Ebbsfleet United 2-2 AFC Wimbledon - Gutted Daish asks: Where did he get the extra time from?

Saturday 19th September 2009

EBBSFLEET UNITED 2-2 AFC WIMBLEDON
Blue Square Premier
Saturday 19th September 2009
Stephen McCartney reports from Stonebridge Road

THERE was a sense of pure injustice as battling Ebbsfleet United were denied their first home league victory of the season in the cruellest fashion at a warm and sunny Stonebridge Road today.

Luis Cumbers, who re-joined the Fleet on the eve of the game, having signed a one-month loan spell from Coca-Cola League One neighbours Gillingham, was the Kent side’s first goalscorer in 311 minutes of football.

The pacy striker had cancelled out former Fleet hero Luke Moore’s 28th minute opener, as midtable AFC Wimbledon scored first, against the run of play.

And yet another stunning strike, this time from substitute Magno Vieira had put the Kent side on the brink of their first home victory of the season in the 78th minute.

AFC Wimbledon faced an uphill struggle when right-back Jay Conroy was shown a straight red card in the 88th minute - before they snatched a last-gasp draw through substitute Ross Montague’s close range header.

Ebbsfleet United were clearly buoyed by the news that Graveseham Borough Council had purchased Stonebridge Road for a reported £400,000 from Land Securities in the past week leading up to their biggest game so far this season.

The Fleet will now pay £1 per year in rent and had it not been for the council putting local football first, then the club’s future would have been put in jeopardy as the old-fashioned ground would have been put up for auction this coming Monday.

The news certainly inspired the Kent side and they forced the issue and two long-range efforts almost brought reward in front of their largest crowd of the season.

Right-back Dean Pooley, in space, cracked a right-footed drive from 40-yards, which bounced off the top of the crossbar inside the opening four minutes of what turned out to be a pulsating Blue Square Premier game.

Seven minutes later, midfielder Gavin Heero, also in a central position, let fly with a right-footed drive from 35-yards, which bounced off former Fleet goalkeeper James Pullen.

It was therefore against the run of play when AFC Wimbledon grabbed the lead, courtesy of their one and only shot on target during the first half.

To Moore’s credit, he did not celebrate wildly like Manchester City’s Emmanuel Adebayor did after scoring against his former Arsenal team-mates last weekend, when his right-footed angled 25-yard drive flashed across former team-mate Lance Cronin to find the bottom far corner.

Moore, the first player to come through the Fleet’s PASE scheme, lives five minutes away from Stonebridge Road, but his third goal for his new club was certainly not what his former employees deserved.

To keep former Tonbridge Angels striker Jon Main quiet for the 60 minutes that he toiled in the heat was a credit to the Fleet back four, well marshalled by Darius Charles and his partner Leon Crooks - who were both immense.

Kedwell, meanwhile, switched from the right to the left, but his hard-work didn’t go unnoticed, although his couple of half-chances failed to test Cronin.

Pullen was the busier keeper of the two, although Ishmael Welsh’s weak effort, after the Fleet winger had cut in from the left, was never going to find the target just before the half-hour mark.

But the young guns from Kent deservedly drew level through Cumbers stunning equaliser, just four minutes before the break.

Heeroo split the Wimbledon defence with a fine low through ball through the heart and Cumbers started his run yards behind defender Paul Lorraine, but his lightening pace took his past the skipper and Cumbers lashed a right-footed fierce drive into the roof of the net from 15-yards to give Pullen no chance.

AFC Wimbledon’s well-respected boss Terry Brown, who remained calm on the touch-line throughout, gave his side the hairdryer treatment inside the dressing room at the break as Ebbsfleet’s young side had the upper hand during an impressive display.

Ebbsfleet midfielder Stefan Bailey, named as man-of-the-match, was unlucky in the 55th minute when his 35-yard right-footed drive arrowed just over the top of the post.

The game opened up halfway through the second half and AFC Wimbledon thought they had snatched the lead, but Montague, who had replaced Main, was in an offside position by the time he slipped the ball through Cronin’s legs after Moore’s low pass.

Kedwell picked up the ball on the right-hand side of the Ebbsfleet box in the 75th minute and his low cross found Lewis Taylor, who was about to pull the trigger, but Charles put his body on the line to block the goal-bound shot from inside his very own six-yard box.

It summed up the battling performance from the Fleet side, who went into the game just one place above the relegation zone.

Bailey’s curling effort soon after was just off target, but Fleet supporters were saluting their heroes as they took a deserved lead after 78 minutes.

