Tomorrow at Aggborough we'll be welcoming Ebbsfleet Utd in the second round of the FA Trophy and on show will be no two better matched sides you could wish to meet. Both of us are in second place in our respective leagues - the Conference North and South - with almost identical statistics. Games played are both 24 each while points wise the Fleet have 48 to our 47, goals for are 48 / 43, goals against are the same at 22 as are games won with 14 each.So it's going to be an equally matched and tight game against a club vying with us for promotion back into the National Premier. We have only had one season away from there so far while Ebbsfleet got relegated at the end of the 2012-13 season but have spent the time rebuilding both their squad and their stadium. Once managed by Liam Daish it's now Daryl McMahon that has the job of getting them promoted and, with a rich backer behind him, he has done so by recruiting the likes of Aaron McLean, Andy Drury, Danny Kedwell and Sam Deering. Ironically John-Paul Kissock is also on their books but is out on loan at Telford Utd as we saw when we beat them in the first round before Christmas.
In that previous round our guests tomorrow beat Woking 1-0 in a replay following a 1-1 draw at Stonebridge Rd a few days earlier and in the qualifying round they beat Harrow Borough 4-2. They should be injury free tomorrow with just McLean, thankfully, missing with a cruciate ligament injury that will keep him out for the remainder of the season.
We come into this game on the back of a poor defeat at Salford City last Saturday. Our hopes had already taken a knock with Ryan Croasdale missing through a suspension but just before the game it was announced that Zaine Francis-Angol would miss out with a hamstring injury acquired in training. Plucky little Sam Austin was given the job covering him at left back but against Salfords tall front line he didn't stand a chance. He did try to get forward as much as he could but it was too much to ask of him coping at the back as well as upfront so to that end we've bought a loan defender in this week.
Josh Ezewele (right) has arrived here for a month from Yeovil and will slot straight into the ZFA position if needed. The former West Brom trainee joined Yeovil at the start of the season and has competed in just the one game, against Reading in the Checkatrade Cup, so far. He's not the experienced defender we would have hoped for but, as with all our young recruits, that problem doesn't seem to matter and they soon settle and look comfortable with what they're asked to do.
This week goalkeeper Jono Brown has gone back out on loan. This time to Bromsgrove Sporting for an initial one month.
This game, moreso than at Salford last week, is going to be a tough game for us on paper. Two equally matched sides going for a more immediate prize is going to, hopefully, prove to be a cracker of a game with neither side wanting it to go to a replay.
I still take us to win though against the Southern softies :)
Photo © YTFC
Teams:
Harriers from:
T Palmer, A Palmer, Hodgkiss, Hancocks, Ezewele, Lowe, Williams, Sho-Silva, Digie, Carter, Knights, Osborne, Evans, Thomas, Tunnicliffe, Clarke, Francis-Angol, Croasdale, Gnahoua, Truslove, Austin, A Brown, Sweeney, McQuilkin, N'Gwatala, Taylor, Dieseruvwe, Waite.
Ebbsfleet Utd from:
Ashmore, Miles, Clark, Connors, Mambo, McCoy, Miller-Neave, Phillips, Winfield, Cook, Deering, Drury, Lewis, Powell, Rance, Shields, Bubb, Johnson, Kedwell, McLean, Sheringham.
Talk about the game here
Links to Ebbsfleet Utd websites here
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