Fleet fired First Round fireworks on November 5th to reach Round Two for the first time in 19 years. Many of those who greeted the win around the Kuflink Stadium weren’t even born the last time the club graced the Second Round of the competition.
Goals from Toby Edser and Rakish Bingham either side of Halifax’s quick-reply equaliser were enough to see the reds through as Halifax were reduced to 10 men in an exciting, warmly-greeted performance that the home side thoroughly deserved to win.
Fleet made two changes for this tie, Ben Chapman returning from suspension and Edser – some great foresight by his manager in that team selection! – taking up his midfield berth once more.
Halifax took possession from the start, with a careful passing game as they sought to establish their ascendancy. An early shot was harmless enough from the visitors and Jamie Cooke was well marshalled as he tried to squeeze through Edser and Luke O’Neill.
Rob Harker might have opened the scoring on 12 minutes with a good run to get behind the Fleet defence but Cousins made a super first stop and followed it up with a second stop from the return ball.
If Fleet were ruffled they didn’t show it as they immediately switched play to the other end and Edser got in a good position behind the full-back and looped an effort over Sam Johnson that took a deflection off and then hit Jack Senior to fall the right side of the far post and line to open the scoring.
That lead lasted only three minutes before Halifax produced their own counterattack down the left as Harvey Gilmour robbed Craig Tanner of possession and skipped two more challenges. He passed inside for Cooke to size up a shot and send a thumping effort beyond Cousins.
Tanner supplied Dominic Poleon for a shot on 20 minutes that clipped a Halifax player before skipping just off-target and behind for a corner. A better chance followed two minutes later, Omari Sterling-James moving quickly into the box, Poleon turning the ball wide for Greg Cundle to try his luck but he was charged down 10 yards out.
Fleet were more than a match for their higher-division opponents and after the early action, there was something of a lull midway through the half, though the red shirts enjoyed much of the possession and territory.
The Shaymen forced their way back into the game in the final five minutes of the half. Cooke got up well to a deep cross to the far post from the right to send a header down just past the woodwork. And Fleet had strong claims for a penalty just before the whistle when Tyler Golden dragged down Jombati in the box but the referee was unmoved.
In an action-packed close, Cundle was set free, finding Chapman who pinged a pass wide to Poleon, his cross headed away by the Halifax defence. The referee continued to let much of the physical activity pass unpunished as the half finished with another weighty challenge to send Tanner into the turf.
Poleon was quick out of the blocks from kick-off in the second-half, sprinting through the wall of yellow shirts but couldn’t deliver his shot on the target. Fleet had two more good chances with Cundle embarking on a similar run to Poleon and then Sterling getting a shot on target that was diverted for a corner.
There was no time to feel sorry for those missed chances as the next one was a goal! It came as Sterling took the corner, supplying Bingham to pounce and nod home for his second crucial goal of the week.
You couldn’t take your eyes of this one for a minute – and the man at the centre of it all was Sterling whose next run through the middle saw him hacked down by a combination of Jamie Stott and Jack Senior. The latter was the fall guy, presented with a second yellow card and Halifax were down to 10 men.
Up off the floor and dusted down, Sterling attacked again, raiding down the right and seeing his subsequent shot saved by Johnson. Another fine move saw Poleon and Edser combine and the perfectly weighted pass from the No.17 found Tanner running through but he was called offside as Halifax scrambled the ball off the line at the foot of their post.
Fleet kept coming and on 67 minutes Cundle whistled a shot just past the post, crafted again by the vision of Edser, the Plough End in superb voice to greet every attack on Sam Johnson’s goal. On 73 minutes, Fleet fans were out of their seats as Sterling spotted Johnson off his line and screwed a marvellous lob/shot on to the crossbar.
Chapman followed up a minute later with a shot aimed at the gap towards the upright as Fleet’s forward play continued to be a joy to watch but that curved away and wide. Next up came Tanner, chasing a lost cause to find a way through for Bingham. His shot was well saved by Johnson and though the Fleet striker used all his strength to force a second chance, Halifax survived.
The red wave didn’t let up – O’Neill swung a cross in, Poleon flashed a boot at it, then Chapman’s shot was blocked and Sterling followed up to arrow a shot over the far upright. Bingham had another smart turn to fire on goal as the game entered its final 10 minutes and Sterling popped up yet again to test Johnson.
Halifax mustered the odd set piece in the final minutes that set the pulses racing but in truth the Fleet looked comfortable through the final five added minutes, Haydn Hollis despatching any ball that tried to enter the box, ably assisted by his fellows at the back and the Fleet were through! Backed by a superb crowd of 2,099 of a largely home persuasion, the fact that it was also the 19th unbeaten game by the Fleet went largely unnoticed in the celebrations!
EUFC: Cousins, O’Neill, Jombati, Hollis, Cundle (Paxman 87), Edser (Romain 82), Chapman, Sterling-James (Domi 90), Tanner, Bingham (Coulthirst 82), Poleon. Subs: Solly, Monlouis, McQueen, Haigh
FCHT: Johnson, Golden, Senior, Clarke, Hunter (Warburton 74), Stott, Spence, Cooke, Harker (Capello 60), Dieseruvwe, Gilmour (Summerfield 86). Subs: Scott, Alli, Minihan, Furtado
Attendance: 2,099
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