And what an excellent strike it was! Vieira picked up the ball and lashed a right-footed drive from 25-yards over the stunned Pullen and into the roof of the net.

It was a sea of yellow as Wimbledon threw the kitchen sink at the Fleet and when Moore sent a teasing low centre through a crowd of players, when all it needed was a touch at the far post, to level, the game ended in controversial circumstances.

Northampton-based referee Mr Stuart Burt issued Conroy a straight red-card when he pushed over Fleet’s substitute Jamie Forshaw after the striker burst past him. However, the resulting free-kick, which was wasted, was taken right on the line of the penalty box.

Had that been at the other end of the pitch and with around 1,000 AFC Wimbledon supporters baying for a penalty, then would one be awarded?

The board for a minimum four minutes of time added time agitated the Fleet faithful - and AFC Wimbledon’s last-gasp leveller was timed at 49:20 - 67 seconds from the end of the actual game.

Left-back Chris Hussey, who got forward at every opportunity, had time and space to float in a cross and this was met at the far post by Montague, who powered his header into the corner of the net , leaving Fleet boss Liam Daish disappointed.

Fleet fans and players were dejected at the final whistle, as they were so close to pulling off a great result, but positives must be taken from today’s draw, which, in truth, felt like a defeat.

It stretched the Fleet’s unbeaten run to three games, albeit those games have all ended in draws, and it takes the Kent club up to 18th place in the table.

Daish would have bitten your hand off before the game for a 2-2 draw, but the way their cash-rich opponents claimed their point left Daish bitterly disappointed.

“Very disappointed, disillusioned, gutted really,” Daish told www.kentishfootball.co.uk during the press conference afterwards.

“Gutted for the players and the supporters. I thought we had our first three points at home. I thought we were there really in a way.

“You never count your chickens until that final whistle, but I thought we done enough then people or individuals maybe decide that 96 minutes isn’t enough, 97 minutes isn’t enough!”

Bearded Daish was fuming over the extra seconds that relieved AFC Wimbledon took advantage off. Montague was swamped by supporters as he and his team mates raced towards the perimeter fence as the away side played their get out of jail card.

“Well, I’ve just spoken to the referee and he’s told me that the sending off made it go on that long,” bemoaned the Fleet boss.

“The sending off happened in the 88th minute, he’s said he gave the instruction that it was four minutes on 88 minutes - so a lot can happen in four minutes.

“I think he’s left himself open. It’s a good job I don’t need four minutes to get information onto a pitch. If I took four minutes to give information to a player then things would have come and gone by then!”

He added: “People were getting agitated, supporters, fans, does he really need four minutes?”

On a positive note, Daish was, deep down, pleased and proud that his side matched a team of well-paid players.

“Wimbledon are a big club,” said Daish, who said that his boys were playing “against a side that’s going well, got some good players and on the back of a promotion and are on the up. They will be there or there abouts at the end of the season.

“I’ve just said to the players, you don’t realise how three points are so precious in this game at first team level.

“I’d like to see the DVD, I thought we allowed the cross (from Hussey) to come in too easy but sometimes you’ve got players that can switch off at this level.”

Daish, who takes his side to Histon and Kettering Town before they welcome Salisbury City to Stonebridge Road on Tuesday week, added, “But as I say, my real thoughts are how we’ve not got all three points today.”

Ebbsfleet United: Lance Cronin, Will Salmon, Leon Crooks, Darius Charles, Dean Pooley, Stefan Bailey, Kane Wills, Gavin Heeroo, Ishmael Welsh (Jamie Forshaw 64), Luis Cumbers (Ricky Shakes 77), James Lindie (Magno Vieira 55).
Subs: Davis Abbey, Simon Thomas.

Goals: Luis Cumbers 41, Magno Vieira 78

AFC Wimbledon: James Pullen, Jay Conroy, Paul Lorraine, Chris Hussey, Steven Gregory (Kennedy Adjei 80), Sam Hatton (Derek Duncan 80), Lewis Taylor, Jon Main (Ross Montague 60), Danny Kedwell, Luke Moore.
Subs: Alan Inns, Seb Brown.

Goals: Luke Moore 28, Ross Montague 90

Booked: Sam Hatton 77

Sent off: Jay Conroy 88

Attendance: 2,005
Referee: Mr Stuart Burt (Northampton)
Assistants: Mr Robert Smith (New Addington, Surrey) & Mr Robert Allum (Croydon, Surrey)
Fourth Official: Mr Adrian Oldershaw (Brentwood, Essex)