Match Report

A week after seeing their FA Cup progress derailed by Billericay goalkeeper Alan Julian in stoppage time, Sutton suffered more last gasp disappointment as a penalty in the tenth additional minute at the end of the game gave Ebbsfleet a victory that lifted them off the foot of the table and pulled Sutton in to the bottom four for the first time.

The stoppage time was due to an injury to Ebbsfleet goalkeeper Jordan Holmes, who stopped a close range David Ajiboye shot with his face and had to be replaced with five of the ninety minutes to go. With no goalkeeper on the bench Ebbsfleet were forced to put defender Tyler Cordner, whose last appearance at Sutton had seen him score twice for Havant in March, between the posts and U’s would have fancied their chances of going on to claim all the points, but after twice hitting the post, once due to Cordner’s uncertainty, they were caught out by a breakaway attack with led to Dan Matsuzaka happily taking a booking to halt Alex Reid’s progress. From the free kick Omar Bugiel tangled with Jamie Grimes, who had come on when Holmes was injured, and referee Paul Howard decided that Bugiel was the guilty party, pointed to the spot, and Gozie Ugwu calmly rolled the ball in to the net.

Matsuzaka was in the back four due to Jamie Collins still struggling with a foot injury, while Jon Barden became the fourth player to start a game for U’s at right back this season, but they almost had the ideal start as Holmes had to scramble the ball round the post after a defensive tackle had sent the ball goalwards. As it was, U’s were behind in the tenth minute when Albie Morgan’s excellent free kick hit the post and rebounded back in off Jamie Butler, in whose name the goal had to be recorded.

Sutton were level midway through the half, though, with the sort of moment that could have provided the spark to lift them out of their current poor run as David Ajiboye took advantage of Ebbsfleet’s midfield hesitation to win possession, surge forward and lash a shot past Holmes from the edge of the penalty area.

It was a thrilling goal, and although U’s weren’t able to build on it before half time they turned round in good spirits and with the wind and rain on their backs. Within two minutes of the restart Ajiboye had run on to Harry Beautyman’s pass and thumped in a shot that was turned away by Holmes, and Will Randall then curled a shot just wide. It wasn’t entirely one way traffic, and U’s were grateful to Matsuzaka for a fine goal-line block to deny Andre Blackman from a right wing cross, and then moments after Tommy Wright had seen a low cross flash across the six-yard box with no Sutton player close enough to score, Ebbsfleet regained the lead out of the blue as U’s cleared a corner as far as the edge of the penalty area and Josh Payne matched Ajiboye’s earlier effort with a first time dipping volley that flew just under the bar.

Despite the setback U’s continued to attack, forcing a succession of corners but unable to find the breakthough until Bugiel’s run to the near post allowed him to connect with Milsom’s corner and flick a neat volley in off the underside of the bar. That was with fifteen minutes of regulation time to go, but ten minutes later there was a long hold up as Holmes denied Ajiboye painfully at close range, and was unable to continue. Cordner was immediately put under pressure, and when substitute Kyel Reid’s shot slithered through his hands he was grateful to see the ball bounce back in to them off the post. Beautyman’s dipping inswinging free kick was only narrowly over, and another fine free kick, this time from the right by Milsom, came off a defender’s head and rattled the crossbar, but for all their pressure a third goal wouldn’t come, and it was at the other end that the game had its dramatic finale.

Ebbsfleet: J Holmes (sub J Grimes 85), M Ekpiteta, A Blackman(sub A Egan 76), J King, T Cordner, J Payne, M Weston, F Sutherland(sub A Lawless 69), A Reid, G Ugwu, A Morgan. Subs n/u S Obileye, T Adeloye. Booked: Reid, Cordner.

Referee: Paul Howard