Kent County FA chief executive Paul Dolan has defended the decision to bring forward Ebbsfleet United’s Kent Senior Cup quarter-final at Bromley to later this month after boss Liam Daish criticised the switch.

The tie at Hayes Lane was due to be played on April 5 but has now been brought forward to Thursday, March 24, meaning the Fleet face four games in a week, leaving Daish unable to field a strong side.

Daish is unhappy at the scheduling of fixtures in the competition and says the Fleet have had to play matches on rescheduled dates because opponents were not able or wanting to play on the arranged day.

He cited Maidstone calling off their game because it was too soon after Andy Ford’s appointment.

Daish said: "I feel let down and think it devalues the competition."

But Mr Dolan (pictured) responded: "I understand Liam’s disappointment and frustration as a club manager but I can’t comment on previous rounds as I wasn’t in my post at the time.

"If the quarter-final against Bromley had been in April, we would have had a quarter-final, semi-final and final in three consecutive weeks, which would have caused clubs, including Ebbsfleet, all sorts of fixture problems."

Mr Dolan says he wants to keep a firmer grip on when games are played in earlier rounds and revealed he is looking to bring Charlton, Millwall and Crystal Palace back into the fold to raise the profile of the competition.

Fleet make the long trip to Weston on Saturday before travelling to Welling on Tuesday.

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