Ebbsfleet United moved twelve points clear at the top of National League South with a conclusive win over struggling St Albans City.

With their new manager Ian Allinson watching on, it was clear the visitors had arrived in Kent for a point as they soaked up so much pressure that a boxing referee would have surely stopped the contest after an hour.

The only thing that Fleet boss Darryl McMahon could have possibly been disappointed about was the fact that despite all the pressure, his side only had a solitary Aaron McLean goal to show for their efforts.

That said, naturally enough the Fleet manager was delighted at the three points:

“After the disappointment of conceding in the last minute at Oxford on Saturday, we’re delighted to get back to winning ways,” he said after the game.

“That’s now 10 points out of 12 and I’ve got to be happy with that. We knew what sort of side Ian (Allinson) would set out and we weren’t disappointed.”

“Job done and done well and now onto Truro on Saturday! We know that the finishing line is now in sight as we get to the business end of the season, but we’re still going to take one game at a time until we hopefully get to the finishing line.”

The frustrating thing for the home faithful in the 1,000 plus crowd would have been that for all their heroes possession, their clear cut chances, particularly in the first half, were limited.

That said, of those that were created more than the one that McLean took on the stroke of half time should have been taken.

The home side’s start would have pleased their boss and from Matt Fish’s early cross, Matt Godden saw his header kept out by a scrambling save by keeper Welch. Danny Kedwell (from an Anthony Cook centre) then flashed a header just over the bar as Ebbsfleet pressed with wave upon wave of attacks.

With home keeper Brandon Hall a virtual spectator, the Fleet’s stopper would have been pleased with his positioning as twice he raced from his line in quick succession as the visitors managed to get the ball past the impressive central defensive partnership of Anthony Acheampong and Tom Bonner who received glowing praise from their boss after the game.

“They were terrific tonight weren’t they?” McMahon admitted after the game with a huge grin on his face. “They were both great as was the whole back four – it just makes a change that we didn’t concede late on!”

As the half wore on, there was a nagging feeling that perhaps it may not be the Fleet’s night. Cook’s corner was met by Godden’s glancing header which forced Welch into a fine save.

Then from a right wing centre, Kedwell’s flick caused chaos in the box, and when a second flick came off a St Albans player, it fell to Bonner who shot straight at Welch. It was one of those moments when you just wish it would have been Kedwell on the end of Bonner’s flick but it wasn’t meant to be.

The deadlock though was finally broken in the last minute of the half when an innocuous ball into box fell to McLean on the edge of the box, and the former Barnet man fired in a low shot which seemed to bounce through keeper Welch’s dive and into net!

As the teams left the pitch at half time there was an altercation in the tunnel and that set the tone for the opening stages of the second half when in the first fifteen minutes of the half referee Fitch booked five players and had to deal with a 19 man “coming-together” which followed a very crude challenge on Stuart Lewis by Bangura which resulted in the St Albans man “only” being shown a yellow card.

McLean also received a caution for his reaction as tempers threatened to boil over!

When football returned to the centre stage, McLean raced clear down the right only to drive his centre across the face of goal with no red shirt arriving to turn the ball home.

Kedwell then battled through only to be denied by a fine block from the keeper, before McLean was denied by another fine save at his near post by Welch following a quick free kick.

Lewis was next to test Welch with a drive from distance, but the keeper was positioned well to save. The Fleet’s best chance of the second half was then spurned – McLean sprinted clear down left and squared for Godden whose first touch was poor and allowed Welch to race from his line to save and the chance was gone.

With the spectre of all the late goals that the Fleet have conceded almost surfaced again at the death as in their only attack of the half, substitute MacDevitt’s driven centre saw Thalassitis just inches away from converting as the ball flashed across the face of Hall’s goal.

Twelve points clear and three of their next four at Stonebridge Road, McMahon will head west with his troops at the weekend knowing that the finishing line really is now in sight and this is one League title and promotion that is theirs to surely now lose!

 

Ebbsfleet United line up: Hall, Fish, Van den Bogaert, Lewis, Acheampong, Bonner, Rance (Kissock 76), Godden, Kedwell, McLean, Cook.

Subs not used: Howe, Miles, Sheringham, Parkes.

St Albans City line up: Welch, Staunton (Bender 70m), Chappell, Bangura, Oshodi, Martin, Udoji, Corcoran, Thalassitis, MacDonald (Theophanous 66), Thomas (MacDevitt 80).

Subs not used: Gibson, Locke.

Attendance: 1,089.