It’s a trip to south-west London this Saturday as the Fleet are set to face Hampton & Richmond Borough on the Beveree Stadium’s new 4G surface, writes Libby O’Connell.
Form guide
Tuesday night marked a big moment for Ebbsfleet, as Josh Wright’s side officially climbed out of the bottom four and moved on towards mid-table, with four games in hand remaining on most of the other sides in the division. The Fleet are now in 14th place, just seven points behind league leaders Maidstone United, with those games in hand to be played over the course of the next four weeks.
The jump up the table came following a comfortable 1-0 victory over Folkestone Invicta at the Morrow Stadium in midweek. The Kent derby saw the Fleet take the lead just six minutes in after a ball from Daniel Ogunleye reached Lennon Peake, who eased through the Folkestone defence and curled it into the top-left corner.
Despite increased possession from the visitors in the second half, their attempts remained limited while the Fleet continued to threaten going forward. With three points the aim once again this Saturday, that outcome could see the Fleet break into the top 10 – and more importantly maintain the upward curve the manager is seeking to prolong.
Hampton & Richmond Borough are 22nd with two wins, two draws and six losses. Three of those defeats have come in their last five games, the most recent being a 1-0 loss at second-placed Dagenham & Redbridge.
The Beavers’ previous league fixture ended in a 1-1 draw against Chelmsford City, while they claimed all three points at home against Farnborough with a 2-0 victory. They also suffered back-to-back heavy defeats in late August and early September, losing 4-1 to both Maidstone United and AFC Totton.
The Beavers also suffered a Second Qualifying Round exit in the FA Cup against Isthmian League South East Division side Crowborough Athletic, a 3-1 reply defeat following an entertaining 3-3 draw at Hampton.
Last time out
Saturday’s two sides are regular competitors at this level, with this weekend’s game being the 28th meeting since 1987.
The two teams last met for the Fleet’s final home game of last season where a convincing 4-0 win avenged the entertaining 3-2 defeat Ebbsfleet suffered the previous August (above).
Current Fleet players featured among the goals across those two meetings, with Kwesi Appiah (below), Jake Hessenthaler, Ben Chapman, Charlie Seaman and Finlay Barnes all on the scoresheet last season.
Previous meetings have largely favoured the Fleet, who boast a strong record against Hampton. Hampton’s last league victory at Stonebridge Road came in 2000, while the Fleet enjoy a 14-8 advantage in terms of wins.
Who’s who?
Former Fleet midfielder Wes Fonguck signed for Hampton ahead of this season after a brief spell with Farnborough. His stay at the Fleet, after signing from Southend United, was punctuated by a year in the United States.
Twenty-three-year-old winger Zanda Siziba has also made an impact, with two goals to his name so far. He returned to Hampton permanently this summer after a previous loan spell from York City during the 2024/25 season. He subsequently returned to York before spending time at Kidderminster Harriers and Bedford Town.
Max Kretzschmar is another name to note. The experienced midfielder returned to Hampton in December 2025 after previously spending the 2017/18 campaign at the club. He followed first-team manager Alan Dowson to Woking before spending four years at Wealdstone.
His return to The Beveree coincided with Dowson’s appointment as manager, with Kretzschmar also taking on the role of assistant manager.
The manager
Alan Dowson is no stranger to Hampton & Richmond. During his four seasons at the club between 2014 and 2018, he led the Beavers to promotion from the Isthmian Premier in 2015/16, as well as the National South play-offs two years running, losing to the Fleet in 2016/17.
Dowson joined Woking in 2018 and led them to promotion into the National League during his first season. He went on to manage both Dartford and briefly Hemel Hempstead Town, as well as taking on a joint-caretaker role at Aldershot Town, before returning to Hampton.
Dowson, a former Darlington, Slough Town and Gateshead defender, rejoined the Beavers midway through last season, with the club battling relegation, and he helped secure their place in the division.
The referee
Essex official Daniel Baines takes charge of this one for his fifth match of the season. His only previous Fleet game was our 3-1 win at Eastbourne Borough last season. An experienced referee, unlike some of the newly promoted referees we have had so far in 2026/27, this is his fourth season at this level. He has issued one red card so far this campaign – to former Fleet winger Jephte Tanga at Tonbridge.
Commentary
There will be YouTube audio coverage of the game via the FleetLive channel here.
