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Ebbsfleet United light on numbers ahead of trip to Harrogate Town

Manager Garry Hill has been left with plenty of food for thought after Ebbsfleet’s bad-tempered defeat to Solihull Moors.

Bagasan Graham and Dean Rance were both sent off in stoppage time on Saturday while the visitors also had two men dismissed.

Both players will miss the trip to Harrogate on Saturday while Graham will also be suspended for the games against Hartlepool and Barrow next week.

Dean Rance and Bagasan Graham were both sent off against Solihull Moors Picture: Andy Jones
Dean Rance and Bagasan Graham were both sent off against Solihull Moors Picture: Andy Jones

Those bans leave Hill with just 15 senior players available.

He said: “It is disappointing when you’re losing players because we’ve got a very small squad as everybody knows.

“We’ve had a great run and we’ve got to keep pushing on and get as high as we can at the end of the season.

“Whether we’d won or lost on Saturday, we’ve still got 14 games to play and it’s a situation now where there’s a little bit of thinking to do in respect of going forward.

“This league is relentless but we’ll try to get as many points as we can and see where it takes us.”

Harrogate are seventh in the National League, six points and three places above Ebbsfleet having won the reverse fixture 2-0 back in October.

“They’re all tough trips,” said Hill. “I went in at the end of the game on Saturday and told the players they’ve been a credit to me and a credit to the club since we’ve come in.

“There were some disappointed players in that changing room and emotions very high about this and that but you have to reflect on it at a later date.

“I’ve got a situation where I’m working with a small squad and you have to turn round and take into account where we are in respect of bodies.”

Graham was dismissed on Saturday after team-mates had to drag him away from an ugly brawl in added time.

Referee Peter Gibbons then ruled Rance had dived trying to win a penalty and showed him a second yellow card.

Luke Maxwell and Danny Wright were the Solihull players who saw red in a chaotic climax.

Hill admitted: “It doesn’t reflect well on the club.

“The disappointing factor is people have come here to watch football and they will be talking about both sets of players and the match officials for reasons which aren’t going to help anybody.

“When things started getting lively, I was surprised the referee didn’t blow his whistle and pull the captains of both teams to the side and have a chat with them.

“When the cards started coming out, momentum was running with him.”

Hartlepool visit Stonebridge Road on Tuesday (7.45pm).

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