Ebbsfleet United 2-1 Tonbridge Angels - West takes his chance to impress

The full-time Fleet players enjoyed plenty of possession during the first half, limiting their opponents to just one chance, but only had Michael West’s 35^th minute free-kick to show for their dominance.

But a stern half-time team-talk from former Fleet favourites, first team boss Tommy Warrilow, and under 18 manager Colin Blewden, inspired the Angels onto a much better performance in the second half and they deserved to draw level through Josh Biddlecombe’s thirty-yard screamer.

However, any hopes of forcing extra time were dashed when West’s deflected shot found the back of the net with just 29 seconds of normal time remaining.

Ebbsfleet United have steamrolled lower-league sides Redhill (14-0) and East Grinstead (3-1) at Stonebridge Road in earlier rounds and came across a Tonbridge Angels side that have eased past Mile Oak (5-1) and Rye United (6-0).

But Ebbsfleet United totally outclassed their visitors, a side that play in the Ryman Youth League, throughout a one-sided first half.

However, despite such dominance, the Fleet, in truth, failed to test Oliver Stell in the Angels goal.

West’s free-kick from the right was headed clear by the Tonbridge defence and Billy Sommerville’s left-footed drive from twenty-yards cleared the crossbar.

Sommerville then blazed over the bar from six-yards after Sam Callander, who was released down the right, played the ball across the face of goal.

The impressive West, clearly the best player on the pitch, turned provider again when his cut back was poked past the near post by striker Nick Nowotny.

Nowotny got into the act of missing when his left-footed volley flew over Stell’s net and landed onto the roof of the net.

Tonbridge Angels’ only attempt on goal during this one-sided half arrived after twenty minutes.

Central midfielder Sonny Miles’ pace got him to the right by-line and he rolled the ball across the face of goal and left-sided midfielder Joe Adams, who was ghosting in at the far post, slid in with West and could only manage to poke the ball past the foot of the near post.

Then, just a minute later, West lifted the ball into the Tonbridge penalty area and Nowotny’s headed across Stell and agonised as the ball dropped just wide of the far post.

Even more chances were squandered through Nowotny and West before the Fleet finally called Stell into action when he made comfortably plucked Nowotny’s 25-yard effort out of the air.

Therefore, it was no surprise when Ebbsfleet United broke the deadlock with 35 minutes on the clock.

Tonbridge skipper William Jagger was shown a yellow card for hacking down West as he burst towards goal.

West, however, got up and drilled the resulting free-kick, right-footed, into the bottom far corner from 25-yards, past the despairing dive of the goalkeeper, who almost got fingertips to the low drive.

Nowotny headed two West corners off target, but despite their dominance, Fleet’s PASE side only had one goal to show for their efforts.

Encouraging words from Warrilow and Blewden inside the away dressing room at the interval instilled belief into the Angels side, who performed 100 times better during the second half.

And they almost grabbed an equaliser from a rare occurrence at a football match - shooting straight from the re-start - six seconds into the second half.

Miles looked up to see un-tested Fleet goalkeeper, Josh Wells off his line and with his right-boot from inside the centre circle, inside his own half, saw his shot sail over the goalkeepers head only for it to drop agonisingly wide of the right-hand post.

Ebbsfleet were having none of it and missed yet another chance just eighty seconds after that rare effort at Wells‘ goal.

Nowotny capitalised on some slack Tonbridge defending and cut the ball back to Callander, who stroked a right-footed shot over the top of the far post.

Tonbridge striker Biddlecombe whipped in a teasing high cross from the right and this was spilt by Wells but Joe Adams poked his shot across the goalmouth and the home side were able to clear.

These were encouraging times for Tonbridge and Jake Miller’s low centre set up another chance for Biddlecombe, whose left-footed drive from 25-yards sailed high over Wells’ crossbar and into the empty terracing at the Swanscombe End of the ground.

Just before the hour mark, however, the Fleet should have wrapped the game up when Callander’s hooked pass released Ryan Cole in behind the Angels’ back four but the winger flashed his left-footed drive agonisingly just past the foot of the far post.

Despite being totally outclassed during the first half, Tonbridge strangely deserved to equalise after 66 minutes, taking their second half performance into account.

Biddlecombe was released down the inside left-channel and with no support decided to go alone, unleashing an angled left-footed screamer from thirty-yards, which flew into the far corner, leaving Wells rooted to the spot.

West thought he had regained the lead for the Fleet, against the run of play at the time, when his left-footed shot went in off the far post, but his 68^th minute effort was chalked off for offside.

But Tonbridge should have completed their smash-and-grab raid just two minutes later.

Elliot Harland was released in behind the Fleet defence and should have tested Wells, but instead he unselfishly squared the ball to Biddlecombe who smashed the ball against the crossbar with an open goal at his mercy.

