Fleet will be in the Fourth Qualifying Round for the fifth year running after seeing off Faversham Town, with all the goal action coming in the first-half.
Faversham earned a lifeline on the stroke of half-time after being 2-0 down and battled well in the second-half but it’s the Fleet who progress thanks to Kwesi Appiah and Tom Dallison efforts on target.
It took the Fleet only a matter of minutes to find the opener after a strong start to this tie. On four minutes, Josh Passley got room down the right and time to pick his cross and he found Appiah arriving who struck the ball home for 1-0.
Jamie Fielding came close to doubling that advantage from a headed effort at the far post that was scrambled away from his line by goalkeeper Rohan Greensall.
Faversham were forced into defensive action on several occasions in the first half-hour and shots from Passley and Appiah resulted in a double save from the Lilywhites’ keeper who also had to tip over a Ben Coker corner from underneath his bar, one of several set pieces the home side earned.
Promising long-distance efforts from Passley and Ben Chapman followed which had some weight but Greensall saw those.
A second goal did arrive for the Fleet when another Coker corner was whipped into the area and Dallison leapt highest to head firmly into the back of the net.
Another Chapman drive was beaten back out off the post as Finlay Barnes closed in but he couldn’t quite get on the end of it with the goalkeeper on the ground.
Faversham found their rhythm towards the closing stages of the half as they managed to get upfield for a period of time and Nathan Wood forced a save from Gio Bellagambi to earn a corner in the final minute of added time. From that set piece, taken by Wood, the ball sailed across and in, with Harrison Pont adding his name to the scoresheet with the last touch.
A chance to restore the Fleet’s two-goal advantage arrived moments into the second-half when Aaron Cosgrave wasn’t far off in reaching for a corner. And the Fleet No.9 came close to securing his third goal of the season when a great run through on goal allowed him to drive through the Faversham defence but a late interception forced his effort wide.
Substitute Maxx Manktelow wasn’t far off with an attempted lob over the advancing Greensall and the Fleet continued to win corners without quite managing to seal the game. Faversham kept coming forward in search of an equaliser and Pont put a shot wide as the visitors kept the pressure in the final minutes.
But after a convincing first-half performance had done the job, Fleet await Monday’s draw with the First Round proper now just one more win away.
EUFC: Bellagambi, Passley (Seaman 46), Coker, Dallison, Fielding, Olagunju, Hessenthaler, Chapman (Edser 58), Barnes (Manktelow 77), Cosgrave, Appiah (Samuel 85). Subs: Moncur, Nelson, Cousins
FTFC: Greensall, Simms (Campbell 20, Ademiluyi 90), Parter, Pont, Davies, Gorham, Wood, Kwayie, Amgbaduba (Collin 75, Monger 80), Fagg, Smith. Subs not used: Saunders, Isaacs, Burford
Attendance: 874
Photos: EUFC: Ed Miller/Tom Harris
