Kentish Football 
Ebbsfleet United 1-1 Colchester United - There's still room for improvement, admits Daish
WITH just nine days until they travel to Altrincham for their opening Blue Square Premier fixture of the season, Liam Daish’s mix of trialists’ and journeymen players, pulled on the red and white of Ebbsfleet United and deservedly held Coca Cola League One side Colchester United to a 1-1 draw at Stonebridge Road tonight.
Indeed as Daish himself admitted to www.kentishfootball.co.uk after the game "I was pleased with some of the quality that we showed tonight. We passed the ball well against a good League One side. “When you play teams from that level you're given a bit extra time on the ball - time that I thought we used well tonight.
"Its given me a lot of food for thought - I didn't think any of the players who pulled on a red shirt tonight looked out of place and didn't deserve another look."
Whilst on the face of it this was a good performance from a side still trying to find its strengths and weaknesses as a unit, Daish himself will be first to admit that time is now running out, and the Fleet boss knows that his side must get the basics right - and to be fair in the first half particularly there were times when it did seem that the home side were a team of strangers.
Colchester it was who struck first, with the most basic of goals. A fine run from skipper Kem Izzet took him down the left and his pinpoint cross found Clive Platt at the far post who had the easiest of headers to open the scoring and the big striker duly delivered after just 11 minutes.
The impressive Platt (who's duel with Fleet skipper Darius Charles was one of the highlights of the first half) should have doubled the lead on 18 minutes.
This time though - again from a left wing cross this time by Simon Hackney - the giant striker arrived a fraction too early and the ball looped up into the grateful arms of Lance Cronin in the Fleet goal.With the Fleet struggling with the final ball into the danger area, it was the visitors who continued to ask the questions and in the half's closing stages,
Ashley Vincent should have really doubled the lead as he missed two glorious chances.
On 35 minutes, a fine through ball from Izzet found the winger sprinting through the inside right channel. As he held off two defenders, he was being forced wider and wider, but still managed to get a shot in.Fortunately for Cronin and the Fleet, there were no other Blue and White shirts in support and the chance was gone.
Then five minutes from half time, Vincent had an even better chance! A huge kick from U's keeper Ben Williams bounced kindly for him, but the winger could only lob the ball tamely straight into Cronin's arms!The second half began much brighter for the Fleet as the finally seemed to know each other and they drew level on 58 minutes when Welsh got on the end of a super cross from the lively Jamie Forshaw. I think that it was a header from the Fleet number 11, although given the reaction of sub keeper Mark Cousins the ball may well have ricocheted off of the shoulder too!
The goal sparked the Fleet into life and all those in red seemed to "grow a couple of inches" - with Forshaw and Welsh being able to run at their respective full backs and with Stefan Baily seemingly every in midfield, Daish's side were now well in a very even game.
Colchester seemed rocked back, and were now happy to hit the home side on the break and it nearly worked on 70 minutes when Vincent's cross seemed perfect for sub Steven Gillespie to head home, but somehow he failed to hit the target with a free header from eight yards.
But, in stoppage time, all the Fleet’s good work was so nearly undone. Some fine slick passing on the edge of the Ebbsfleet penalty area all of a sudden released Scott Vernon, who found himself completely unmarked and faced only by Cronin.
Full marks must go to the England C keeper for standing up long enough to narrow the angle to smother the shot - but even Cronin will admit that he should have been picking the ball out of the net!
It would have been hard on the Daish and his side however, but there still is, as the manager admitted afterwards "room for improvement all over the pitch. It's not a question of panicking and us having everything right by August 8th and Altrincham - there's still a full month of the Transfer Window left and if possible I'll use every day to get the best players I can. It’s vitally important that we get the right balance."Looking ahead to their long opening day trip, Daish admitted "It'll be a completely different game of football at Altrincham than it was tonight and that it will be when we play Barnet on Saturday (Stonebridge Road - 3:00 kick off).
“There we will have to compete against a hard working side. You always know what to expect when you go there and we have to be ready.
“We've been through a lot of trialists (some put the figure at nearly 90!) but what I'm going to be left with on that bus on Saturday week are players who are here to play football for this club - the nucleus is there, now we've just got to get the rest of it right!"
Ebbsfleet United: Lance Cronin, Will Salmon, Dean Pooley (Charlie Reed 55), Darius Charles (Sean Hillier 81), Jordan Collins, Jamie Forshaw, Stefan Baily (Davis Abbey 76), Gavin Heeroo (Scott Schulton 63), Ismael Welsh (Scott Ginty 81), Magno Viera (Kane Wils 71), Ricky Shakes (Jack Jeffrey 63).
Colchester United: Ben Williams (Mark Cousins 46), Alan Maybury (Sam Cococran 74), Gary Holt (Magnus Okuonghae 74), Tom Bender, Marc Tierney (Pat Baldwin 74), Ashley Vincent (Russell Morton 74), David Fox (Dean Hammond 63), Kem Izzett (David Perkins 63), Simon Hackney (Anthony Wordsworth 63), Joel Thomas (Steven Gilespie 46), Clive Platt (Scott Vernon 71).
Goal: Clive Platt 11
Attendance:
Referee: Mr Ian Cooper (Rochester)
Assistants: Mr John Barnard (Erith) & Mr Stuart Butler (Maidstone)
Fourth Official: Mr Ollie Jackson
Red Dragon I.T. Ltd