Home   Gravesend   Sport   Article

Ebbsfleet United boss Daryl McMahon on the 3-3 draw at Dagenham & Redbridge

Daryl McMahon hailed Ebbsfleet's character after they wiped out a two-goal deficit for the second time in four days.

Fleet trailed Dagenham 2-0 at half-time and were 3-1 down with less than half an hour to go at Victoria Road.

But, just as they did against AFC Fylde on Saturday, McMahon's side refused to give in and managed to salvage a 3-3 draw.

Scroll down for audio

Ebbsfleet manager Daryl McMahon Picture: Andy Payton
Ebbsfleet manager Daryl McMahon Picture: Andy Payton

McMahon said: "I’m very proud of them for the second half performance in both games because we have showed tremendous character.

"It’s sometimes something people don’t notice with our team for whatever reason. They want to talk about other things, they don’t talk about the character and quality and desire people have to get back in games and the bravery as well, to not go hiding and not go missing. I thought we were excellent in the second half.

"We’ve got great character in the group and it’s there for everyone to see. There’s great togetherness with subs on the bench, players in the stand, they’re all in the changing-room saying 'well done' to each other. We’re a very together group and we have got huge spirit."

Jack Powell's free-kick halved the Daggers' lead in Essex and goals from Luke Coulson and Danny Kedwell saw Fleet claim a share of the spoils to remain unbeaten in the league in 2017.

McMahon said: "I’m glad we got the point in the end. I thought we were excellent second half especially.

"I thought we did all right first half to be fair but lacked a cutting edge and a bit of intensity, a little bit like the first half Saturday. In the second half we were totally different, we were on the front foot and took the game to Dagenham.

"In the second half we beat them 3-1. What we’ve definitely done is entertain people and we’ve showed we can compete at this level against a team who will be fancied to win the title.

"At half-time I told them to be more positive. We’ve got people like Coulson and Weston who are excellent in one-v-ones.

"What Dagenham are good at is their three in behind Michael Cheek are all positive players. They receive it and travel with the ball and we’ve got, in my opinion, players just as good who can do that as well. I thought we saw that in the second half a lot more.

"We know we can score goals and it was a very good second half performance."

Fleet were cheered on by 316 supporters who drowned out the home fans all night.

"The fans were amazing tonight," McMahon said.

"I’m not being disrespectful to Conference South but it was like a proper game if you know what I mean, in terms of the noisy crowd. The players played up to that as well.

"The fans were outstanding, singing from the first minute to the last. They deserved the point at the end because they were excellent."

Close This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies.Learn More