Greg Cundle stepped off the bench and had barely taken another step before he struck Fleet’s winner as the visitors came from behind to taste victory once more. Cundle’s seventh strike of the season returned the Fleet to the top of the table, leapfrogging Dartford for the second time to move on to 42 points.
After some concern that Hampton’s pitch might not be playable, their ground staff worked hard to get the game on and the referee passed it fit two hours before kick-off despite some further light rain.
Hampton had been on the end of some adverse results lately but they have always proved a difficult obstacle for the Fleet, particularly on home soil. And it looked to be no different as Gary McCann’s men sought to pen the visitors into their own half and close down their natural outlets in the final third.
It was just the two changes from the heroics of Saturday, Chris Solly and Franklin Domi coming in to replace Cundle and Sido Jombati, meaning Ben Chapman switched from a central position to a wider role.
And Hampton’s plan worked for the opening spell, former Welling and Braintree man Stefan Ilic a constant menace down the Fleet left. It was from that side where Hampton opened up the defence twice in the opening 10 minutes and Franklin Domi earned an early caution as the Beavers sent a couple of well-worked passes across the box where they had to be blocked by some concentrated defending.
Fleet appeared to be waiting for Hampton to run out of steam but the initial setup paid off for the home side as they took the lead on 10 minutes. It came from the Fleet left again, a wicked set-piece delivery by Ilic towards the back post cutting a swathe into the box. Mark Cousins seemed to have done enough to push clear but he was stranded as the ball came back off former Tonbridge striker Tommy Wood to fall the right side of the side netting.
It took the visitors a little while longer to settle as Hampton continued to prove tough in the tackle, shutting down the areas the Fleet normally enjoy to build from. Connor Kurran-Browne sent a looping and somewhat ambitious high ball towards Cousins’ upright after nicking the ball in midfield on 14 minutes but that one bent away from the target.
Past the quarter-hour mark and the Fleet picked things up, having struggled to get out of their half to that point. The first move of real menace came with a sweeping ball across to Chapman that cleared the heads of the Hampton defence. He played it inside for Poleon who swung an instinctive foot at goal and Joe Walsh did very well to tip it away for a corner.
The same players capitalised on some shaky defending moments later, Chapman getting into the box but Dean Inman sliding across well to deny Poleon. But the result was a throw-in that led to the equaliser, Domi moving into the box, squeezing between two defenders and finding Bingham who swept a low effort first-time past another two red shirts and into the corner for 1-1.
That was all the invitation Fleet needed to up the ante and wrestle control of the game through to half-time. Gone was Hampton’s high-press and the visitors began to knock the ball around with more of their familiar swagger. On 21 minutes, Chapman and Edser were on hand in the box to supply Bingham but he toed his shot over the bar from close range.
The home team may have been knocked out of their stride a little but that wasn’t to suggest they were dead and buried. As the half-hour marked rolled around, Ilic had two attempts on goal, the second a run into space and low drive that skipped just wide of the post.
With Domi on a booking and finding Ilic’s quick turn of pace a handful, it was substitute Jombati who was tasked with the job of handling him as the two players were swapped around.
It became a scrappy but nevertheless entertaining enough affair with Fleet looking quick and purposeful when they threaded the passes together in midfield. Five minutes before the break, the impressive Liam Vincent was on the end of a Hampton break forward and it needed a timely intervention from Haydn Hollis to stop his progress. Fleet counterattacked immediately with Craig Tanner and with a little help from Chapman and Sterling-James, Poleon flicked an effort just wide.
Edser and Chris Solly combined a minute before the break to set up Poleon for another chance, a low cross skidding along the six-yard box. Poleon was fully entitled to go for it as Walsh pounced at his feet but as the Fleet top scorer attempted to hack the ball free from the goalkeeper’s grasp, he was penalised.
The half-time break probably came at the wrong time for the ascendant Fleet as it was Hampton who made the better start to a half once again, with some neat stuff to give them territory upfield. A good move the width of the pitch on 52 minutes ended with Alfy Whittingham thudding an effort into the hoarding behind Cousins. A similar spell four minutes later conjured up a chance for Ilic who at times was giving Jombati as much of a headache as he did Domi. This time, Ilic skipped inside and loosed off a shot that sped just wide.
As in the first-half, Fleet became more comfortable 15 minutes into it. Poleon’s quick feet conjured up a turn and shot that flashed just wide before Kutrieb shuffled his decks and exchanged Chapman for Cundle. It was an inspired move because it took the No.15 just 60 seconds to make his mark. Tanner’s drive through midfield was spread wide to Sterling. The winger took out two Hampton players with a smart move back inside and Poleon helped it on to the left side where Cundle shaped up to bury his shot beyond Walsh.
Hampton tried to summon new energies and they wrestled the bulk of possession from the Fleet without creating anything of real menace. Tommy Block took up a more advanced position wide on the right and he looked the greatest threat for the home side. The threat was at the other end on 84 minutes, however, and it was almost another inspired substitution by Kutrieb when Luke O’Neill’s long ball upfield released replacement Shaq Coulthirst who skilfully manoeuvred his way past Ben Shroll to home in on goal. He took it wide of Walsh and was shaping to fire into an empty net when Whittingham bundled him over from behind.
Coulthirst picked himself up to take the spot-kick but struck it to the left of the goal and with that let-off, Hampton roused themselves once more. Goalkeeper Walsh went up for a final batch of set pieces swung deep into the Fleet box that on another day might have proved troublesome but the visitors defended them well and saw the 90 out without further incident.
Five minutes of added time weren’t capitalised on by Hampton and Fleet repeated the scoreline of their last win here in the play-offs of 2016/17 to move back to the top and make it 20 games unbeaten.
EUFC: Cousins, O’Neill, Domi (Jombati 30), Hollis, Solly, Edser, Chapman (Cundle 65), Sterling-James, Tanner, Bingham, Poleon (Coulthirst 80). Subs: Romain, Paxman
HRBFC: Walsh, Block, Inman, Whittingham, Wood, Gray, Ilic, Kurran-Browne (Babalola 69), Vincent, Dunne (Sablier 81), Shroll. Subs: Donaldson, Fernandez, Davis
Attendance: 458
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