Ebbsfleet United manager Harry Watling responds to half-time criticism of Dominic Poleon substitution in 2-2 National League draw with Rochdale

Ebbsfleet manager Harry Watling has set the record straight after making a double substitution at half-time on Saturday.

The Fleet trailed 2-0 to high-flying Rochdale and Watling withdrew top scorer Dominic Poleon and Greg Cundle at the interval.

There was a superfluous amount of abuse directed at Watling prior to the start of the second half but the Fleet boss has confirmed Poleon was taken off due to injury.

“I could have changed everybody,” said Watling. “I hear the groans of the fans when Poleon comes off, one or two individuals behind me told me what they thought.

“But they don’t know what’s going on – Dom came off injured. I wouldn’t be taking our centre-forward off being 2-0 down.

“What I would say is that Rakish Bingham has come on and, not single-handedly, he’s changed the game in terms of giving us something a little bit different up there and then he shows the character to put the equaliser away with the penalty.

“We could have changed everybody but you have to search for a reaction when you’re losing at half-time. All I said to the players was if you get one goal then you will 100 per cent get two.

“I’ve seen enough of Rochdale to know that they are an on-top fighter but when you give them one back on the nose, they’re not so sure.”

And on how Watling will react to the injudicious abuse, the Fleet boss stated: “I don’t take any notice of it.

“Someone giving me a mouthful is not going to make me come in in the morning and work any harder than I am.

“I have so much self-respect in terms of coming in every day at half six in the morning and working my socks off to get us off the ground, which is where we are, that I don’t take any notice of people like that.”

On events on the field, Watling was furious with his