With August barely over and done with, teams are still feeling their way into the 2022/23 season so it seems a little early and perhaps presumptuous to lumber any game with the “six-pointer” tag. All of which doesn’t take anything away from the anticipation ahead of the visit of Bath City.
Fleet, with their 100% club-record start to the season in hand, take on a rejuvenated Romans cohort who haven’t tasted defeat since their opening-day reverse at the hands of Dartford. With crowds up 25% at the Kuflink Stadium on the same point last season, it’s another one to whet the appetite of the Fleet faithful.
With Dennis Kutrieb’s squad having proved so adept and interchangeable thus far, second-guessing the team selection is becoming something of a complex task for observers – and with Jack Paxman having seen his first action of the season last Monday, it’s another significant option back in play for the Fleet boss.
A clean-sheet and clinical 3-0 win on Bank Holiday was the perfect platform for the Fleet to head into September and Kutrieb praised his defenders for their work in keeping Dover frustrated.
Bath, for all the plaudits they are receiving this season, have conceded goals in all but one of their outings so far in 2022/23 and the Fleet can surely look to target that potential chink in the visitors’ armour. That said, Bath’s summer recruitment included two significant additions in defence – both impressing in last season’s meetings with Chippenham. Skipper Kieran Parselle (who assumes the same role at Bath he did at Chippenham) and left-back Danny Greenslade were very much part of the reason Chippenham pushed the play-off semi-final to extra time.
Up front, however, there is little change for the visitors. Cody Cooke and Alex Fletcher were two of the success stories of an otherwise forgettable season in ’21/22 for Bath, scoring 30 of the side’s 45 goals between them. They already have nine between them this campaign and have been joined by former Dagenham striker and Macclesfield National League winner Scott Wilson.
Elsewhere, another key arrival for Jerry Gill’s side is former Sheffield Wednesday and Bristol Rovers midfielder Chris Lines, a former teammate of Joe Martin’s at both Northampton and Stevenage. The new signing may be 37 in two months but he earned praise from his boss for his strength, workrate and physicality.
It’s a relatively small squad Bath operate with but it’s an athletic one that Gill said was full of “resilience, grit, confidence and with a winning mentality” after they despatched Slough Town 5-1 on Monday.
They’ll certainly hope such firepower can arrest a four-match run in which they’ve failed to find the net against the Fleet, with last season’s head-to-heads returning 3-0 and 2-0 wins for Kutrieb’s men. Dominic Poleon was on target in both those matches and he’s just one goal behind Bath’s Cooke in the race for the division’s current leading scorer – whichever one of those two players is more lethal this Saturday could hold the key to the outcome.
MATCHDAY SMALL PRINT ——–>
ONLINE SALES
Our online ticketing sales platform at fleetlive.club has tickets available until 12.00pm on matchday. We would advise pre-purchase for both your and our convenience in gaining admission to the ground.
On-the-day ticket sales are available from the windows by main reception, accepting card and cash payments. Turnstiles open at 1pm but they will only accept online tickets (printed out or on your device) and tickets bought at the windows on matchday. There is a dedicated gate for season-ticket holders but they may also use their cards through other turnstile gates.
MAIN STAND BAR
There is no segregation for this game – so all supporters are welcome in our Main Stand Bar and Social Club bar. To access the Main Stand bar, enter through the turnstiles and walk the length of the gangway in the Main Stand to the door at the Swanscombe (uncovered) End. There is signage pointing you in the direction. Dennis Kutrieb does a pre-match teamsheet run-through and he and other players attend the bar post-match as well for the man of the match presentation.
CATERING OUTLETS
Check out our food stalls (to the left of the main turnstiles entrance, there is our Würtsel Haus German sausage experience and straight ahead as you enter the ground is the Manhattan Grill for all your burger, hot dog and more needs!). Pop-up bars are also situated near to the turnstiles and by ‘Geeks Corner’ between the Plough End and old stand. Our new Hofmeister popup can be found in the marquee between the main turnstiles entrance and the Main Stand.
CAR PARKING
Car-parking as per usual on matchdays is available at Ebbsfleet International Car Park C for £3. Please have the correct change if possible to aid our parking staff and again, we would recommend an early arrival. Please note that the areas near to Northfleet Station, namely Railway Street and Hamerton Road, are resident/permit-only parking and non-valid vehicles will be ticketed. The area on Thamesway before the roundabout as you approach the Kuflink Stadium is a designated clearway – though that is not particularly apparent as you approach – so you are advised not to park here because of the risk of being ticketed.
MATCHDAY PROGRAMMES
If you wish to purchase your programme in advance for collection from our club shop before you enter the ground, you can do so either via our online shop or when booking your matchday tickets online.
Programmes are also on sale at the ground from the club shop, the popup bar as you enter the turnstiles, the Main Stand tea kiosk or in the Social Club behind the Plough End, costing £3. Advance-order programmes will be available to pick up from the club shop before the game and before you enter the turnstiles.
