THE demise of Chester City is not good news for Ebbsfleet United.
Troubled Chester were expelled from the Blue Square Premier last Friday after breaching five league rules and their record will be expunged, subject to appeal.
Ebbsfleet ran out 2-1 winners when they played Chester at The Deva Stadium on February 6 thanks to brace from the in-form Magno Vieira.
But the Fleet will lose those three points when the table is amended and manager Liam Daish says it is unfair on his relegation-threatened side.
“We prepared right when we went to Chester and won,” said Daish. “Now we’re out of pocket through no fault of our own.
“It’s so disappointing. But I’m unhappy with a number of things, not least the way the fixtures were arranged.
“Some (teams) we’ve played, some we’ve not played, some we’ve played twice. For me it’s a total mess-up.”
Ebbsfleet are making a good fist of their battle to reach safety after a dreadful start to the season.
In the opening 21 league matches of the season they had only recorded one win – a 2-1 victory at Eastbourne Borough on August 31.
A further six draws were collected and 14 matches ended in defeat, leaving Ebbsfleet with just nine points, and only Chester – who started the season on minus 25 points – were below them in the table.
What was more worrying for Daish was that Ebbsfleet had only scored eight goals, failing to score in 15 of those 21 games.
The Fleet actually went seven successive league matches without finding the back of the net, including a 1-0 defeat against tomorrow’s opponents Wrexham when the sides met at Stonebridge Road on October 31.
However, there has been a dramatic turnaround in fortunes since then, and Ebbsfleet now have an excellent chance of avoiding relegation.
They go into tomorrow’s clash with Wrexham at The Racecourse boasting an impressive record of nine wins, one draw and six defeats in 16 matches, resulting in a healthy haul of 28 points
That spell has taken Ebbsfleet away from immediate trouble and up to 17th position in the league table, six points away from relegation zone.
While Ebbsfleet have only lost six of their last 16 games, they have failed to win their last two outings.
They went into last Saturday’s home clash with fellow strugglers Barrow top of the form table, with five wins from their previous six league matches and expecting to take another three points in their survival bid.
However, Barrow ran out convincing 4-1 winners, and Ebbsfleet followed that up with a 2-2 draw at Kidderminster Harriers on Tuesday.
Despite their improved form in the second half of the season, Ebbsfleet would have been particularly keen to take three points points against lowly Barrow to put further daylight between themselves and the drop zone as all the teams below them in the table have games in hand.
With 37 matches played to date, Ebbsfleet have played more fixtures than any other team in the division and fifth from bottom Barrow have a massive eight games in hand on the Fleet.
The table will be amended when Chester’s results are expunged, but Ebbsfleet will be worse off as they will lose three points and have fewer games remaining than any of their fellow strugglers in the bid to reach safety.
But despite the lost points, and the fact all the clubs immediately around them have games in hand, Daish is optimistic Fleet can survive.
“What I need now is more from every player from here on in,” he said. “We’ve won games that have surprised some people.”
Ebbsfleet have indeed recorded some shock results, including a terrific 1-0 home win over promotion chasing York City on February 13 with a goal from Moses Ashikodi.
January was also a profitable month for Ebbsfleet, and leading scorer Magno Vieira was named the Blue Square Premier player of the month.
The Brazilian rocketed into the top half of the goalscoring charts after a five-goal haul in January.
Having already passed Michael Gash’s total for last season, Vieira is enjoying his most fruitful spell since he scored 10 goals in Carlisle United’s Conference play-off-winning season of 2004-05.
Vieira has struck three more times since then to take his tally for the season to 15, and he will be crucial in the coming weeks if Ebbsfleet are going to retain their Conference status.
Despite finding himself embroiled in a relegation dogfight, Daish insists his five years in charge at Ebbsfleet have been “good fun”.
The former Republic of Ireland international, who led the Fleet to FA Trophy success at Wembley in 2008, said: “There have been more ups than downs.
“There’s been a name change and a takeover while I’ve served five chairmen. It’s been good fun.”
Daish kept faith with the side that lost against Barrow for Tuesday’s draw at Kidderminster – Fleet’s first stalemate in five months .
Lance Cronin lined-up in goal with Dean Pooley, Leon Crooks, Darius Charles and Jordan Collins in defence.
Ricky Shakes, Stefan Bailey, Alex Stavinrou and Peter Holmes combined in midfield with Ashikodi and Vieira in attack.
Ashikodi got the first goal and Tuesday and substitute Scott Ginty, who came on for the injured Vieira, struck the second.