Match report: Fleet Town 2-1 Epsom & Ewell

Fleet Town started this season’s Combined Counties League campaign against newly promoted Epsom & Ewell, hoping for the same result as E&E’s last visit twenty years ago in the FA Cup, when Fleet Town won 1-0. It only took six minutes for Fleet Town to take the lead when Naz Miah won the ball in midfield from a visitor’s clearance, he ran forward with the ball and played the ball into Connor Young, who slotted the ball home past Harvey Keogh in the Epsom goal.

Fleet had the chance to double their lead a minute later when Fareed Hakeem-Habeeb crossed the ball towards Sam Marks, who could only touch the ball wide. Chances came and went for both sides, Sam marks had a shot tipped over by Keogh for a Fleet corner, Edwards had an opening for Epsom but he shot just over the bar and Negassi brought a fine save out of Roan Strong on his debut in the Fleet goal after winning the ball from Onome Emovon inside the area.

Keogh was soon in action at the other end when Fareed ran down the right and crossed to Connor Young, his shot bringing the save from Keogh. Late in the first half Epsom were given a free kick on the by-line, taken by Edwards the ball was lifted towards the far post the ball reached the head of Thompson and under pressure just got the ball between Strong and the post for the equaliser. The game reached half time level.

As both sides made changes early in the second half, the game settled into a midfield battle with few clear chances until the last quarter of an hour. After eighty minutes Epsom’s Nelson-Roberts hit a dangerous cross into the Fleet box, but the ball passed all the way through without any of the waiting attackers able to get a touch on the ball.

For a few minutes around the 90 minute mark, Epsom piled the pressure on Fleet as they went for a winner, peppering the Fleet goal they won a string of corners and brought more saves out of Strong, but Fleet were able to keep them out and then got a chance of their own, in the sixth minute of added time Mohamed Konte had a shot which took a wicked deflection off an Epsom defender into the net to put Fleet back into the lead. There was still time for the visitors to threaten to score an equaliser, throwing everyone forward a total scramble in the Fleet box saw Epsom fire shot after shot at the goal, everything getting blocked or cleared off the line, eventually the final whistle blew and Fleet had survived to complete the first day win, which in a slightly meaningless table has Fleet Town in 4th place, which would be a play off position come the end of the season.

FLEET TOWN

1 Roan Strong, 2 Rayon Atkinson, 3 Callum Mackie, 4 Luke Trice, 5 James Gorman, 6 Alvin Walters, 7 Fareed Hakeem-Habeeb, 8 Naz Miah, 10 Connor Young, 11 Sam Marks, 18 Onome Enovon.

SUBS

12 Mohamed Konte (on for Trice 54 mins), 14 Jeremiah Achina (on for Miah 62 mins), 15 George Mackie (on for Callum Mackie 77 mins), 16 Joshua Nunes (on for Walters 85 mins), 17 Mohamed Amghar.