MANCINI GIVES KEV A PERFECT PLATFORM
ANTHONY Mancini’s stunning second-half winner handed watching new Hartlepool United head coach Kevin Phillips the perfect boost.
The 22-year-old midfielder has missed a large chunk of the campaign with a hamstring injury but he stamped his mark on a game otherwise bereft of quality with a brilliant strike from 30 yards that went in off the crossbar.
It was enough to give Hartlepool maximum points and the clean sheet, in particular, delighted caretaker manager Lennie Lawrence.
“We needed a bit of magic from Anthony to get the goal but there was no way we deserved anything other than that result,” said Lawrence.
“We worked very hard in the week on a gameplan and the things we needed to do to get a result and the players stuck to the plan very well.
“We controlled most of the game, the last 10-15 minutes we had our backs to the wall and that’s when I was looking to see if we were doing the right things defensively. There was a desire to keep the ball out of our net.
“It was a good performance defensively from everybody and they got the right reward for it. We controlled most of the game and it would have been an injustice if we hadn’t won.”
It was only Hartlepool’s second clean sheet of the season in the league – and their first since September 23, a run of 17 matches without one.
No other team in the division has conceded more goals than either Ebbsfleet or Hartlepool so, perhaps not surprisingly, both sides were set up more to prevent chances than create them and there were only six shots on target.
Hartlepool settled quickest with Mancini dragging his shot wide on eight minutes after a misplaced clearance by
Fleet debutant centre-back Declan Skura, on loan from Wycombe.
The visitors’ best chance of the first half fell to Joe Grey after Luke Hendrie’s through ball but Fleet keeper Mark Cousins saved well at his near post.
Ebbsfleet rallied just before the break with Billy Clifford shooting at Joel Dixon from distance before Darren McQueen forced the visiting keeper to turn aside his left-foot shot moments later.
The second half was devoid of many chances but came to life when Clifford was caught on the ball in midfield and Mancini made the hosts pay in spectacular style.
Substitute Omari Sterling-James looked lively for the home side when introduced but a late free-kick went into the defensive wall and Craig Tanner shot over from distance as they never looked like getting back on level terms.
“The defensive display was all right but we need to make sure we have more intent going forward,” admitted Fleet boss Dennis Kutrieb, whose side remain in the bottom four.