Fleet made it a first double of the season and a third clean sheet in a row at Chelmsford as Dominic Samuel scored the important goal towards the end of the first-half, repeating the 1-0 victory over the Clarets from August.
The Fleet certainly started the match on the front foot by winning successive set pieces. A short corner found its way to Gene Kennedy whose shot was cleared only as far as Mustapha Olagunju. The Fleet’s No.24 had sight of goal from distance but he hit a rising effort over the bar. The second corner of those opening stages saw Josh Coley pull the trigger but his effort bounced off the outside of the post in one of the best chances of the half.
After Fleet’s good start Chelmsford began their own search for an opener. Archie Tamplin whipped a ball into the area from a set piece which was met by Ollie Tompkins at the back post but his headed effort was wide of the mark.
Matt Hall pulled off a great save to keep his clean sheet intact as he tipped over David Longe-King’s floating header. Moments later, he was called into action again to shut out Jason Adigun. That was Chelmsford’s best spell of the game but Fleet were able to respond and got the crucial breakthrough.
It came on 36 minutes as an attack broke down and Abube Onuchukwu attempted a routine clearance but skied the effort which fell back into his own box. Charlie Seaman pressured former Fleet keeper Chris Haigh as he tried to get at the ball and Samuel then arrived at the back post to force the ball over the line.
Samuel tried for a second just before the break but a strong header stopped his strike while Seaman also saw one blocked. At the other end, Tamplin’s delivery from a corner whipped across the box and flew just wide of the far post.
The second half began in similar fashion to the first with the Fleet forcing corners. Just past the hour mark, Lennon Peake played a tidy ball into the path of Coley but his volley went wide.
Lyle Taylor looked set to find an equaliser midway through the half when a pass got him clear of the Fleet back line but his low shot on goal was pushed aside by Hall just as the offside flag went up anyway.
The hosts pushed to the end for a late goal but the Fleet managed the final few minutes and got blocks in where important to go into Christmas with three more points.
EUFC: Hall, Passley, Olagunju, Dallison, Seaman, Peake (Coker 88), Hessenthaler, Kennedy, Chapman (Manktelow 71), Coley (Edser 78), Samuel (Cosgrave 74). Subs: Ehmer, Barnes, Macaulay.
CCFC: Haigh, Grimwood, Longe-King (Uchegbulam 66), Folarin (Ronan 66), Onuchukwu, Tompkins, Tamplin, Murphy (Barham 57), Adigun (Kudiabor 88), Emmanuel (Barbrook 57), Taylor. Sub: Eastwood.
Attendance: 1,557 (121 away)
Photos: ©EUFC/Tom Harris
