Report: United fall to Fleet in First FA Cup Hurdle

140 years of hurt continues as Ebbsfleet eliminate The Magpies in the Emirates FA Cup Second Qualifying Round. 

 

It was five changes as we switched our focus away from league action and onto the first of three cup competitions United will enter this campaign. Owen Cochrane, Alfie Pendlebury and Joel Odeniran were brought in, along with Matty Achuba who returned from suspension and Fiachra Pagel coming in between the sticks following his arrival on Friday afternoon. 

 

It was a very cagey opening quarter of an hour as two familiar faces went head-to-head, waiting for one to buckle. 

 

The returning Achuba went close with 18 on the clock, jinking past his man before firing as he entered the penalty area but his effort would fly narrowly wide and only end up rippling the literal back of the net. 

 

Just six minutes later, United were denied by some impressive defensive work by Will Tizzard. A corner from the left fell perfectly for Joel Odeniran inside the six-yard box, but a crucial sliding intervention from the Fleet centre-half blocked his goal-bound effort.  

 

Determined to make his mark, Odeniran went close again moments later but could only watch his strike fly narrowly over the upright. The visitors were only able to half-clear from a drop ball on the left flank, of which he latched onto and duly accepted the invite to volley from 25 yards - only to see it fly marginally over the top left corner. 

 

A quick fire double for Ebbsfleet left United ruing missed opportunites with Lennon Peake breaking the deadlock after 37 minutes. The ball, not properly cleared, was fed to Peake on the left and he drilled across goal into the far corner.  

 

Finlay Barnes made to two within a matter of minutes, a neat finish into the top corner with the outside of his boot.  

 

 

A mountain for The Magpies to climb in the second 45, it started in similar fashion to the first with a very cagey feel to affairs and nothing clear cut coming for quite some time.  

 

The dice was rolled three times before chances of note came to fruition; Matt Robinson, Finley Welch and Josh Umerah were all introduced. 

 

Camron Gbadebo killed the game off as we approached the final ten minutes, a looping corner to the far post left him the simple task of nodding home from barely a yard out. 

 

With seven minutes to go the introduction of Finley Welch proved fruitful once again. Josh Umerah's long range free-kick ricocheted wide to Jayden Mitchell-Lawson to deliver. His cross to the far post was nodded back across by Remy Clerima and Welch rose highest, six yards out, to head into the roof of the net.  

 

What looked like it could start a resurgence proved merely a consolation as the visitors saw the game out and took one step closer to the illusive First Round Proper. 

 

 

Magpies: Pagel, Cochrane, Johnson, Pendlebury (Umerah 75'), Mitchell-Lawson, Achuba, Mantle (Robinson 57'), Clerima (c), Odeniran, Hall (Welch 65'), Onariase 

 

Ebbsfleet United: Buse, Gbadebo, Vennings (Oteh 80'), Appiah, Nelson, Tizzard, Kennedy, Peake, Box (Manktelow 67'), Barnes, Chapman 

 

Attendance: 675