DULWICH HAMLET 5 EBBSFLEET UNITED 2, Vanarama National League South, Saturday 4 December 2021

Ebbsfleet made light of recent poor form to display an attractive brand of attacking football right from the start. It was Fleet who launched the first serious attack in only the second minute, when Jack Paxman’s inswinging corner beyond the near post was headed out for a second corner by Hamlet captain Jack Holland. In the tenth minute Dominic Poleon’s pass picked out former Hamlet man Ben Chapman running into the box on the blind side but when he fell under contact with Quade Taylor referee Michael Ryan predictably waved away appeals for a penalty. Just two minutes later a wonderful passing move involving Chapman, Poleon and Rakish Bingham relayed the ball out to Will Wood on the right, but the Fleet winger’s shot was blocked at the near post. Fleet centre back Sefa Kahraman spied an opportunity to catch Hamlet keeper Charlie Grainger off his line by quickly taking a direct free kick from ten yards inside his own half, but the shot sailed harmlessly wide without causing too much alarm.

Almost twenty minutes had elapsed before Hamlet threatened for the first time. Kahraman was booked for a late tackle out wide on Jordan Green and Gio McGregor’s free kick into the box fell for Chike Kandi, who shot wide. Fleet continued to enjoy more of the play, pressing Hamlet in their own half and passing the ball quickly and confidently. Holland stretched to intercept a pass over the top with his head, but the ball fell for Egan to volley just wide from 18 yards. A careless pass from Michael Timlin conceded possession inside the Hamlet half, leading to a lengthy passing move from the visitors that eventually forced a corner. This was taken short to the right edge of the penalty box for Alfie Egan to unleash a deadly shot that flew inside the far post to give Fleet a 26th minute lead. Hamlet were within a whisker of equalizing just past the half hour when Bingham’s foul on McGregor presented Hamlet with a free kick 25 yards out. McGregor’s dead ball strike beat Chris Haigh in goal but struck the inside of the far post, and Taylor was unable to guide the rebound into an empty net. Hamlet gained a further free kick from similar range after Chapman fouled Green, but this time Timlin stepped up to the mark and curled the ball over the target. Another Chapman foul on the lively Green received a yellow card and resulted in a 39th minute goal. Jordan Higgs played the ball down the line for Green to deliver a cross that stretched the defence and Tyrone Sterling headed home from point blank range at the far post. However, Ebbsfleet were in no mood to consolidate during the final minutes of the first half. Just two minutes later Craig Tanner’s direct free kick was spectacularly saved by Grainger at his near post, then within sixty seconds Hamlet came unstuck trying to pass the ball out from the back. Possession was lost on the Hamlet left and Tanner hit a long cross into the centre of the box that was headed past an exposed Grainger by Jack Paxman. Hamlet survived a further scare in first half stoppage time, after Timlin was booked for a foul 25 yards out, when Wood’s free kick struck the post.

Once again it was Fleet who were fastest out of the blocks at the start of the second half, with Bingham firing a 25 yard shot that Grainger tipped over at full stretch. However, the tide started to turn as Hamlet pressed higher up the field and began to enjoy more of the ball. Just before the hour mark Hamlet produced a wonderful equalizer. Holland sprayed a pass out from the back to Timlin on the left and his beautifully flighted crossfield ball cleared the last defender to find Jordan Green, who trapped the ball perfectly before shooting past Haigh. It was now end to end stuff, with Grainger quick off his line to execute a risky tackle on Poleon outside the penalty box after the forward had outpaced the Hamlet defence. Then in the 63rd minute Hamlet led for the first time. McGregor’s cross following a short corner, swung in to the near post, wasn’t dealt with as Haigh seemed to be impeded by his own defenders and the ball fell conveniently for Darren McQueen to fire into the net from short range. Five minutes later McQueen threatened to extend the lead, jinking away from defenders to the left of goal, but dragged his shot wide of the far post. Fleet substitute Adam Mekki almost made an instant impact, just two minutes after entering the field, with a powerful direct free kick from the left touchline that was held at the near post by Grainger. Fleet then felt aggrieved not to be awarded a penalty when McQueen went to ground in tackling Egan but the Hamlet man bounced up to bring the ball away, only to be brought down from behind for a Hamlet free kick. Much hot air was expended by the visitors before Tobi Adebayo-Rowling received a yellow card for dissent, with a further card shown to an occupant of the away dugout. Whether rattled or deflated by that 73rd minute incident, Fleet’s attacking rhythm subsided after this point. Sterling wasted a good chance to score his third goal in less than 90 minutes of playing time, having never previously scored for the club, when he headed over the bar from a McGregor corner. With nine minutes to go McQueen received a knock down from Danny Mills in the centre and released Gio McGregor through the middle to shoot past Haigh, despite the close attention of several markers. Tanner made a determined effort to hit back three minutes later, cutting inside across the edge of the box, but his shot was just wide of the post. In the final minute of normal time Adebayo-Rowling made a great run from deep, passing wide to Egan whose cross was safely held by Grainger. Two of the four minutes of stoppage time indicated had elapsed when a missed tackle on the halfway line left AJ Harris-Sealy, an 87th minute substitute, to run clear from McGregor's pass and smash the ball past Haigh to make the final score 5-2.

Hamlet switch places with Ebbsfleet in the top four of the league table, with both clubs remaining behind Dartford and Oxford City.

Team (3-4-3): Grainger - Taylor, Holland©, Sterling - Higgs, McGregor, Timlin, Blackman - Green, Kandi, McQueen. Substitutes: Mills (for Kandi 64), Barnum-Bobb (for Green 75), Harris-Sealy (for McQueen 87), Dayton, Diallo (not used).

Attendance: 3,334