By JACK FOULGER
For the first time since early September, Maidstone United are off the top of the NL South table after a 3-1 defeat against local rivals Ebbsfleet United. Goals from Camron Gbadebo, Daniel Ogunleye and Harvey Walker saw Josh Wright’s side claim their first victory at ME14 in over seven years.
TEAM NEWS
Craig Fagan made two changes to the Stones side that drew 1-1 at Torquay on Saturday as left-back Leo Hamblin returned from suspension in place of Dermi Lusala. Winger Nana Boateng also returned to the XI with Alex Stepien-Iwumene having to settle for a place on the bench.
The Fleet made just one switch themselves, as attacking midfielder Finlay Barnes made way for defender Jake Vokins in their only change from the side that thrashed Maidenhead United 4-0 just three days prior.
MATCH SUMMARY
As many might have expected from two sides with a combined 49 goals in 24 games, the match started off as a rather frantic affair, with the visitors having the better of the final third action for much of the opening 45. Ebbsfleet’s dominance would quickly pay dividends as a mid-range shot from Ben Chapman in the 9th-minute was mishandled by Maidstone ‘keeper Lenny Holden before centre-back Camron Gbadebo poked the ball home to take the lead.
Up until the break, the Stones kept themselves in the game whilst having a couple of notable chances themselves to go level. Tom Leahy blocked a low Will Tizzard clearance that very nearly trickled over the goalline in arguably their best chance of the half, amidst a few phases of action in the box that didn’t amount to much.
Going into the second period, Maidstone continued to search for a leveller whilst Ebbsfleet equally kept pushing for a second. Unfortunately, in the 67th minute as a smart through ball from Ben Chapman saw the Fleet midfielder find the feet of Daniel Ogunleye, who comfortably drifted past Taylor Foran before slotting the ball low into the bottom-left corner.
With seven minutes to go, the Stones were offered a glimmer of hope as a long downfield lob from Foran was met by a poor touch from Fleet defender Jake Vokins before substitute Jayden Davis struck the ball first time to comfortably slot past Will Buse and offer Maidstone a lifeline.
Despite ramping up their efforts for an equaliser, Craig Fagan’s side were once again caught out by their own mistakes. An underhit corner in stoppage time was swiftly cleared by the Fleet defence before eventually finding Harvey Walker, who fought off Alex Stepien-Iwumene before placing the ball in the back of the net to seal all three points for the Reds.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Disorganisation at Restarts: While individual errors remain one of the main talking points for the goals Maidstone conceded, what also was particularly striking was how all three efforts ultimately stemmed from restarts that the Stones struggled to manage. Gbadebo’s opener came from a corner that the Stones failed to fully clear; Ogunleye’s goal began with a long free kick from ‘keeper Will Buse whilst the move for the third was ultimately triggered by an underhit Maidstone corner that enabled an instant counter-attack. In those key moments, the Stones seemed to lack a stable degree of proactiveness and structural consistency that Ebbsfleet were effective at exploiting. This seemingly kept the pace and direction of the match in their favour, making it difficult for Craig Fagan’s side to impose themselves as the Maidstone boss would’ve ideally hoped.
Tipping Point: Given the mixed balance of play that followed after Fleet’s opener, the game’s outcome looked to be heavily hinged on who would net the second goal. When Ebbsfleet did make it 2-0 in the second half, they were able to effectively manage the game overall, remaining defensively confident for the most part whilst being able to counter with more freedom and less pressure, which in-turn had a major influence on the third goal.
NEXT UP
Hoping for an improved result, Maidstone United are back in league action this Saturday as they host Slough Town. The Berkshire side have recently appointed a new management team as former Tonbridge Angels boss Steve McKimm took charge last week following the prior dismissal of Alan Julian.
For Ebbsfleet, the Reds will once again play in a first vs second fixture this weekend as they make the long trek to Cornwall to face Truro City. The Tinners also moved above the Stones in midweek as their 3-1 victory over Slough saw them move one point clear of Craig Fagan’s side with a game in hand.
