Ebbsfleet United v Havant and Waterlooville; The season opener

It's that time again. Everybody believes their team can get off to a perfect start as they believe it's “their season”. That's right; it's the start of the Conference South season for 2013/14! It's been a long summer for the Fleet, but a pleasantly enjoyable one as they've finally got rid of the majority of problems that surrounded the Club!

Pre-season has gone well for the Kent outfit, but it's now time for the proper football to begin. It's a new era at Stonebridge Road, and I can't think of a better way to begin than with a win. Saturday's visitors are Hampshire based Havant and Waterlooville, the Club made famous for a remarkable run in the FA Cup which ended with them scoring two goals at Anfield, the home of Liverpool FC.

Let's take a look at our visitors...

Havant and Waterlooville FC

Founded – 1998

Nickname – The Hawks

Stadium – West Leigh Park 

Manager – Lee Bradbury

Captain – Ed Harris

Last season's finish - 10^th

Havant and Waterlooville were founded in 1998 after a merger between Havant Town, and Waterlooville. They played at Havant Town's West Leigh Park and enjoyed success in their very first season as they won the Southern League Southern Division under the guidance of former Portsmouth defender Billy Gilbert.

In April 2000, Mick Jenkins and Liam Daish were appointed as joint managers and enjoyed a little bit of success in their near four year stint. The pair lead them to the FA Cup first round proper on two occasions, losing to Southport (00-01) and Dagenham and Redbridge (02-03), and they had an FA Trophy run in which they lost in the semi-finals to Tamworth. That was the 02-03 season also.

Daish and Jenkins were sacked in January 2004 after a poor start to the season. The Club recovered and finished 12^th, and qualified for the re-structured Conference South, where they've been ever since.

As mentioned briefly above, the Hawks were made famous for a delightful FA Cup run in 2007-08 in which they got to the fourth round proper of the competition. Shaun Gale replaced the departing Ian Baird as manager in October and masterminded Havant to the greatest day in their short History. After victories against Bognor Regis Town, Fleet Town, Leighton Town, York City and Notts County, they were drawn away to League One Swansea City in round three. After a 1-1 draw at the Liberty Stadium, the Hawks beat the Swans 4-2 in a replay at West Leigh Park, in front of a record 4,400 spectators. They were handed a dream tie in round four, as they were drawn against Premier League giants Liverpool, at Anfield. Despite twice taking the lead, the Hawks suffered a 5-2 loss at the hands of their opponents. Not only had they won the hearts of non-league fans around the country, but football-league fans also stood up and took note. On-loan midfielder Alfie Potter managed to get the “Player of the Round” for the fourth round.

Lee Bradbury was appointed manager in October 2012.

The Squad

Goalkeepers – Scott Bevan, Charlie Searle.

Defenders – Danny Blanchett, Ed Harris, Pedro Monteiro, Jake Newton, Joe Noakes, Dan Strugnell, Ryan Woodford.

Midfielders – Nic Ciardini, Eddie Hutchinson, Christian Nanetti, Steve Ramsey, Perry Ryan, Harry Wedlake, Jesse Kewley-Graham (on loan from Wycombe).

Attackers – Dennis Oli, Scott Jones, Sahr Kabba, Alex Prezespolewi.

Pre-season

Havant 0-1 Wycombe Wanderers

Havant 0-5 Portsmouth

Havant 1-0 Salisbury City (Woodford)

Havant 0-3 Newport County

Havant 6-1 Fareham Town (Palmer x2, Nanetti x2, Kabba, Prezespolewsi)

Bognor Regis Town 2-5 Havant (Palmer x2, Nanetti, Kabba, Monteiro)

Bashley 0-2 Havant (Newton, Nanetti)

Havant 3-4 Charlton Athletic XI (Kabba, Oli, OG)

Form – LLWLWWWL

A mixed bag for Havant in pre-season; four wins, four losses. The Hawks avoided losses against sides lower ranked than them and picked up an impressive victory against Skrill Premier side Salisbury. The major blow in pre-season was undoubtedly losing top scorer Ollie Palmer to League Two new boys Mansfield Town. Bradbury has done his best to replace him and it looks as though he's picked up an adequate replacement in Dennis Oli. He may not get the same amount of goals, but with Kabba stepping up to the plate, Oli could prove vital.

