7:22pm Sunday 21st March 2010
By Jonathan Moyes
EBBSFLEET are without a win in five matches after a succumbing 6-1 to Luton on Saturday in a second half collapse.
Fleet’s last win was the vital 3-1 victory over relegation rivals Gateshead one month ago.
However, since then Ebbsfleet were humbled by Barrow, achieved draws at Kidderminster and Wrexham, but were beaten again at Crawley. This is not the sort of form which will secure Blue Square Premier safety and conceding six hardly helped Ebbsfleet’s goal difference, which is the second worst in the league.
There will be plenty of time for Fleet to ponder the consequences of this latest defeat because Liam Daish’s side will not be in action until Good Friday, when they travel to Salisbury City.
But there were plenty of positives for Daish in the first-half after his side were the better side for much of the opening period.
Fleet’s game plan of pressing Luton into making mistakes and quickly regaining possession worked well.
Moses Ashikodi had an effort which was off target when he was put clear by Magno Vieira’s delightful flick on 17 minutes.
Luton almost took the lead when Tom Craddock bore down on goal, only for Alex Stavrinou to tackle the ex-Middlesbrough man at the last moment.
But then Ebbsfleet went in front in bizarre circumstances when Gavin Heeroo put pressure on the visiting defence, forcing Janos Kovacs into a back pass.
The Hungarian misjudged goalkeeper Mark Tyler’s positioning and the ball trickled into an unguarded net.
After the restart, an equaliser was only matter of time because the Hatters emerged a different side in the second half and camped themselves firmly in Ebbsfleet territory.
Sure enough, Claude Gnakpa headed past Lance Cronin from Keith Keane’s corner to put the Bedfordshire side on level terms three minutes after the break.
Ebbsfleet hardly had time to draw breath when they fell behind after former QPR striker Kevin Gallen drilled in a first-time effort two minutes later.
Craddock got on the score sheet midway through the second half with a classy volley from Keane’s cross to make it 3-1.
Gnakpa was given the freedom of Stonebridge Road when he headed in unmarked for Luton’s fourth and the Frenchman grabbed his hat-trick when he poked in a rebound of a blocked Gallen shot.
Fleet’s miserable afternoon was complete when substitute Matthew Barnes-Homer grabbed Luton’s sixth in injury time.
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