Ardley: Magpies were awful
NEAL Ardley slammed Notts County’s defending as ‘horrendous’ after they let the lead slip twice at rock-bottom Ebbsfleet.
Ben Turner and Regan Booty scored their first goals for the club but the visitors could easily have left Kent with nothing.
Fleet were good value for their first point of the season and finished the game pushing for a winner.
“I’m fuming,” said Ardley. “The players are disappointed and so they should be because that was awful.
“I don’t want to be too hard on everybody because we’re all working hard to get it right and the effort was there in tough conditions but we shot ourselves in the foot.
“Game-management was horrendous. We’ve got so many experienced players but how many eight-yard passes did we misplace?
“We looked lethargic and it became a battle and the more likely it then became for them to win the game.
“You look at the two goals and they’re just horrendous.”
County took a 13th-minute lead when Enzio Boldewijn’s cross from the right was headed powerfully beyond debutant Fleet goalkeeper Jordan Holmes by Turner.
Holmes, signed just before the game, replaced Nathan Ashmore, who was left out of the squad on fitness grounds.
The home side responded well to going behind and Josh Umerah stung Sam Slocombe’s palms before scoring a scruffy equaliser in first-half stoppage time.
Jamie Grimes got his head to Aswad Thomas’ long throw and as the Notts defenders dallied, Umerah pounced from a yard out.
Lawrie Wilson almost converted Myles Weston’s cross within a minute of the restart but Boldewijn laid on his second assist of the game moments later with Booty squeezing an effort between Holmes and his near post.
Holmes saved from Wes Thomas as he raced through but once Jim O’Brien had put through his own net to make it 2-2, there was only going to be one winner,
Weston had a shot brilliantly blocked by Damien McCrory and Gozie Ugwu powered a shot just wide as Ebbsfleet showed signs they are on the up.
Fleet boss Garry Hill said: “For entertainment and character shown, coming back twice, some of the football and the chances we created, we thoroughly deserved at least a draw.
“We looked like the side who were really going for it.
“You have to start somewhere and as much as we all want a win, nobody who watched that game could question the commitment or ability on the pitch, of the management team or the supporters.
“It must have been a great game to watch because it was a great game to be on the touchline for.
“We looked nervous early, understandably so, but we got hold of the game.”