Key players

Should he play, Sahr Kabba will pose the Fleet the most problems in the upcoming match. The young striker has had problems with injury in the past but it looks as though he's past them. He picked up 11 goals last season and will be looking to expand on that as he attempts to follow Ollie Palmer into the Football-League.

Kabba's link up play with new signing Dennis Oli will be vital if they're to come away with anything, and Italian Christian Nanetti will be an asset for Havant driving forward. He's got extremely quick feet and will look to exploit the Fleet defence at every opportunity.

Team News

Havant will be without Perry Ryan who faces a two match suspension. Goalkeeper Scott Bevan was not present at their last pre-season game, but should feature. Jesse Kewley-Graham returns in midfield for a second loan spell from Wycombe.

Previous opening day matches -

Havant and Waterlooville 1-1 Chelmsford City – 2012/13

Boreham Wood 0-1 Havant and Waterlooville – 2011/12

Dartford 2-2 Havant and Waterlooville – 2010/11

Havant and Waterlooville 1-1 Thurrock – 2009/10

St Albans City 1-1 Havant and Waterlooville – 2008/09

Havant and Waterlooville 0-0 Braintree Town – 2007/08

Havant and Waterlooville 2-3 Cambridge City – 2006/07

Weymouth 1-0 Havant and Waterlooville – 2005/06

Havant and Waterlooville 1-0 Newport County – 2004/05

The Hawks' opening day record is just as bad as the Fleet's! Since their first season at this level (2004/05), they have record just two wins; a 1-0 victory at home to Newport County in that first season and a 1-0 victory away at Boreham Wood in 2011.

Now let's take a look at the Fleet...

The squad

Goalkeepers – Preston Edwards, Brendon Hall.

Defenders – Osei Sankofa, Aiden Palmer, Joe Howe, Shane Huke, Paul Lorraine.

Midfielders – Michael Corcoran, Stacy Long, Dean Rance, Tom Phipp, Daryl McMahon, Anthony Cook.

Strikers – Ben May, Billy Bricknell, Michael Thalassitis (on loan from Stevenage).

Pre-season

Thamesmead Town 1-5 Ebbsfleet (May x2, Long x2, Rance)

Maidstone United 3-0 Ebbsfleet

Dartford 1-1 Ebbsfleet (Bricknell)

Ebbsfleet 2-1 Charlton Athletic XI (Bricknell, Howe)

Ebbsfleet 2-0 Gillingham XI (Thalassitis, Bricknell)

Ebbsfleet 3-1 Erith and Belvedere (Bricknell x2, Cook)

Ebbsfleet 3-0 Brighton and Hove Albion XI (Bricknell x3)

Form – WLDWWWW

A good set of pre-season results for the Fleet, which included four home wins from four. Striker Billy Bricknell has been on excellent form and will look to continue that into the season. The main sour point will be the disappointing performance at Maidstone, although they soon got over that going five unbeaten, including those four home wins. Charlton Athletic brought a fairly strong side down which included several first-team players, and the Fleet put in an excellent performance as they ran out 2-1 winners.

Key players – The Fleet will certainly look to Billy Bricknell in this match. I must admit I was a little underwhelmed by the signing at first, but he's proved a revelation so far, scoring eight goals in seven matches this pre-season and linking up brilliantly with all three of his strike partners. If he carries this form into the season then the Fleet have an excellent striker on their hands.

Anthony Cook will be vital too. The former Chelmsford winger spent several weeks on trial at League One Colchester but when that didn't work out, Brown was quick to snap up his man. The youngster, who turned 24 last Saturday, has shown passion at Stonebridge Road that has been missing for the past few years and he's naturally a good winger. Quick, can beat a man and can also contribute to the goals and assists columns. I'm expecting big things from him this season.

Team news – The Fleet look set to be without Daryl McMahon, who was sent off in Dover's play-off final defeat to Salisbury last season. Ben May (back) could miss out through injury, but Michael Thalassitis should return from Cyprus U21 duties. Steve Brown is said to be 'confident' with most of the players' fitness levels. There will be a host of new signings making their competitive debut for the Fleet.

Previous opening day matches -

Nuneaton Town 4-5 Ebbsfleet United – 2012/13

Ebbsfleet United 1-2 York City – 2011/12

Ebbsfleet United 1-2 Maidenhead United – 2010/11

Altrincham 1-1 Ebbsfleet United – 2009/10

Ebbsfleet United 2-2 Mansfield Town – 2008/09

Ebbsfleet United 2-1 Northwich Victoria – 2007/08

In the last ten years, the Fleet have won only two of their opening day fixtures. A 2-1 victory at home to Northwich in 2007 and a 5-4 victory away at Nuneaton last season. The last time the Fleet were at this level, they suffered a home defeat to nine-men Maidenhead.

