Redbridge 2 Ebbsfleet United 0

Match 25/11/912 - Saturday, 29 October 2011 - FA Cup 4QR

Redbridge (0) 2 Murray 81, Gardner 90
Ebbsfleet United (0) 0
Att. 442

Entrance: £4 Senior Citizen
Programme: £2.00
Mileage: 96/1,661
New Ground: 246

Match Report

With Gillingham and Dorchester far afield and never wanting a blank Saturday, I chose to make my way through the tunnel to “tick off a ground” and take in Ebbsfleet’s FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round visit to Ryman North Redbridge.

Ebbsfleet were firm favourites as the club three levels higher than their hosts but the day eventually bore witness to one of the major shocks of the round.

On any normal Saturday the Oakside Stadium would be accommodating around a 100 spectators, but this was FA Cup day with a place in the First Round Proper at stake. When I arrived at the ground I was met by a couple of stewards informing drivers that the car park was full and the need to find alternative parking, at least this was fairly easily done.

Inside the ground it was clear that the visitors from Kent were going to make up the vast majority of the attendance. Oakside is the kind of ramshackle football ground that shouts “FA Cup shock in waiting”, so those visitors should have been pre-warned.

There is only terracing behind one of the goals so the massed ranks of Ebbsfleet supporters had made it theirs for the day. The little seated area along one side with just four rows of seats was quickly filled. I took my place on the opposite side of the pitch were a low covered standing area has a couple of steps of terracing. The match is played out to the rattle of tube trains arriving at Barkingside Tube Station, behind which the ground is situated.

Ebbsfleet made most of the running in the first half but their efforts foundered on the giant rock of centre back and skipper, Glen Golby, who also possessed a long throw that would have been admired by Rory Delap. Ebbsfleet’s inability to deliver any quality into the penalty area was the largest contributor to the goalless scoreline at the break.

Redbridge took confidence from their first half parity and the difference in divisions became less apparent, if it existed at all. With ten minutes remaining, a cross was lofted into the box and burly centre forward Ryan Murray guided a header past Fleet keeper Preston Edwards. Ebbsfleet mounted a final ten minute challenge to gain an equaliser but were left short at the back in time added on when Joe Gardner got onto the end of a free kick to slot, very coolly given the circumstances, into the bottom corner before rushing to the bench for a mass celebration.

As I walked back to the car, my thoughts turned to tomorrow’s draw and although Redbridge should be routine for a club of Gillingham’s level, perhaps still scarred by last season’s debacle against Dover, I came to the conclusion that I would not really relish a return to the Oakfield Stadium in a couple of weeks’ time.