Crawley Town 1-2 Ebbsfleet United - Fleet love highly-rated striker Akinde

Despite an early set-back when the hosts opened the scoring inside the opening four minutes, Fleet striker John Akinde showed his qualities with the equaliser after fifteen minutes before an own goal from Glenn Wilson twelve minutes before the break sealed the points.

Although the Fleet remain in eighth place in the Blue Square Premier table, they closed the gap on Forest Green Rovers immediately above them, and are now only seven points behind Cambridge United, the side in that final play-off berth.

And the Kent side showed true character from coming back from their early set-back when Crawley Town striker Jamie Cook, a former professional golfer and the league’s player-of-the-month, netted his 18^th goal of the season.

Fleet failed to deal with Dominic Shimmin’s hopeful punt up field and Cook punished a mistake from Chris McPhee to dink the ball past Lance Cronin from twelve yards.

But the north Kent side were soon to be on level terms when Akinde scored his eighth goal of the season.

Latching onto a bullet header forward from Raphael Nade, eighteen-year-old Akinde shrugged past two defenders, one who tugged at his yellow shirt, and with his right-foot from twenty-yards stroked the ball into the back off the net - in off the right upright.

Cook, however, thought he had quickly regained Crawley Town’s lead, when his left-footed shot flew over Cronin’s head, but he had already been flagged offside.

McPhee directed a diving header wide following Stacy Long’s corner kick before the Kent side started to dominate.

Nade twice headed over following crosses from either flank by McPhee and Sacha Opinel.

And former Crawley Town left-back Opinel whipped in another excellent cross from the left, which Glenn Wilson sliced his clearance backwards and looked on with relief as the ball flashed just past the left upright.

But Ebbsfleet United had Wilson to thank for sliding the ball past his own goalkeeper Ashley Bayes after McPhee whipped in a low centre across the face of goal from the right-hand side.

More chances came the visitors way before the break; James Smith’s glancing header from eight-yards was comfortably saved by Bayes following Long’s delivery and the unmarked Luke Moore lashed over after Nade knocked down Opinel’s cross.

The Fleet opened up the Crawley Town defence inside the first minute of the second half but Neil Barrett skied Long’s cut back.

And their goalkeeper Cronin, who has just penned a new contact which keeps him at Stonebridge Road until the 2009-10 season, plucked Cook’s 25-yard left-footed free-kick comfortably out of the air whilst positioned on his goal-line.

Fleet almost hit the west Sussex side on the counter attack after 57 minutes when Long, overlapping Moore’s raid, sent a low cross to the far-post for Akinde. Unfortunately the teenager rolled his shot across Bayes and past the far post - but he had already been flagged for offside.

When Moore was replaced by Michael Bostwick after 65 minutes, this was a sign that Ebbsfleet United were content to protect their lead.

This gave Crawley Town the impetus they needed to try to salvage a point, roared on by a teenage boisterous crowd behind the goal that they were attacking.

Despite having two penalty appeals turned down, Crawley didn’t really look like breaching a resolute Fleet back-line.

But Opinel almost netted an own goal on his return to Broadfield Stadium, his looping header dropping onto the roof of the net with Cronin stranded.

And at the death, Mustapha Carayol went close when his fierce drive took a deflection on it’s way over the crossbar.

But it was a fully deserved victory for the Fleet.

“Four points after playing Exeter (last Saturday) and Crawley is a good haul,” admitted Fleet boss Liam Daish afterwards, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk.

“It was a hotly-contested game, no quarter given. It was quite frantic but we dealt with it.

“We carved out some more chances and with a little bit more, maybe composure, in front of goal we could have maybe nicked another one, not nicked, but got another one.”

After tonight’s match the Ebbsfleet camp will be driving the short distance to a Reigate hotel before setting off early tomorrow morning towards Taunton for an overnight stay and then making the trip to Torquay on Saturday morning.

And on tonight’s victory, Daish said: “That’s a big three points for us and against a side that don’t make it easy for you. Nothing’s made easy for you here and I’m just delighted with the way we’ve come back from a goal down early on.

“We kept our discipline and done the job, kept focused that was the main thing, not getting caught up with what was going around you, kept focused on what we was doing and three great points.”

Daish was highlighting the fact that a large group of teenage Crawley fans were causing a nuisance of themselves and attracted the attention of numerous stewards and police during the second half.

And Daish also asked “how much is John Akinde worth?” following another impressive display from the local star.

“Well, when he’s in full flight you could have three or four tugs of his shirt and it won’t stop him,” said Daish. 

“He’s got that much strength and pace about him. At the end when he broke free to finish it against a very good keeper with Ashley Bayes, experienced keeper, that’s him at the moment in it.”

McPhee, 25 next month, played a major part in Ebbsfleet’s winner, was also full of praise for Akinde, whose come on leaps and bounds since loan spells in the Ryman League at Margate and Whitstable Town.

“The guys immense!” said McPhee. “He’s so strong he doesn’t even know how strong he is. He’s quick, he’s got every single attribute a striker wants and he’s proving that to the Fleet.

“And he’s a really key figure for us for our push into those play-off’s.”

McPhee admitted his team-mates are “buzzing” following tonight’s impressive display and are all relishing their trip to Torquay United - his former club.

“We had a tough second half, pinned in our half and we dug in and we’ve come out with three points, which is brilliant,” he said.

“It actually was my fault for the (Crawley) goal,” he admitted. “I should have dealt with the ball and got rid of it but we’ve rallied round.

“We’re a young side and we’re full of confidence at the minute and we’ve obviously bounced back and scored two goals relatively quickly after that and we’ve gone on to win the game.

“So it shows good character and it’s a really, really huge three points for us.”

He added: “Looking at the results that gone in the last few days, a lot of sides around us have drawn and we’ve picked up a massive three points.

“We’ve still got a game in hand and I’m really buzzing about the game on Saturday.

“I’m going back to my old stomping ground and I really want to get one over the boys.”

Out of the Valentines Day crowd of 986 - 135 were travelling Fleet fans.

Crawley Town: Ashley Bayes, Paul Watson (Bradley Thomas 45), Dominic Shimmin (Kieran Murphy 85), Glenn Wilson, Mango Viera, Mustapha Carayol, Thomas Pinault (Jon-Paul Pittman 59), Tyrone Thompson, Dannie Bulman, Jamie Cook, Kevin James.
Subs: Lee Blackman, Pierre Joseph-Dubois.

Goal: Jamie Cook 4

Booked: Paul Watson 38

Ebbsfleet United: Lance Cronin, Mark Ricketts, Sacha Opinel, James Smith, Paul McCarthy, Neil Barrett, Raphael Nade (Chukki Eribenne 85), Stacy Long (Ronnie Bull 88), Chris McPhee, Luke Moore (Michael Bostwick 65), John Akinde.
Subs: George Purcell, Rob French.

Goals: John Akinde 15, Glenn Wilson 33 (own goal)

Booked: John Akinde 45, Sacha Opinel 73

Attendance: 986
Referee: Mr Nick Kinsley (Wickford, Essex)
Assistants: Mr Neil West (Leigh-on-Sea, Essex) & Mr Peter Wilson (Chelmsford, Essex)
Fourth Official: Mr Steve Creighton (Reading, Berkshire)