Key battle

I feel the biggest battle will be Paul Lorraine v Kabba. Despite the striker having better pace, Lorraine's dominance in the air and in the challenge could prove vital. The defender appears to have a new lease of life this season, which can only be a positive for the Fleet!

Connected to both – Look no further than Mr. Liam Daish. Considered a legend by all associated with the Fleet, he was also manager, albeit joint, at Havant and Waterlooville from 2000 – 2004 alongside Mick Jenkins. The pair guided them to the FA Cup first round proper twice and a brilliant FA Trophy semi-final. Despite two relegations at the Fleet, Daish has kept them up more times than we thought was possible. In 2008, he masterminded the boys in red to a brilliant victory at Wembley in the FA Trophy final. The Fleet were underdogs going into the match against Torquay United but a determined Chris McPhee grabbed the only goal of the game on the stroke of half-time. After relegation the first time in 2009-10, Daish built a squad the next season and won promotion straight back to the Premier. Steve Brown will be hoping he can do that this season.

Previous matches – Havant and Waterlooville have only been a Club since 1998, and the two Clubs have only met competitively three times. The Fleet lead the head-to-head 3-0.

Havant and Waterlooville 1-2 Gravesend and Northfleet – FA Trophy - 16.12.06

Havant and Waterlooville 2-3 Ebbsfleet United – Blue Square Bet South - 12.02.11

Ebbsfleet United 2-1 Havant and Waterlooville – Blue Square Bet South - 12.03.11

Memory match – Havant and Waterlooville 2-3 Ebbsfleet United.

Liam Daish celebrated exactly six years in charge of the Fleet with a precious three points at West Leigh Park. A goal in the last ten minutes from Ricky Shakes gave the Fleet a vital three points in Hampshire after Havant had twice drawn level through Joe Keehan and former Fleet loanee Giuseppe Sole. Ashley Carew gave the Fleet the lead as early as the fourth minute and a header in the season half from captain Paul Lorraine gave the Fleet the lead for the second time in the match. Shakes' late goal left the travelling fans delighted.

Attendance: 857.

Terrace talk -

It's been a long time since the Fleet have played in a League match, and since then there's been a huge change around the Club. From players, to day-to-day staff. One of the few 'constants' at the Club have been Ed Miller (WebEd to most!) who is still here continuing his fine work with the website. Here are his thoughts about the Summer at Stonebridge Road, and his thoughts on the game and season.

“From rust to red and from administration to anticipation, it's been the full gamut of emotions for Fleet fans. Was it really only a few months ago the MyFC Out chants coincided with relegation and defeat at home to Telford? Were we really contemplating life in the Kent League or as part of the revolutionary plans of Spanish entrepreneur Carlos?

And when those ideas appeared to be based on the flimsiest of business plans, were we really looking at locking the doors on Stonebridge Road and finding something else to do with our Saturday afternoons?

Fast forward a few weeks and with KEH and Peter Varney having ridden over the hill like an army lifting a long and weary siege, the picture is much different. So different, in fact, that Fleet fans will return to an entirely new club. Oh it's still our club, of course, and I'm sure our Saturdays won't be vastly dissimilar to previous seasons - but the apparatus of the club, its ambitions and its business goals are like nothing we have experienced before.

The lack of a Liam Daish in the dugout is just one change - fortunately some continuity in the signings of Paul Lorraine, Preston Edwards, Joe Howe and Tom Phipp give us some link to the past until we get used to the new lads.

Speaking of which… all the talk of course has been of the swoop on Dover. To believe a pocket of their fans, McMahon is past it, Bricknell blows hot and cold, May's OK, Huke is terrible, Corcoran too, Rance ain't bad and Sessegnon won't be missed. Well, we'll be the judge of that.

The war of words between the clubs will come to a head within a week of the season starting and it's probably just as well to get it out of the way early on. I can understand the bad feeling from Dover fans, but the constant sniping is a bit much - given the players were out of contract - bar McMahon - and we paid them well for him (as indeed did they when they nabbed him from Eastleigh).

