"They will fancy their chances of progressing" - Ebbsfleet United v FC Halifax Town: Opposition Focus

We spoke to Matthew Panting from Kent Online for the lowdown on FC Halifax Town’s opponents on Saturday.
Ebbsfleet's Dom PoleonEbbsfleet's Dom Poleon
Ebbsfleet's Dom Poleon

What kind of form to Ebbsfleet come into the game in?

Ebbsfleet remain the only unbeaten professional side in English football in all competitions. They’ve won all three FA Cup ties this season, and lead the way in National League South with 12 wins and three draws, including a 1-0 success at Havant on Wednesday night. That was a second v third contest but was effectively a first v second contest given the way the season has shaped up so confidence will be sky-high after that result.

Things seem to be going really well for the club this season, what do you put that down to?

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The Fleet have enjoyed great continuity in recent season. They’ve appointed Dennis Kutrieb as manager, and have stuck by him. Recruitment has improved year-on-year, the core of the squad stuck together after last season’s play-off final defeat and they are all well drilled on how the manager wants them to play. Kutrieb is an astute manager who seems to get the best out of his players and sticks to his principles of how he wants the game to be played.

What's the team's style of play, what can Halifax expect to come up against?

It’s very much a possession-based approach from Ebbsfleet. Very rarely do they go route one, they like to pass the ball out from the back. That said, they are now scoring more goals from set-pieces and, as the midweek win at Havant showed, they can mix it with the division’s more physical sides now.

Who will be your dangermen and why?

The obvious answer is leading scorer Dominic Poleon but you can’t under-estimate the role of strike partner Rakish Bingham. He scored a late winner at Havant in midweek and is the talisman of the side. Boss Dennis Kutrieb rates him highly, in terms of his work ethic and attitude but also the qualities he brings to the team. Add in a speedy and scoring forward like Poleon and you can see why they are so good as a front pair.

How do you think they will approach Saturday's game?

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Nothing will change for the Fleet. They will try to play their usual game and hope to progress at the expense of higher-league opponents. They reached the First Round last season before bowing out at League 2 Leyton Orient despite putting in a good display. This time with home advantage they will fancy their chances of progressing.

Injuries/suspensions?

Former Football League players Josh Wright and Joe Martin have both been absent in recent weeks due to injury so we’re not expecting them to be involved. But Ebbsfleet have got a big squad so boss Dennis Kutrieb has plenty of options.

Likely line-up and formation?

Ebbsfleet like to set up with three at the back. They played their strongest available side at Havant on Wednesday night so you can’t expect too many changes from that unless the manager has one eye on their next league game on Tuesday night. Kieran Monlouis has just returned from injury so he may drop out with Toby Edser coming in while Chris Solly, who played in midfield in midweek, may revert to a defensive role:

Line-up: Cousins, O’Neill, Hollis, Jombati, Sterling-James, Edser, Solly, Tanner, Cundle, Poleon, Bingham.

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How many fans do you expect will attend the game, and what would it mean to the club for them to get through to the next round?

Crowds have been on the increase but no doubt the train strike will impact away supporters making the trip down to Kent. Fleet were happy with just over 1,300 in the Fourth Qualifying Round against Step 4 Sevenoaks so they’ll be happy to nudge past that figure in the first round this weekend.

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