Ebbsfleet boss Josh Wright reacts to "absolute sickener" following Hartlepool United defeat
Ebbsfleet United manager Josh Wright described Saturday's agonising late defeat to Hartlepool United as an "absolute sickener".
The odds were stacked against the Fleet, who were relegated last month and arrived at the Prestige Group Stadium having lost 14 and drawn six of their 20 National League away games. To make matters worse, Ebbsfleet were beaten by National League South strugglers Welling United in the Kent Senior Cup in midweek and sustained a number of serious injuries. Their squad was so thin that Wright came out of retirement to name himself on the bench; even then, the Fleet were still only able to muster five substitutes, including back-up goalkeeper Felix Goddard.
Despite that, the Kent side gave a good account of themselves and were unfortunate not to come away with at least a point after Sam Folarin's 94th minute winner secured Pools a third successive victory to move them within six points of the play-off places. Having gone behind to a sumptuous strike from Reyes Cleary, who scored his fourth goal in five games, the visitors hit back through Maxx Manktelow, who blasted home his first senior goal six minutes into the second half. Pools restored their lead through Mani Dieseruvwe but Ebbsfleet pegged them back again 17 minutes from time when Aaron Cosgrave latched onto substitute Callum Harriott's through ball and rounded the onrushing Adam Smith to score for the third time in as many games. With the Fleet on the brink of what Wright suggested would have been their best point since he replaced Harry Watling in December, they were cruelly denied when Reyes Cleary's cross cannoned off two defenders and onto the head of Sam Folarin, who nodded in his first Pools goal, looping a last gasp effort over the despairing Mark Cousins.
There was a controversial moment in the second half when Tom Parkes appeared to handle the ball in his own area, only for referee John Mulligan to award the home side a free-kick. Had the man in the middle spotted the incident, he would have had no choice but to award the visitors a penalty and give Parkes, who looked to have collapsed on top of the ball before shielding it with his hands, his marching orders.
In spite of the bitter disappointment, Wright told Ebbsfleet's official club website he was proud of his side's spirited performance.
"I thought the performance, barring maybe the first five or 10 minutes when we had to dig in a little bit, was outstanding," he said.
"Given the circumstances of this week, the setback and the disappointment of Wednesday night, coming out of that with five severe injuries, major injuries, left us with the bare bones. We had bodies that probably shouldn't have even been involved, I named myself on the bench for an emergency.
"The boys were two minutes away from possibly the best point since I've been in charge - and possibly even all season. The miles they've put in, the bodies they've put on the line, to stand up to such a direct, big and physical side. Probably, for the majority - or certainly large spells of the game - to be the better side and the team that looked like they were going to win it, or should have won it. To come out with such a cruel moment at the end is an absolute sickener - it's an absolute sickener. The boys didn't deserve that, the 53 incredible fans that travelled up on the bus didn't deserve that. It probably should have been the other way round and we got the late winner, or at minimum taken a draw out of the game. I'm absolutely gutted, but at the same time I'm so, so proud of that performance because the boys, each and every single one of them, were absolutely superb.
"I don't like speaking about it but I want to say that from what I've seen, from what I know and from what I've been told, at 2-1 it's a blatant penalty to us. I just want to get this on the record, it's a penalty to us and it's a red card to them. The defender's got hold of the ball and hooked it away with his hand and we all know the rules. That's gutting because it's a massive game changer."