Ebbsfleet reached the Second Round of the FA Cup for the first time in 19 years on Saturday.

Rakish Bingham scored his second match-winner in the space of four days after Toby Edser’s opener had been cancelled out by a Jamie Cooke stunner.

It was a fifth appearance in six years for Ebbsfleet in the First Round - but they'd never featured in the Second Round since the club changed their name from Gravesend & Northfleet. The Fleet's last time in Round Two was in 2003/04 against Notts County, when they suffered a 2-1 defeat at Stonebridge Road.

Ebbsfleet made two changes from the team that won at Havant in midweek with Edser and Ben Chapman replacing Chris Solly and Kieran Monlouis in midfield.

The game was played at a ferocious pace, with FC Halifax pressing the Fleet in an attempt to prevent them from playing out at the back.

It was the visitors who settled quickest as Rob Harker shot weakly at goal before Fleet keeper Mark Cousins saved at the same player’s feet on 12 minutes. Cooke cleverly played Harker in behind the last defender but Cousins flicked the ball away with his hand and then saved the follow-up cross was his feet.

Within 60 seconds of that vital stop, the Fleet were ahead. Greg Cundle’s run saw him play in Edser, whose deflected shot beat keeper Sam Johnson and went in off the far post.

But the lead last just four minutes as Harvey Gilmour, younger brother of Brighton midfielder Billy, worked his way down the left wing and set up Cooke, who had time and space to pick his spot from 25 yards with a stunning right-foot shot that left Cousins a spectator.

Fleet responded with top scorer Dominic Poleon’s shot deflected behind before Cundle was denied by the legs of Johnson after a flowing move from right to left by the home side.

The rest of the half never really flowed thereafter with referee Ed Duckworth allowing Halifax to break up the play with a string of free-kicks, then standing on the ball and taking any momentum out of play as the hosts wanted a quick restart.

Gilmour headed wide at the far post and Cooke’s shot was well blocked by Luke O’Neill before Halifax’s Jack Senior was booked for a challenge from behind on Poleon just before the break and Fleet’s penalty appeals as Sido Jombati went down in the box were swiftly waved away.

Ebbsfleet came out a few minutes after the visitors for the start of the second half but wasted no time getting into their stride once the game restarted.

Within 24 seconds Poleon shot just wide, Cundle had his effort blocked after another surging run and Omari Sterling-James forced Johnson into a smart save.

But from the resulting 53rd-minute corner, Fleet went ahead when Sterling-James’ corner was headed in at the near post by Bingham.

The visitors did not help their own cause two minutes later when Senior’s trip on Sterling-James was correctly punished with a second yellow card and the visitors had to finish the contest with 10 men.

Tanner’s free-kick went wide and Cundle shot inches past the upright from yards as Fleet looked for a third goal to kill the tie off.

Sterling-James was too hot for the visitors to handle - he had his best game in a Fleet shirt - and he sent a swerving 25-yard shot crashing against the crossbar before Chapman’s chip went wide of the upright.

The chances continued to arrive for Ebbsfleet but Johnson denied both Bingham and Sterling-James, with Fleet making a double change eight minutes from the end in a bid to finish the game off. In the end they succesfully negotiated five minutes of stoppages and take their place in Monday's night Second Round draw.

Ebbsfleet: Cousins, O'Neill, Jombati, Sterling-James (Domi 90mins), Bingham (Coulthirst 82mins), Tanner, Poleon, Cundle (Paxman 87mins), Edser (Romain 82mins), Chapman, Hollis. Subs not used: McQueen, Haigh, Solly, Monlouis.

FC Halifax: Johnson, Golden, Senior, Clarke, Hunter (Warburton 74mins), Stott, Spence, Cooke, Harker (Capello 60mins), Dieseruvwe, Gilmour (Summerfield 86mins). Subs not used: Scott, Alli, Minihan, Furtado.

Referee: Ed Duckworth.

Attendance: 2,099.