Storm Austen did its best overnight to sink this game but as the next lettered tempest rolled in, it really should have been called ‘Ben’ instead of ‘Boelo’. For this latest instalment in Fleet’s goalscoring masterclass was spearheaded by none other than Ben Chapman, who fired his first hat-trick to torpedo Maidenhead United.
Used to a three-goal haul against the Magpies, the Fleet built on their 2-0 half-time lead to eventually surpass the three by making it four late on. That added another number to the five and six scored in recent home games as fans were treated to yet another irrepressible display by the men in red.
Josh Wright was forced into a change in defence as injury to Ronny Nelson saw Will Tizzard return to the starting lineup, while a similar situation regarding Kwesi Appiah led to his replacement by Finlay Barnes.
Despite the awful weather, it was clear there was more of a spring in the Fleet’s step from the start, in contrast to Tuesday night’s labours against Horsham. Daniel Ogunleye and Lennon Peake were sharp in the opening 10 minutes, the former sweeping a pass just over the bar early on. And if it was hard work you were wanting to see as well as flair, you didn’t have to look far beyond Toby Edser’s excellent saving tackle on Jayden Mitchell-Lawson as Maidenhead threatened to break into the final third.
That was about as much threat as the Magpies managed before the Fleet took control. Chapman began his afternoon’s work on 17 minutes when a strong run down the left from Peake culminated in a perfect cross into the middle where any one of three players might have snatched at it. Chapman reached it first and fired home.
And the lead was doubled just seven minutes later. This time Edser was the creator, playing a neat triangle in midfield before homing in on goal. He might have gone for glory himself but laid it off into the approaching Chapman’s path and the goalscorer let fly with a left-foot drive first-time along the surface into the bottom corner.
Maidenhead, like Totton and Weston before them, simply weren’t at the races and defender Manny Onariase’s tactics to shackle Ogunleye led to a flare-up between him and the Fleet striker. David Mantle, meanwhile, saw yellow for hauling down Barnes.
Fleet could easily have added a third before the break as chances fell to Peake, Chapman and twice for Barnes, whereas Maidenhead’s only sniff of goal was a Josh Umerah free-kick that came to nothing.
Periods of the second-half fell victim to the wind, with the intensity of the rain also increasing, summed up by one Fleet kick upfield that simply lifted into the air towards the Maidenhead half and then blew back 30 yards. For all the problems that created, the hosts continued to play some excellent football.
Chapman whipped a shot just past the upright with the outside of his boot as he clearly had designs on that first hat-trick. Another well-worked attack produced a fine chance in the six-yard box that rather caught Edser by surprise and he couldn’t get a meaningful contact on it.
Magpies goalkeeper Jordi van Stappershoef managed to get in the way of numerous other opportunities although he was glad to see an offside flag when a comedy of errors ended up with the ball rolling apologetically off Ogunleye’s foot into the goal.
Maidenhead managed to find a few minutes of relief in amongst that when they got forward, with Josh Coley firing over when through and forcing Will Buse into a save, before lively substitute Finley Welch had a go at the defence, but they never seriously threatened a lead that somehow stayed locked at 2-0.
Ogunleye did everything but score in a tireless display and was inches away from a deserved goal as Mantle almost turned the ball into his own net. The Fleet played some lovely football and Gene Kennedy fired just wide before Barnes curled a clever effort just wide of the far post.
Welch was the guilty partner in a clash of the Finlays when he bumped Barnes over in the box on 87 minutes and even with the returning Dom Samuel on the field, it was inevitable Chapman should be presented with the chance from the spot – which he duly took to smash home his and his side’s third of the afternoon.
The Fleet weren’t quite finished as Jake Vokins got away down the left and his cross was turned into the net by Mantle’s rather too accurate attempt to intervene.
More goals, more clean sheets and a return to active duty for Samuel and Jake Hessenthaler gave Wright plenty to smile about at the final whistle, while Fleet fans were quite literally singing in the rain.
Their side briefly topped the table until Maidstone’s late equaliser at Torquay, setting up a huge game at the Gallagher on Tuesday night.
EUFC: Buse, Passley, Gbadebo, Tizzard, Vennings, Kennedy (Hessenthaler 64), Edser (Seaman 74), Chapman (Manktelow 88), Barnes, Peake (Vokins 80), Ogunleye (Samuel 80).
Subs not used: Box, Walker
MUFC: Van Stappershoef, Cochrane (Nkrumah 46), Ragguette, Mantle, Onariase, N’Guessan, Johnson, Robinson, Coley, Mitchell-Lawson (Welch 78), Umerah.
Subs not used: Collins, Abbott, Pendlebury, Achuba, Odeniran
Attendance: 1,152
Photos: ©EUFC – Dave Plumb, Tom Harris
