Blues smash 4 with no reply away at Eversley & California
Fleet Town put the disappointment of last weekend’s FA Cup exit firmly behind them with a resounding 4–0 away victory over near neighbours Eversley & California.
On a very difficult, drought-affected surface, Fleet dominated much of the first half but struggled to turn that dominance into goals. The Blues enjoyed almost all of the possession and created several good openings, but a combination of near misses, blocks and some determined defending from the hosts kept the scores level.
On 43 minutes, Fleet were handed the perfect opportunity to break the deadlock when they were awarded a penalty following a heavy challenge in the area. After a lengthy delay for an injury to the Eversley defender, Alex MacAllister stepped up, only to see his well-struck spot kick brilliantly saved by the home goalkeeper.
Despite their dominance, Fleet therefore went into the break with nothing to show for their efforts and the game remained goalless.
The Blues came out strongly again after the restart and quickly re-established control, pushing Eversley deeper and continuing to create chances.
The breakthrough finally arrived on the hour mark after an incredible sequence of shots were blocked and saved inside a crowded penalty area. The ball eventually fell to MacAllister, who made no mistake this time, thumping his effort home to give Fleet a thoroughly deserved lead.
Just two minutes later, the advantage was doubled. Ollie Burke delivered a wickedly swinging corner from the right and Liam Gavin rose to meet it, nodding home to make it 2–0 and put the Blues firmly in control.
Cheered on by a crowd made up almost entirely of travelling Fleet supporters, the Blues continued to push forward rather than simply protect their advantage. Connor Holland was pulling the strings in midfield as Fleet produced a superb final 30 minutes and increasingly took the game away from their hosts.
Danylo Hubynets added a third with another excellent Fleet goal before Kevin De Barros completed the scoring in emphatic fashion, smashing his effort into the roof of the net to make it 4–0 and round off an excellent night’s work.
It was a dominant performance from the Blues, particularly after the break, and the perfect response to the disappointment of their FA Cup exit just a few days earlier.
It was also particularly pleasing to see so many young Blues fans enjoying the match during the summer holidays and sharing in the celebrations with the players at the final whistle. The connection between the team and our younger supporters is fantastic to see and a huge part of what this club is all about. The future generation of Blues — hopefully Fleet fans for life!
The three points take Fleet to the top of the Combined Counties Premier Division South and continue a very encouraging start to the league campaign.