With the shoe on the other foot, Craig Stone had been spoken to by Chris Kinnear very soon after the end of last season. Tommy Murphy was under contract at Margate before being approached by Dover to reunite with his former manager, as was Dan Stubbs who trialled at Dover. Elliot Charles could rejoin the Whites, too, despite Eastbourne wanting to keep hold of him. All of which is completely fine and above board on Dover's part, but I fail to see quite how we're the bad boys behaviour-wise in all this.

Back to our squad and the wonder of Stacy Long's capture needs no words, we know what our four players of old can do, Aiden Palmer is highly thought of, Michael Thalassitis has scored goals at this level while Dominic Green - should he sign - and Anthony Cook have both impressed in friendlies.

So expectation is naturally high. I'm keeping my feet on the ground but it will be hard not to contemplate a challenge for promotion. Fleet fans probably also have raised expectations as we went up at the first time of asking in 2011 - whereas Chelmsford and Dover fans have had successive years of near misses. The play-offs will do for starters (unless we lose in them!), but equally I'm not counting my chickens with the likes of Eastleigh, Sutton, Whitehawk and more very much in the running.

Looking ahead to the season curtain-opener, I can't really recall a Fleet side ever really turning it on so early in a campaign. One only has to remember the Maidenhead game last time we were at this level to recall what a damp squib opening day can be.

So for once, I'm praying for a morale-boosting, impetus-building and convincing win for the Fleet. But Havant are no mugs, and indeed are many people's bets for sneaking into the play-offs. With McMahon suspended, the midfield is likely to line up with Cook, Rance, Long and possibly Phipp - unless Green is signed. If he does, that will be some selection headache for Steve Brown, with the returning McMahon and Chris Sessegnon to consider as well.

I can see it going one of two ways - the good feeling around the club and hopefully a higher than usual crowd will keep the Fleet ship buoyant and end in a decent win - or it all goes belly up! New club or not, that's the way we do things: the Fleet way! That said, I'm going for a 3-1 win with Billy Bricknell grabbing at least two of those - if for no other reason than pictures of him will then fill the entire front page of the website!”

I spoke with Fabio, an Italian born Havant fan who was happy to answer some questions that I had for him.

Havant and Waterlooville are a relatively new Club in the Football pyramid. What are your top three moments supporting the Hawks?

Well, for sure the best moment was our FA Cup run during the 2007/2008 season. We won against York City and Swansea City and we had the chance to play against Liverpool away. It was great to see the name of my team on all the most important sport newspapers of England!

Another moment I remember was the first season of Havant and Waterlooville FC (1998/1999). That was a complete surprise for all fans to see the Hawks have an impressive first season. I remember we won seven out of seven matches in February, keeping seven clean sheers in the process. The staff and fans were amazed.

Finally, I love to remember when I bought my first H & W shirt from the Club Shop. I was just a child but everyone has been so cheerful and kind with me that I felt like I was in a family. That's why I love the Hawks; we're one big family!

The Hawks are quite often tipped to be 'there or thereabouts' by most, but never quite seem to live up to that potential. Why do you think that is?

I don't know why. We're always close to the goal but we don't often reach it. I think the team and staff are always well organised and prepared for what's going to happen, but bad luck and some mistakes are always ready to come on our path. It's just a matter of time and the Hawks will demonstrate how far they can go and how much time they can stay at the top. Football is a funny old game, you know.

This coming season is shaping up to be one of the best for a while. Who are your picks for promotion, and how do you think Havant will fare? Which of your players are you expecting the most from?

I agree with you that we're going to see one of the best seasons in recent years. My picks for promotion would be Dover Athletic and Eastleigh, but I think there will be a wild fight to be in the play-offs between teams like the Fleet, Havant and Waterlooville, Sutton United and Boreham Wood. I'm also curious to see what Gosport and Whitehawk will do this season because they both have a strong team. As I said, I think Havant will try to catch the play-offs but it will be tough for sure after the departures of Ollie Palmer [to Mansfield] and Clark Masters [GK – to Tonbridge]. Our replacements [Dennis Oli and Scott Bevan] are good, but in my opinion they may not be good enough. I expect a great season from [Sahr] Kabba who has to add some goals to last season's tally. [Christian] Nanetti and [Steve] Ramsey too, who last year had a great first half of the season, but couldn't quite live up to that towards the end.

Onto the match. Opening game of the season, how do you think it will pan out?

