Ebbsfleet United boss Daryl McMahon on the 1-1 draw at Maidenhead United
Published: 08:45, 20 August 2017
Daryl McMahon felt conditions dictated in Ebbsfleet's draw at Maidenhead on Saturday.
Fleet kicked up the slope into a strong wind in the first half on a pitch which looked like it needed a good mow.
They trailed 1-0 at the break but, with the breeze at their backs, pushed the Magpies back in the second half and could have gone on to win after equalising through Luke Coulson.
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Asked if he was happy to come away with a draw, McMahon said: "The way the game went, yes.
"It was super windy, the grass is very long and it didn’t play into our style in terms of trying to play quick football and (we played up) the hill as well, in the first half.
"In the first half it was tough for us to get out and in the second half it was tough for them to get out. It was definitely a game of two halves probably because of the conditions.
"It’s a good paint gained for us."
Maidenhead took the lead on 26 minutes after Fleet left-back Jack Connors had conceded a corner. The set-piece was only half-cleared and Harry Pritchard's next delivery swirled all the way in.
"He didn’t mean it," McMahon said. "It was a cross that went in with the wind.
"We could have avoided the corner - JC could have got it out of his feet and cleared it instead of cutting back inside on his right foot which gave the corner away. We defended it all right, it’s just one of those things that it goes in.
"They nearly got another one second half where the lad’s crossed it and it gets a cheer where it nearly goes in but they’re crosses really. Other than that I thought we defended quite well."
The key moment came just three minutes after the goal when Maidenhead almost when 2-0 up. Nathan Ashmore saved from Sean Marks and somehow kept out Jake Goodman's follow-up as well when the centre-half looked certain to convert the rebound.
"It was a terrific save," McMahon said. "Ash does his job properly.
"We know we’ve got a good goalie so we can be a little bit more open and attacking. A lot of teams might set up more defensively than we do because we know we’ve got a goalie that can make saves like that.
"But we’ve got to do better with the ball, especially second half.
"We had a great opportunity on the counter-attack when it was 3 v 1 and we lose it and let them back on the counter-attack. We should be more ruthless and kill them off."
Ebbsfleet host Bromley in the Kent Senior Cup second round on Tuesday night.
Their next game in the National League is at home to Gateshead on Saturday.
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