Match Sponsor: MANOR FARM
Torquay United v Ebbsfleet United
United went down to a disappointing 2-0 defeat to Ebbsfleet on a wet and windy night at Plainmoor. A goal in each half was enough to send the Gulls to their first home defeat of the season.
Lee Hodges wasn't passed fit this afternoon so Kevin Nicholson made a return to the starting line-up in an otherwise unchanged United line-up. The match started with a light shower and swirling wind with United attacking the away stand. The first corner of the match came in the sixth minute after good work down the left by Danny Stevens and Elliot Benyon but the resulting corner lead to a chance for the visitors when a miss-placed Lee Mansell pass ended up with Charles laying off a pass to Shakes who thankfully shanked his shot wide of Michael Poke's right hand post. Elliot Benyon started where he left off against Woking and was looking bright in the early stages.
Michael Poke was one of United's best attacking features with his wind assisted goal kicks causing Cronin a few worrying moments. Ebbsfleet were proving quick on the break and actually had their two best attacks of the first 15 minutes straight from Torquay corners. The wind was causing passes to be over hit and the match was a little scrappy although both teams were quick to attack whenever possible. In the 26th minute Ebbsfleet opened the scoring from another Gulls corner! Ricketts latched on to the clearance from Kevin Nicholson's corner and hit a diagonal ball into the patch of Moore who carried the play at Lee Mansell before cutting inside both United fullbacks as Nicholson had tried to get back and help his teammate; the Ebbsfleet midfielder found himself 12 yards out and beat Poke low to his right giving the Gulls keeper no chance. The goal was almost on the cards as every Torquay corner had seemed to have been directly followed by an Ebbsfleet attack on the break and sooner or later punishment was inevitable.
United almost got level on 35 minutes when after Ebbsfleet struggled to clear the ball out of their penalty area Chris Todd hit a snapshot from 18 yards which was palmed wide by Cronin for a corner. The resultant corner was cleared easily by the visitors as the Gulls tried to press for a goal of their own. Torquay were getting their fair share of the ball but the final pass was lacking and the wind seemed to be playing a part but the second half would show us.
In the 40th minute Ebbsfleet skipper McCarthy was booked for hauling down Benyon and from the free kick a corner was won but United couldn't force a chance with their sixth corner of the half. Ebbsfleet were at it again two minutes later but a cross from Long was well flicked away by Poke at the expense of a corner. As the half drew to a close the rain became torrential and that capped a very damp first half for United.
The rain had finally stopped but it hadn't abated during the half-time break when Kevin Hill received a thoroughly deserved award for his 474 appearances as a Gull, it certainly warmed the crowd up as they saluted an all-time favourite. United were unchanged and straight on to the front foot after the break; Danny Stevens made an excellent run down the left wing and eventually the ball fell to Benyon on the left side of the Ebbsfleet area, the Gulls forward chipped a fine ball to the far post which was very well cleared and although Ebbsfleet were defending desperately for a few moments the danger passed. A lot of effort from both teams but not much in the way of final product as both sides were struggling to keep the ball for any length of time and throw-ins and free-kicks a plenty were breaking the game up. A bright moment for United on 53 minutes when Benyon had a shot from 18 yards after some battling work from Tim Sills created the opening but the shot was right down Cronin's throat and he gathered easily. Paul Buckle made a triple change in the 64th minute with Matt Green, Mustapha Carayol and Chris Robertson all coming on to replace Benyon, Stevens and Todd who had picked up what looked like a groin strain. So, with just under 30 minutes to play could the changes affect a response from the Torquay side?
Matt Green forced a foul from McCarthy in the 70th minute and Chris Hargreaves got on to the end of Nicholson's cross but his header was blocked and cleared to safety, United were struggling to open Ebbsfleet up and set pieces were looking like the home sides best chance to equalise. Disaster struck in the 77th minute when an aimless looking ball caught out Chris Hargreaves and allowed substitute Akinde to sneak in front of the Gulls skipper and slip the ball passed the on rushing Poke. A very disappointing goal to concede and it left Torquay with a mountain to climb in the remaining 13 minutes. Understandably with a two goal advantage Ebbsfleet were looking the more assured and were threatening more goals. It would be a massive understatement to say that this was not Torquay's night and the most frustrating part would is that it seemed mostly their own doing. Take nothing away from the visitors who are another decent side in this tough division and if nothing else this result showed us what we already knew: to get out of the Blue Square Premier will take one hell of an effort and no short amount of skill and a large slice of luck. In added time United still huffed and puffed but tonight it was dead ends and cul-de-sacs.
