A look back to Saturday’s National League trip to Ebbsfleet United…
By Matty Paddock - 26/08/2023
Posted 2 years ago
HARRIERS endured a dismal afternoon in Kent on Saturday, going down 3-0 at Kuflink Stadium and having Alex Penny sent off.
There wasn’t too much to suggest that Harriers would endure such a painful day at the office – they made all of the early running and had a great chance when Ashley Hemmings got into space on just seven minutes, only for his effort to skew off target.
Dominic Poleon would go on to score twice for The Fleet and set his sights early, firing into the chest of Christian Dibble on eleven minutes – though it was Harriers again who were close at the other end within seconds as Hemmings again struck off target.
A fine team move three minutes later saw Gerry McDonagh hold and turn the ball superbly into the path of Zak Brown who charged on goal, though his strike was wide of the goalkeeper and his goal.
Having withstood those chances and that pressure, Ebbsfleet then took control with two goals in seven minutes. After having had one effort hooked off the line by Nat Knight-Percival, Poleon showed good strength to hold off the attentions of Krystian Pearce before chipping the ball over Dibble. Seven later, it was two – Poleon striding into space and firing confidently into the bottom corner on the angle.
The afternoon reached its worse point just five minutes later when Alex Penny picked up a second yellow card in quick succession, both for fouls.
It was four minutes after that Brown then forced Ebsfleet stopper Cousins into his first and only real save of the day as he beat away an effort from 20 yards. Sadly, the half ended in decidedly one-sided fashion as an all-too-easy backheel for home skipper O’Neill saw him afforded the space to roll the ball into the net.
Harriers were, by comparison, improved after the break and at least more solid. Four after the hour their best chance of the half came from substitute Kai Lissimore as he rifled an effort over the bar from inside the area.
Ebbsfleet could have added to their score with two or three clear-cut chances in the half, but both Chapman and Tanner were wasteful on more than one occasion each in firing off target from close range. Dibble, too, was forced into action and made a notable save in injury time to deny Tanner.
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