West brought a fine smart low save from Stell, who dived low to his right to turn the drilled 20-yard shot, from a central position, around the post with fourteen minutes remaining.

However, with the game destined to go into extra time, West broke Tonbridge Angels’ hearts with a late, but deserved, winner.

Nowotny cut the ball back from the left hand side to West and his right-footed shot took a deflection off Adams and rolled past Stell to find the back of the net.

West should have completed his hat-trick inside stoppage time but his left-footed drive flashed agonisingly past the foot of the far post and Callander’s twenty-yard effort was beaten away by a diving Snell.

But Ebbsfleet United deservedly came through unscathed and can now look forward to locking horns with Lewes here at Stonebridge Road on Wednesday, 22^nd October.

Fleet’s youth-team manager, Ian Docker, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk  afterwards was pleased that his side got past their fierce local rivals.

“I said to you beforehand that the game’s going to be hard and I had a chat with Colin Blewden, an old team mate off mine from those days at Gravesend, and what a good player he was, and I knew that he’ll have them up for it,” said Docker.

“He’s got a youngish squad there, but a squad he’s had on-and-off since they were ten-years-old and I know they’ve been coached in the right way.

“I said before the game it will be a hell of a game. I think personally the best team did win. We made hard work of it, the goalkeeper’s made some good saves and some plain old missing from our players, which is obviously something that we need to look at.

“If we had taken our chances in the first half then it would have been a more comfortable ride in the second half.

“They provided stiff opposition and as a coach it’s great to go through to the next round, but it’s another step for the players’ development because there were a lot of mistakes.

“We had (first team assistant) Alan Kimble and (first team goalkeeper coach) Ron Hillyard here and they’ve mentioned two or three players, which I am not going to name, that they were very, very pleased with and that’s what it’s all about.”

Tonbridge Angels’ youth-team boss Colin Blewden, also speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk  afterwards, was delighted with the response from his side during the second half, after being outclassed during a one-sided opening 45 minutes.

“I think we were a little, well, unjust at the end there,” he said of West’s late winner. “We battled hard second half, made a game of it.

“I thought first half we were second best but rallied them round at half-time and said ‘look, you’ve got 45 minutes left to make a go off it’.

“We got a good goal, could have nicked it from the one that hit the bar but I’m very proud with the way they played second half, performed, battled and didn’t give up.

“I’m a little bit hard done by with the goal at the end but I thought we could have taken it to extra time and penalties but I think they were by far the better side first half.

“Ebbsfleet are a good side, play nice football and it was nice to play at a stadium and for the lads to play on a decent pitch against a good side, but unfortunately we’ve come up short.

“I mean, the amount of possession and good football that they played particularly first half, we were hanging on.

“But going in at half-time at 1-0 we thought with all that possession if we get the next goal we’re back in the game and anything could happen and that’s what happened.

“They could have killed us off first half but they didn’t and we dug in and had a go but they are a good side. We were chasing shadows first half.”

Wise words from the management staff inspired Tonbridge Angels to make a game off it during the second half and they deserved to level proceedings.

Blewden said: “I had to give a few of them a rocket but the side are capable, they just need a bit of belief that they can come to these sides and match them. They didn’t believe in the first half and second half I was more than proud of them.

Warrilow and Terry Sedge were at Stonebridge Road tonight and must have got mixed feelings on their youth team players.

Blewden agreed, saying: “I don’t think they would have been too impressed first half, but they’ve come into the changing room at half-time and Tommy said ‘you’ve been played off the park and been hammered - it’s only 1-0’.

Blewden added: “You get games like that when you’re not in it but if they don’t get that second or third goal to kill the game off, anything could change, but we just came up short.”

Ebbsfleet United: Josh Wells, Jack Tidiman, Tom Parkinson, Billy Sommerville, Myrone Turbine, Steven Springett, Michael West, Chris Henry, Sam Callander, Nick Nowotny, Ryan Cole (Thomas Gambling 72).
Subs: Zac Goldsmith, Jack Asbury, Tom Phipp, Matt Lamprell.

Goals: Michael West 35, 89

Booked: Chris Henry 44

Tonbridge Angels: Oliver Stell, Michael Holden, Nicholas Hollyoak, Jack Parks, William Jagger, Joe Adams (Matt Knight 90), Oliver Funnell (Steven Cox 12), Jake Miller (Jack Funnell 73), Josh Biddlecombe, Sonny Miles, Elliot Harland.
Subs: Liam Herbert, Alastair Hamilton.

Goal: Josh Biddlecombe 66

Booked: William Jagger 35, Sonny Miles 50

Attendance: 154
Referee: Mr Paul Duffin (Welling)
Assistants: Mr Mark Scott (Swanscombe) & Mr Jamie Macleod (Welling)