Patient Possession Game Not Enough For Seagulls
Scott Bartlett’s first game as Weston manager saw the Seagulls go down to a 2-0 loss inflicted by Ebsfleet United, with goals coming from skipper Danny Kedwell and Darren McQueen.
The opening goal came with a cross from McQueen, after Jason Pope and Darren Mullings both failed to clear the ball as it crossed the box. Kedwell reached the cross on Ebbsfleet’s left wing, before cutting inside and firing past Luke Purnell for 1-0 Ebbsfleet six minutes in.
Brad Ash fired over when well placed from a Dayle Grubb pass, then Jordan Williams blazed over when it seemed easier to score from a similar position from an Ash pull-back.
Ebbsfleet came out for the second half and nicked a second when Sam Deering played a pass between Jason Pope and Clayton Fortune for McQueen, who steamed onto the pass before putting the ball past Purnell.
When Ash weaved past two defenders and had his shot parried by the keeper, with the rebound being knocked back by a falling defender under pressure from the on-loan striker, the referee awarded a pass-back and an indirect free-kick for Weston with nobody appealing on the pitch. With the Ebbsfleet defence taking their time to line up on the line with the free-kick being taken 10 yards from goal, it was all for nothing as Kington drilled the free-kick along the ground seeing Ebbsfleet easily clear.
Jacob Cane was introduced with 27 minutes left on the clock after a 2 month injury layoff, with the fans keen and excited to see their midfield engine returning during the times he was needed the most.
Kane Ingram then showed that he still had a knack for shooting after his recent goal against Shepton Mallet by shooting from 25 yards again and forcing Ashmore into turning the ball around the post. Sam Deering then put wide at the other end of the pitch for Ebbsfleet to potentially have put the icing on the cake for The Fleet, but it wasn’t to be.
FT: Weston 0-2 Ebbsfleet (Kedwell 6, Mcqueen 50)
MOTM: Ash Kington
Weston XI: Purnell, Withey, Williams (Simpson 63), Kington, Pope, Fortune, McClennan, Ingram, Ash, Grubb, Mullings (Cane 63). Unused subs: Richards, Meechan, Powell.