Ebbsfleet United 1-3 Cambridge United - It will take time to get it right - Daish

Tuesday 11th August 2009

EBBSFLEET UNITED 1-3 CAMBRIDGE UNITED
Blue Square Premier
Tuesday 11th August 2009
Stephen McCartney reports from Stonebridge Road

EBBSFLEET UNITED boss Liam Daish says it’s back to the training ground for his young side as they were made to pay by a clinical Cambridge United side at a mild Stonebridge Road tonight.

The Fleet fans in a crowd of 1,523 - swelled by around 500 Cambridge United fans - must have been pleased with their side’s first half performance - but missed chances cost them dear.

Cambridge took a sixteenth minute lead, against the run of play, as striker Chris Holroyd scored the first of his two goals.

The Fleet levelled early in the second half when central defender Leon Crooks - one of only four senior players that escaped the summer cull - powered home a header, but their joy was shortlived as Jai Reason headed home seconds later.

Cambridge finished the game the stronger and Holroyd added a third with eighteen minutes remaining, leaving Cambridge target Daish a disappointed man afterwards.

“Well, you know, it’s about taking chances, I think they took their chances” admitted bearded Daish, when speaking to www.kentishfootball.co.uk during the press conference afterwards.

“We started very well and you’ve got to score in your good time.

“You know (against a) team like Cambridge you’re not going to dominate the whole game, without having a certain spell, but I think if we had taken two of our four good chances in the first half it could’ve been very different.”

The young Fleet side created three half chances without testing Cambridge goalkeeper Danny Potter, before the visitors grabbed a sixteenth minute lead.

It arrived from their third corner of the game, which was taken by winger Robbie Willmott, and Mark Beesley’s low centre was fired in by Holroyd.

Before that, however, the Kent side were by far the better side, but rued missing good openings.

Roared on by good support, their first effort on goal arrived after just 37 seconds when Ishmael Welsh’s corner was swung in from the left and Crooks stabbed his shot past the near post.

Then, moments later, winger Ricky Shakes was played in behind the Cambridge defence and instead of testing the goalkeeper, he screwed his right-footed shot harmlessly past the right-hand post.

Ebbsfleet goalkeeper Lance Cronin made a comfortable save to deny Beesley with a hooked shot following another Willmott corner.

But there was a sense of injustice when Cambridge completed a smash-and-grab raid to the delight of their excellent vocal supporters at the open Swanscombe End.

But despite this set-back, a resurgent Ebbsfleet team took the game to their managerless opponents.

Shakes released right-back Will Salmon on the overlap and his whipped in cross was met at the far post by striker Magno Vieira but his header was poor.

Potter was finally called into action after 28 minutes when Vieira was played in behind the Cambridge defence but his shot was blocked by the goalkeeper and the follow up shot from James Lindie, who scored Fleet’s goal at Altrincham on Saturday to earn a draw, was cleared off the line.

Cambridge reigned in shots from Andy Parkinson and Jai Reason - but Vieira will need to work on his heading as he wasted yet another chance following Welsh’s in-swinging corner.

However, what Daish said to his young guns during the interval had the desired effect - as they deservedly levelled within the first two minutes of the second half.

Welsh floated in a free-kick down the right, some 30-yards from goal, and Crooks powered his header past Potter into the far corner and the game was back on.

But the Fleet’s joy turned to misery as Cambridge regained the lead just 157 seconds later and ended the game the stronger side.

A hanging cross from Holroyd was met by a header from Willmott at the far post, across the face of goal, and Reason was there to apply the finish with a close range header to send the Cambridge fans behind that goal wild.

Reason was booked for his jubilant celebrations.

Cambridge turned on the style and if it wasn’t for Cronin - who denied Beesley in the 56th minute with a smart low save - and then prevented Willmott from stabbing home the follow up - the end result would have been worse for the Kent side.

Cambridge made it 3-1 with eighteen minutes left when Willmott delivered an excellent cross from the right and Holdroyd headed home at the far post.

The lively Willmott cut inside left-back Jordan Collins, before flashing a left-footed drive just past the near post.

And Ebbsfleet had right-back Salmon to thank when he cleared Beesley’s shot off the line at the near post after the Cambridge striker rounded Cronin in the 77 minutes.

“It’s that time of the season, at the beginning of the season, where you can be a little bit mentally off it,” added Daish.

“The lads are getting to know each other as a unit defensively. It’s going to take a bit of time but we will work on that and that will get better no doubt.

“What pleased me today was there was a lot of quality out there, they all took responsibility on the ball and played some great stuff and I thought there was some good performances.

“It was just at the end, it’s just that last bit, someone to finish things off and that’s where the money is.”

Daish and his number two, Paul McCarthy, both defenders, will work on things during Thursday’s training session, ahead of Kidderminster Harriers’ visit to Stonebridge Road on Saturday.

He said: “I think we played with a lot more quality and I think if you look at the chances created, I think we were well on top.”

And Daish rubbished claims from George Rolls, who quit as Cambridge United’s chairman last Wednesday, that he is about to become the next manager at the Abbey Stadium.

“I’m only interested to talk about my own club than other clubs,” replied Daish.

“I don’t talk about other clubs or other players.

“I don’t really give the time of day to people who aren’t in football, you know what I mean.

“Is George Rolls in football anymore? I don’t know so is it worth me commenting? There’s nothing to say really.

“I’ll comment about my own team, I don’t really talk about other club’s - that’s their business.”

Ebbsfleet United: Lance Cronin, Jordan Collins, Will Salmon, Gavin Heeroo, Darius Charles, Leon Crooks, Ishmael Welsh, Scott Shulton (Michael West 79), James Lindie, Magno Vieira, Ricky Shakes (Jamie Forshaw 63).

Subs: Kane Wills, Dean Pooley, Matthew Lamprell.

Goal: Leon Crooks 47

Booked: Darius Charles 84

Cambridge United: Danny Potter, Dan Gleeson, Darryl Coakley, Jai Reason, Josh Coulson, Wayne Hatwell, Andy Parkinson (Sam Ives 74), Paul Carden, Chris Holroyd, Mark Beesley (Rory McCauley 90), Robbie Willmott.

Subs: Laurie Walker, Courtney Pitt, Jordan Patrick.

Goals: Chris Holroyd 16, 72, Jai Reason 49

Booked: Jal Reason 49, Dan Gleeson 79, Paul Carden 84

Attendance: 1,523 (498 away supporters)

Referee: Mr Simon Long (Ipswich)

Assistants: Mr Ashvin Degnarain & Mr Stuart Franklin

Fourth Official: Mr Neil West