Ebbsfleet United tasted defeat for the first time this season as a goal with five minutes left gave Chelmsford City a 2-1 win, and a trip to Basingstoke Town in the Third Qualifying Round of the Emirates FA Cup.
The Fleet took the lead mid-way through the first half with a composed finish by Matt Godden, but the home supporters were still celebrating when Kenny Clark turned through his own net to level matters.
The home side dominated the second half from the hour mark onwards, without ever really stretching Claret’s keeper, Christian Dibble, and suffered the sting in the tail as Hugo Skelephorn slid the visitors through very much against the run of play.
For a match that neither camp really wanted to play, preferring to have reached a result last Saturday, both sets of players were committed to attacking football fro the start. Chelmsford’s Bagasan Graham made an early run across the Ebbsfleet defence to fire a shot that dipped viciously in front of the recalled Brandon Hall; the keeper doing well to hold the shot.
The home side were looking to exploit the space in behind the Claret’s fullbacks, but their first chance came from a diagonal cross by Matt Fish, which Danny Kedwell was able to head over Christian Dibble into the right corner. However, the whistle from Mr Cook denied the breakthrough, for some pushing as the ball was floated into the area.
Each side saw chance fly wide of the goal; Chelmsford through full-back Marvin Ekiteta, and Ebbsfleet’s Stuart Lewis and Kedwell both volleying over.
Ebbsfleet hit the front in the 24th minute after a flowing move released Godden on the left of the D. The Fleet marksman swept past former Dartford defender Rory McAuley, and calmly slotted his shot inside the left post.
The lead lasted barely 35 seconds though. Marvin Ekpiteta found Graham in space to play a one-two, with the full-back driving to the 6-yard box. He drilled a low cross into the middle, where Kenny Clark could only divert the ball beyond a stranded Hall to level the game.
Chelmsford’s number 10, Tomi Adeloye then had three good chances. The forward was inches away from converting a cross from Luke Daley, another former Dart in the Essex side’s line-up, and then driving a 30-yard shot across the surface, forcing a good save from Hall. The third chance came from a hopeful punt forward that found space in the inside right channel, where Adeloye outsprinted Tom Bonner, sent an early clip over Hall, which drifted just past the left post.
The warnings that Adeloye gave to the Fleet defence at the end of the first period were not heeded, as he continued to be the main threat in the second half. Within 6 minutes, another hopeful ball forward caused confusion as Bonner and Clark left it to each other, allowing Adeloye to toe-end a shot goalwards that slid inches wide of the right post.
The home side were still playing an attractive passing game, with Robbie Willmott releasing Godden deep on the left wing. With bodies committing into the area, Godden pulled the ball back to Lewis, who hit a rasping drive that Dibble pushed wide for a corner. The set piece was wasted, although Jordan Parkes played a cross back into the area for Bonner to put a header on target, but it didn’t stretch Dibble.
From the hour mark onwards, Ebbsfleet started to dominate the game. A quick counter attack, led by Kedwell created a chance for Willmott, who dragged his shot wide. From the next attack, Kedwell was left with a volley at an awkward height, and couldn’t direct his effort on target.
Parkes suddenly found room in the middle of the Chelmsford half, and hit a swerving shot that forced Dibble to react late to push over for a corner, and Godden delivered a cross from the left that found an unmarked Kedwell, whose header was glanced over.
Despite all of the pressure from the home side, Chelmsford found a winner with 5 minutes of normal time remaining. For the first time on the evening, Bagasan Graham took on Matt Fish on the Chelmsford left and played a deep cross to the back post. Adeloye managed to direct a header back into the danger area, where replacement Hugo Skelephorn slid in to beat a static defence and guide a shot past Hall into the left corner.
The Fleet nearly snatched an equaliser deep in stoppage time as Kedwell did well to retrieve Fish’s long cross. The striker laid the ball into the path of Joe Howe, who didn’t have to break his stride, but the ball that seemed to be arrowing into the top right corner agonisingly curved away past the post.
EBBSFLEET UNITED: Brandon Hall, Matt Fish, Joe Howe, Stuart Lewis, Kenny Clark, Tom Bonner, Dean Rance (John-Paul Kissock 46), Jordan Parkes (Adam Cunnington 71), Danny Kedwell, Matt Godden, Robbie Willmott.
Subs not used: Anthony Acheampong, Jonathan Miles (gk), Sean Shields, Casey Johnson, Shilow Tracey.
Goal: Matt Godden 24.
Booking: Dean Rance 27.
CHELMSFORD CITY: Christian Dibble, Robert Girdlestone, Marvel Ekpiteta, Mark Hughes, Marvin Ekpiteta, Rory McAuley, Luke Daley (Jonah Gosling 39), Harry Morgan, Bagasan Graham, Tomi Adeloye, Charlie Henry (Hugo Skelephorn 61 (Mark Haines 88)).
Subs not used: Laurence Vaughan, Lee Sawyer, Connor Pearce (gk), Amar Lewis.
Goals: Kenny Clark 25 (og), Hugo Skelephorn 85.
Booking: Mark Hughes 32.
Attendance: 790
Referee: Mr Dan Cook
Assistants: Mr Antony Foster and Mr Jamaal Horne
Picture supplied by Jason Button.