Hampton & Richmond Borough 0 Ebbsfleet United 2 match report: Substitutes Ben Chapman and Finlay Barnes score in National League South win

Substitutes Ben Chapman and Finlay Barnes were on target as Ebbsfleet left it late to win at lowly Hampton on Saturday.

The Fleet were made to toil for long periods against a defiant Hampton side, who belied their position in National League South.

Ebbsfleet made three changes from the team that beat Folkestone on Tuesday night with Camron Gbadebo, Jake Vokins and Olly Box coming into the starting line-up.

Hampton’s Will De Havilland was booked after just two minutes for a trip on Lennon Peake on the edge of the penalty area, although James Vennings wastefully sent the free-kick well wide.

Peake then saw his 25-yard shot well gathered by keeper Marco Underwood.

Hampton responded as former Fleet man Wes Fonguck saw his low effort saved by Will Buse, who then nearly came unstuck when he came out of his penalty area to save.

On-loan Wealdstone forward Wilson Waweru was tackled by Buse 30 yards from goal and the ball fell to Jasper Mather, whose shot was well blocked by Gbadebo with Buse still out of his goal.

At the other end, Kwesi Appiah’s 20-yard shot was pushed away but the frantic start to the game did not continue.

Both teams cancelled each other out and while Hampton looked to put crosses into the penalty area, Gbadebo and Ronny Nelson stood firm.

Ebbsfleet’s best chance came on the stroke of half-time when Josh Passley broke into the penalty area. He pulled the ball back for Vokins, whose shot beat Underwood but was cleared off the line by the retreating Louis Fernandez.

Gene Kennedy had two long-range attempts as the Fleet tried to find a breakthrough.

The first goal of the contest arrived on 79 minutes when Vokins, the Fleet’s best attacking player, burst down the left wing and set up Appiah, who fed Chapman to