Fleet stun Shots to lift Wembley hopes

TO say this semi-final was a daunting task for the Fleet was an understatement, but Liam Daish has clearly instilled in his side a belief and determination which is capable of moving even the greatest obstacle.

Coming off the back of an impressive away win at Torquay which should all but wrap up the league title for Saturday's visitors, Aldershot were always going to be a tough nut to crack.

Yet Daish wasn't afraid to again change his side around, raising eyebrows from supporters as Mark Ricketts dropped to the bench, Chris McPhee took over the right-back berth and Luke Moore was reinstated on the right side of midfield at George Purcell's expense.

John Akinde reclaimed his place alongside Chukki Eribenne up front.

And right from the off, the Fleet set about their visitors with an intent borne of self-belief, with former Aldershot loanee McPhee in the thick of the action sending a fourth-minute header from a corner just wide of the post.

Just two minutes later and McPhee was again involved in the build-up as a ball over the top found Eribenne in space and he outpaced the visiting defence only to tumble on the edge of the box as Dave Winfield upended him at the second attempt.

There was a suggestion the initial challenge may have been on the line, but the Shots defenders didn't disagree too vehemently given their relief Winfield was only booked when most in the ground were waiting for a red card.

McPhee kept his head with the spot kick, blasting high into the net beyond Nikki Bull.

The early setback failed to spark a surprisingly lacklustre Aldershot into action and the Fleet took heart at their dominance of possession, camping in the visitors' half as they pressed for a second.

Stacy Long and Akinde were combining well to unsettle the opposition and Winfield received a second ticking-off from referee Whitestone on 25 minutes following a push on Michael Bostwick.

Seconds later and Long was only a whisker away from extending the lead when he twisted Anthony Charles inside-out and cut inside from the left to curl a decent shot just wide of Bull's far post.

With the pressure on the Aldershot defence seemingly relentless, Eribenne contrived to blast a 33rd minute shot over the bar and Akinde twice used his bulk to get in front of his marker but on both occasions couldn't quite fashion a shot.

Aldershot's only effort was thwarted after an excellent interception by Paul McCarthy in the penalty area as Danny Hylton squared up to get a foot to Louis Soares' cross.

But Akinde did get a break on 37 minutes when he pounced on a ball from Neil Barrett inside the penalty area and as he threatened to get the better of Charles, the Aldershot defender tugged his shirt and bundled him to the ground.

Again the home crowd howled for a red card as Charles was the last man, but again the referee produced only a yellow, presumably judging despite a central position, Akinde's angled run was away from goal.

Once again, however, the home crowd's frustrations were calmed by a solid McPhee penalty as he blasted his second of the afternoon down the middle and high into the net.

The Fleet were almost sorry to hear the half-time whistle and could have been three in front following a goalmouth scramble where Akinde, Eribenne, Barrett and Long all had efforts cleared or hacked away following good work by Moore down the right.

Aldershot manager Gary Waddock had clearly taken a leaf from the Jose Mourinho school of tactics as the second-half began, introducing all three of his substitutes in one fell swoop.

He would probably have removed more than the statutory three had he been given the option such was Aldershot's powder-puff efforts of the first 45 minutes.

Yet it seemed the Fleet were going to carry on where they left off as the livewire Eribenne took only a few minutes to ruffle the Shots defence again as he latched on to Long's through ball and sent a rising shot just past the upright.

Long did the same thing himself two minutes later as he ghosted into the box in familiar style, but the finish wasn't enough to trouble Bull.

The visitors, however, finally got into the game midway through the second half with substitutes Kirk Hudson and Junior Mendes proving a handful for Peter Hawkins and Sacha Opinel in particular.

They really should have pulled a goal back just after the hour mark when Rob Elvins shook off Bostwick and flashed a pass across the box.

Mendes met it 10-yards out, but Cronin somehow parried his point-blank-range shot and the rebound thankfully fell to Opinel, who cleared.

Two minutes later and Cronin was again on hand, this time finding the agility to dive low to his right to execute a stunning save from Hudson's volley on the turn as it threatened to creep inside the post.

The Shots ramped up the pressure and Elvins put a shot into the side netting before lacking the pace to poke Soares' through ball home on 71 minutes.

But the heroic England C goalkeeper was finally beaten on 76 minutes when Scott Davies' free-kick found the Fleet defence asleep and Charles, unmarked at the far post, headed back across goal for Mendes to stab home.

Whereas such a body blow might have knocked the stuffing out of Fleet teams of the past, this side is made of sterner stuff and merely rolled its sleeves up and regained the initiative.

A free-kick down the left saw Moore surge into the box and exchange a one-two with Long.

Long caused havoc with a low delivery into the six-yard box and of all the unlikely heroes, McCarthy was on hand to prod home the loose ball to send Stonebridge Road into raptures.

It could have got even better for the Fleet had Akinde's one-on-one with Bull not snuck wide of the far post as he outpaced the Shots defence.

Long found himself in a similar position against the goalkeeper, but had too much time perhaps to dwell on the prospect of Wembley and ended up running the ball into the Bull's arms.

Fleet fans were jubilant at the final whistle, but the tie is far from over with Saturday's trip to the Recreation Ground in front of Aldershot's noisy home support to come.

The Shots have scored an average of two goals a game in the league this season and few Fleet fans will want to recall their 3-2 defeat there last season having held a 2-0 first-half lead.

There's all to play for and another heart-stopping 90 minutes at least until the dream of Wembley becomes a reality.

But most fans would have taken a two-goal lead, and a convincing one at that, into next week's second leg.

And with Ebbsfleet's defence one of its strongest points this season, there is much cause for optimism for the Fleet's travelling army come Saturday afternoon.

Ebbsfleet United: Cronin, McPhee, Opinel, Hawkins, McCarthy, Barrett, Bostwick, Long, Moore (Nade 90), Eribenne, Akinde. Subs not used: Mott, MacDonald, Ricketts, Purcell. Att: 2,483