Ebbsfleet United 1-0 Burton Albion - Battling Fleet's efforts all in vain

It was clear that tonight’s game at a wintry Stonebridge Road would not finish, especially as the snow started falling in Gravesend at least ninety minutes before kick-off.

Groundstaff battled against the elements to brush away the lines before the game and during the interval.  Yellow footballers were hastily purchased from nearby Bluewater Shopping Centre - but referee Steve Creighton decided enough was enough with 66 minutes on the clock.

“I’m not saying the game would’ve lasted, I think we could have had a little bit more help in trying to keep the game on, and that’s a bit disappointing,” Daish told www.kentishfootball.co.uk afterwards.

“The referee was pretty clear that it became difficult because of the lines. We had the right shade of ball, you need the lines swept so the linesmen could see it.

“As soon as you can’t see the lines then it becomes a little bit of a, there’s no football pitch there as such.

“I think it we could have seen the lines than we would’ve had a much better chance of finishing the game.”

You can understand Daish’s frustrations, especially as his side got off to a flying start against a Burton Albion side that are nineteen points clear at the top of the table, taking the lead inside the opening four minutes.

Goalscorer Jamie Hand’s jubilant celebration said it all. Stacy Long swung in a corner from the right and this was partially cleared by the visiting defence only as far as Hand, who struck a sweet right-footed half-volley from 25-yards, which skidded off the white playing surface to find the bottom right-hand corner, through a crowd of players.

Ebbsfleet United goalkeeper Lance Cronin turned Danny Holmes’ dangerous low cross around his far post and was immediately called into action from the resulting 13^th minute corner.

Marc Goodfellow’s delivery was met on the turn by Ryan Austin, but his right-footed effort was comfortably saved.

Despite the leaders probing, Hand, tried his luck again at the other end, this time from thirty-yards, but his right-footed drive whistled past the right-hand post, which visiting goalkeeper Kevin Poole was happy to see drift wide.

Then, in the 33^rd minute, Burton’s Jake Buxton met Jamie Yates’ left-hand side corner with a towering header, which bounced once into Cronin’s hands.

But despite keeping Burton at arms length, the Fleet forced their seventh corner on the stroke of half-time and Long’s in-swinging corner bounced off the top of the near post.

But the resilient Fleet went into the break with a 1-0 lead.

During the interval the ground staff returned to sweep the lines and fourth official Ray Lee took over from the injured assistant Charles Breakspear, who pulled his hamstring.

However, there appeared to be a sign of gamesmanship from the home club as ground staff with brooms brushed snow out of Cronin’s six-yard box, leaving Poole’s six-yard box covered in snow, which got heavier and turned Stonebridge Road into a Christmas card scene.

The first bad challenge of the night came four minutes into the second half, which resulted in Hand being booked for sliding into Michael Simpson.

With the conditions turning farcical by the minute as more snow settled on the pitch, Burton Albion adopted a shoot-on-sight policy, but Cronin was equal to the one and only long-range shot that came his way.

Firstly, Holmes tried his luck with a right-footed drive from 25-yards, which flashed past the post.

Cronin made his best save of the match in the 63^rd minute, flying to his left to push Goodfellow’s right-footed drive from 25-yards up into the air before pouncing on the loose ball.

But with 20:36 second half minutes showing on the clock, Mr Creighton called proceedings to a halt.

With the match being screened live on Setanta, a crowd of only 681, of which just 38 were away fans, braved the elements.

Despite that set-back, Daish was pleased with the battling qualities from his snowmen.

“When your lucks out, your lucks out,” he bemoaned. “But we’ve got to turn it into positives. We’ve played very well, started very well, scored a great goal.

“I felt very confident but sometimes the gods are against you.

“I think we might have gone on and scored another goal but it’s not to be. It was a great opportunity for us and it’s gone, slipped through our fingers.

“To be fair to the players they have done their jobs. We trained for the last two weeks, not had a game and we’ve made do.

“We’ve not been able to do a lot of football work, but they’ve done a lot of physical work and they’ve got on with it.

“They get their reward, they get ahead and we can’t finish the game. I feel sick for them really.”

When asked if the match should have started, Daish replied, “There was no problem at the start of it.  It was fine. I thought when it elapsed we got over the worst and then it suddenly came (down) a little bit more.

“That’s when the lines were covered up (by the snow) and we needed to have those lines cleared quicker.

“I think it made the referee and the linesman’s jobs very hard whey they can’t see the definition of where the penalty box lines were, say if there was a penalty and things like that and offsides, halfway lines, they needed to see that.

“It was quite soft, I know it’s not freezing and not seeing the lines were the problem.”

But the conditions proved to be a great leveller against a club that should be playing Coca-Cola League Two football next season.

But the Fleet more than matched the Blue Square Premier champions-elect.

“We had a lot of quality about us, our decision making was good and we had a decent back line there,” praised Daish.

“Midfield looked like they were causing them problems but it was always going to be tough. They were always going to have their time on the ball because they’re a good side but we didn’t lose our discipline, our discipline was good and that pleased me.”

Daish added, “It’s just a shame we haven’t got what we’ve deserved.”

Ebbsfleet United: Lance Cronin, Craig Stone, Derek Duncan, Leon Crooks, Darius Charles, Neil Barrett, Jamie Hand, Stacy Long, Ricky Shakes, Giuseppe Sole, Michael Gash.
Subs: Dean Pooley, Mark Ricketts, Luke Moore, Kezie Ibe, Sam Mott.

Goal: Jamie Hand 4

Booked: Jamie Hand 49

Burton Albion: Kevin Poole, Michael Simpson, Tony James, Andy Corbett, Shaun Harrad, Danny Holmes, Marc Goodfellow, Ryan Austin, Jake Buxton, Lee Morris (Martin Butler 64), Jamie Yates.
Subs: Darren Stride, Saul Deeney, Gregory Pearson, Jonathan Newby.

Booked: Marc Goodfellow 55

Attendance: 681 (38 away fans)
Referee: Mr Steve Creighton
Assistants: Mr Carl Fitch (Ipswich, Suffolk) & Mr Charles Breakspear (Walton-on-Thames, Surrey)
Fourth Official: Mr Ray Lee