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Ebbsfleet United 3 Bath City 1 match report: Dominic Poleon (2) and Darren McQueen score for National League South leaders

Leading scorer Dominic Poleon scored twice as Ebbsfleet made it seven wins in a row on Saturday.

The Fleet sit pretty in National League South after brushing aside a Bath side who started the day in fourth spot and arrived on the back of three successive wins.

Dominic Poleon scores Ebbsfleet's first goal against Bath. Picture: Ed Miller/EUFC
Dominic Poleon scores Ebbsfleet's first goal against Bath. Picture: Ed Miller/EUFC

Ebbsfleet made three changes from the team that defeated Dover on Monday, with Kieran Monlouis, Craig Tanner and Omari Sterling-James all starting.

Sterling-James had an immediate impact, setting up the Fleet’s seventh-minute opener. Bath had enjoyed a comfortable start to the game but skipper Kieran Parselle was dispossessed by Sterling-James and he burst forward before unselfishly squaring for Dominic Poleon to convert his sixth goal of the season.

To their credit, Bath’s gameplan never changed but they had few moments in the final third despite some attractive build-up play.

All the chances were at the other end. Tanner’s cheeky backheel opened up the space for Rakish Bingham but he dragged his shot wide of the far post. Then Bath keeper Joe Wright brilliantly got a fingertip to Tanner’s 30-yard left-foot shot to touch it onto the upright and away for a corner.

Bingham’s dummy allowed him to then be played in by Poleon but Wright was equal to the Fleet striker’s low shot.

Bath did have the ball in the end 10 minutes before the break but play had long been halted when Scott Wilson turned in Cody Cooke’s cross, the latter flagged for offside after collecting Dan Hayfield’s through ball.

Referee Ben Atkinson turned a blind eye to a number of Bath infringements in the first half but made amends straight after the break with two cautions in four minutes.

It was unclear if either the referee or his assistant saw the first, a late challenge by Danny Greenslade on Sterling-James, but the reaction of those around provided a big clue. The second yellow card was handed out to Dan Hayfield for a foul just inside his own half.

Bingham headed wide Luke O’Neill’s cross at the near post, the Fleet striker then failing to connect with Monlouis’ centre when left unmarked eight yards out.

Bath had a goal ruled out on 57 minutes when Cooke headed in after shoving over O’Neill on the edge of the area, the referee correctly spotting the offence despite Bath protests.

The visitors felt hard done by five minutes later as the Fleet took the lead, the official ignoring a challenge on Cooke near halfway and Fleet breaking forward as Monlouis set up Poleon to confidently tuck home from close range.

Bath incensed, their manager Jerry Gill was shown a yellow card for his protests.

The visitors were back in the game with 17 minutes left when Hayfield slammed in from close range to set up an intriguing finale.

But any worries Ebbsfleet had about slipping up ended in the 85th minute when substitute Darren McQueen cut in from the right wing and curled a delightful left-foot finish into the top corner.

Ebbsfleet: Cousins, O'Neill, Solly, Hollis, Sterling-James (McQueen 63mins), N'Guessan, Monlouis, Tanner (Edser 81mins), Cundle, Poleon, Bingham (Coulthirst 71mins). Subs not used: Wright, Jombati.

Bath: Wright, Raynes, Greenslade, Dyer, Parselle, Fletcher, Hayfield (Frear 84mins), Cooke, Lines, Spokes (Smith 68mins), Wilson. Subs not used: Batten, Clarke, Bell.

Referee: Ben Atkinson.

Attendance: 1,289.

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