.
However, this group’s one strength is their genuine resilience. That was the message at halftime: I wasn’t worried.
“Just relax, we’ll be fine. We’ll get the goal, and if we put in our best effort, we’ll probably get the second,” I said. We were fortunate enough to get the equaliser.
Within the first minute, playmaker Toby Edser had Ebbsfleet’s first opportunity. He then set up Ben Chapman, who struck the crossbar prior to the Shrimpers taking the lead.
“In those circumstances, we support them to score,” Searle remarked.
To be fair, the goalie pulls off an incredible save on Toby’s attempt. He is an excellent custodian with excellent distribution, and he makes a fantastic save there.
“I’m confident we can win the game if we take a 1-0 lead. It was not to be, though.
We gave up after a set-piece. They are a very large side, so we knew they would pose a threat.
However, we ultimately gained a very important point.
Three first-half home penalty appeals were also rejected by referee Lauren Impey, the most notable of which resulted in forward Dominic Samuel being sent off.
However, Searle, a philosopher, stated: “Officiating a game is always challenging because it depends on where you are when tackles are made and other things.” In the end, we were unable to obtain them.
“If we get off to a 1-0 lead, I’m sure we can win. But it was not to be.
After a set-piece, we were done. We knew they would be a threat because they are a very big side.
But in the end, we were able to obtain a crucial point.
Referee Lauren Impey also turned down three home penalty appeals in the first half, the most famous of which led to the dismissal of forward Dominic Samuel.
On the other hand, philosopher Searle said: “Officiating a game is always challenging because it depends on where you are when tackles are made and other things.” Ultimately, we were not able to acquire them.
Searle continued, joking that he would fine Kenlock for what could have been an expensive mistake. “Couso, wow, what great reactions!” he said.
Next, the location to address the second ball as well. That is very clever.
Easter Monday, the Fleet will travel to midtable Dagenham & Redbridge, who won 4-1 at Boreham Wood on Friday.
Leave a Reply