Chelmsford City 0 Ebbsfleet United 1 match report: Dominic Samuel scores winner in National League South

Ebbsfleet completed the double over Chelmsford in National League South on Saturday.

A scrappy first-half goal from Dominic Samuel proved the difference between the sides but it was an accomplished away display by Josh Wright’s side who thoroughly deserved the three points.

Ebbsfleet made five changes from the side that beat Braintree in the FA Trophy last weekend.

They settled quickly and Mustapha Olagunju shot over under pressure before the visitors hit the post after just seven minutes. A left-wing corner by Lennon Peake was only punched as far as Josh Coley by former Fleet keeper Chris Haigh but the Fleet forward saw his snapshot come crashing back off the post.

As an attacking force, Chelmsford offered little early on with some excellent defending from Jake Hessenthaler clearing a dangerous Lyle Taylor centre.

Fleet centre-back Tom Dallison was booked for a stray arm on Jason Adigun with the hosts calling for a red card from referee Harry Jones.

The closest the home side came was on 31 minutes when Taylor’s free-kick was headed goalwards by David Longe-King but Fleet keeper Matt Hall tipped the ball over the bar.

Ebbsfleet went ahead on 37 minutes with a helping hand from Haigh. On-loan Ipswich debutant Abube Onuchukwu sliced his clearance high and back underneath his own crossbar from the edge of the box where Haigh, under pressure from Charlie Seaman, failed to gather and the ball fell perfectly for Dominic Samuel to turn home.

It could have got even better in first-half stoppage-time but two excellent pieces of defending from Chelmsford denied first Seaman’s low shot and then Samuel’s curling effort from the edge of the box.

Peake’s inswinging corners were causing problems for keeper Haigh, with the Fleet nearly