Ebbsfleet United 1 Weston-super-Mare 3 match report National League South: Three second-half goals sink Fleet after Charlie Seaman’s opener

Ebbsfleet’s promotion hopes suffered a setback after they conceded three second-half goals on Saturday.

Fellow play-off contenders Weston-super-Mare trailed at the break but netted three times in 16 minutes to leave with three points.

Ebbsfleet made two changes from the side that won 3-2 at Maidenhead on Tuesday night.

Kwesi Appiah and Finlay Barnes came in for top scorer Dominic Samuel and Gene Kennedy.

Weston packed the middle of the pitch in a bid to stifle the Fleet’s flowing football and it worked for long periods of the opening half.

After a scrappy opening, the Fleet nudged ahead on 22 minutes from their second corner in quick succession. Charlie Seaman delivered the ball from the left wing and keeper Max Harris could only watch as it sailed over his head and went straight in at the base of the far post.

Five minutes later, great vision by Barnes spotted Ben Chapman down the left and it needed a timely clearance by Sam Avery to prevent Appiah converting his cross.

Seaman then set up Josh Coley but Avery was again on hand to produce a telling block as he cut inside and fired a shot goalwards.

The first half wasn’t pretty for long periods. Ollie Dewsbury did his best to get a second yellow card for Tom Dallison before the break but thankfully for the Fleet, fussy referee Adam Merchant wasn’t fooled by his antics.

Weston started the second half brightly, finally getting the ball down to play. Mustapha Olagunju did well to block Dewsbury at the near post but the loose ball was then blasted over by George Robesten.

On-loan Bristol Rovers teenager Drewsbury worked his way along the byline but his cross was not touched home, and then his long-range shot went harmlessly over.

It then needed a fine stop from Fleet keeper