Fleet set up York trip with Chester win (From News Shopper)

Ebbsfleet 3-2 Chester

12:03pm Monday 16th January 2012 in News and Reports By Charlie Sewell

EBBSFLEET United booked a third round FA Trophy trip to York City by beating Chester at Stonebridge Road on Saturday.

The away side started strongly and dominated the opening exchanges, with Matt McNeil going close when he dragged his effort wide after three minutes.

Ebbsfleet replied almost immediately but away keeper John Danby stopped Nathaniel Pinney’s shot with ease.

Jamie Rainford then pulled his attempt wide for the Blues after a quarter of an hour before Jerome Wright tried his luck from 20 yards 10 minutes later.

But despite the lower league side’s dominance, the Fleet took the lead against the run of play when Calum Willock headed Michael West’s corner into the top corner past the helpless Danby after 27 minutes.

Pinney nearly doubled the home side’s tally on the stroke of half-time but was denied by the legs of Danby.

The second half started with Ebbsfleet building on the momentum gained at the end of the first half.

Within a minute of the restart Willock came close to scoring his second of the game before Pinney grazed the top of the bar after 51 minutes.

The pressure built on Chester and they finally crumbled when West’s floated free-kick deep into the area was met by the head of Yado Mambo, who guided the ball into the bottom corner after 55 minutes.

Chester halved the deficit seven minutes later after McNeil converted Alex Brown’s free-kick with a speculative diving header.

However, as soon as the visitors had clawed themselves back into the game, Ebbsfleet dealt them another blow.

Pinney’s shot was scrambled off the line only for Ricky Shakes to follow up and fire into an empty net to give the home side an unassailable lead after 64 minutes.

Despite Rainford’s shot deflecting off Fleet captain Paul Lorraine and beating Preston Edwards after 72 minutes to give the away side hope, Ebbsfleet managed to hold on and saw out a nail-biting finish.

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Ebbsfleet: Edwards, Stone, Lorraine, West, Marwa, Willock, Phipp, Howe, Mambo, Barrett (Shakes 38), Pinney. Subs not used: Herd, Simpemba, Azeez, Darvill. Att: 1,387.