Well, it will be a lively game for sure! I think both teams will play hard to gain the three points and I really have no idea who will win them! I followed Ebbsfleet's pre-season and I'm sure your team did very well. If I had to predict a score, I would say 2-1 win for the Hawks. I hope!

Fellow Havant fan Rich also pitched in with his thoughts:

Although the Hawks are relatively new to the pyramid as a combined team, if you can call 15 years new, the two previous teams that merged to form the side (Havant Town and Waterlooville) have been knocking about in the non-league considerably longer than that.

My top three moments supporting the Hawks would have to include the FA Cup run in 2007/08 that saw us beat Notts County and Swansea City before going to Anfield to take on Liverpool. We lead twice in that match in front of more than 42,000 fans, 6000 of which were ours, before losing 5-2. Many fans wouldn’t cite that trip as the highlight of the run though. Many would point at the 87th minute goal at Notts County that saw us beat a league side for the first time (1-0), or the astonishing show we put on at home in the third round replay where we completely outplayed Swansea, who were top of League One at the time, and beat them 4-2.

Beyond that, I think my personal high points come from the times when you feel like the club has accomplished something new. Moments like beating Forest Green Rovers in the quarter finals of the FA Trophy in 2003. It was the first time we’d beaten a Conference side and that carried a huge prestige for us.

But for sheer excitement I don’t think you can beat the bizarre series of events that saw us survive relegation at the end of the 2011/12 season. It had been an abysmal year that saw the manager of the time sacked and fans so despondent it felt like going down was the only way to regroup and start again. We were safe then down several times as scores changed through the final match of the season, until the final nail in the coffin seemed to have come in the 92nd minute of our match when we learned Maidenhead had scored in theirs, which meant they would stay up and we wouldn’t. We had a minute of injury time left to score a goal and win our game – a totally improbable proposition – until Joe Dolan poked the ball home with virtually the last kick of the game. It was his only goal for us, and he left the club very shortly afterwards, but the way Westleigh Park exploded when the ball went in showed how despite the season of torture we’d endured, the passion for the club was still there.

I wouldn’t like to pick anyone for promotion this year as it seems so tight. If you’re looking at a queue of also-rans from the last few seasons who are slowly rising to the top, I’d say Chelmsford and Dover are strong sides, but I’m sure Ebbsfleet will be in the mix too.

As for us, last season we had a very strong finish and at times topped the form tables in the spring. I think if we’d had Lee Bradbury in the manager’s role from the start we may even have made the playoffs, but there was a fair mess to sort out before he could really get going. We’ve taken a knock in losing Ollie Palmer, our top scorer from last season and also the Conference South Player of the Season. He recently moved on to league football with Mansfield Town, but he does leave a large hole for our front line to fill. The team are upbeat and confident though, and I’m sure if you asked the board they’d be hopeful of a play-off place, but realistically my hopes for the season are to enjoy one where we aren’t in the kind of turmoil we’ve suffered for the few years up to Bradbury’s arrival. To see the team continue to be able to compete with the league’s best and put in respectable performances would be enough. Many times in recent years fans have asked for the simple pleasure of watching us play well, and we finally got that around about February, so if we go on like that I’ll be happy. And if a play-off place comes from that, then all the better.

As for the players, as a fan you always want to know what the new signings are going to bring to the side, so I’d like to see the bigger names we’ve drawn in like Daniel Blanchett and Nic Ciardini. Dan Strugnell will also be a name to look out for, we had him on loan from Bournemouth last season and were expecting to lose him back to the side because he was a real eye opener, but when push came to shove with offers from us and the Cherries on the table he opted to join us. Beyond that, I would like to see who is going to step up to the plate from our front line to fill the very big shoes Ollie Palmer has left.

I think the game against Ebbsfleet will be a tight one. Excepting the last game against Salisbury last season, we had become a tight defensive unit against the better sides away from home and recorded some good results. Lee Bradbury is really proving that he can adapt his game to suit needs as they arise too, so although Ebbsfleet will certainly want to prove themselves quickly and send a message to the league, I’d expect them to find it hard to break us down and I can see 1-1 being a possible score.

For those attending the match this Saturday (August 10), admission prices are as follows:

Adults - £10

Concession (Students, OAPs) - £8

Under 16s - £5

Under 12s – FREE with an adult.

If you are unable to attend the game, then you can follow @EUFCofficial and @HavantWvilleFC for live match updates.

Enjoy the game.