Lets talk about the Ebbsfleet F.A.cup game

[drfc1951]

Didnt Scarborough get Chelsea in next round?

[Dutch Uncle]

Frickley was FA Trophy

We have all 5 up there:

3 when we were a league club:

Wigan 1965-66
Scarboro 2003-04
Exeter 2004-05 (after beating Tiverton as mentioned)

and twice when we were a Conference club:

Rushden & DS 1998-99
Southport 2000-01

In our Football League seasons prior to WW1 we have been beaten twice more by non-league teams:

1927-28 by Carlisle (who were elected to the Football League for the next season)
1904-05 - Mexborough - that was the league season only won 8  points all season, so probably not a huge surprise

So we have been 'giant-killed' in the FA Cup 5 times by non-league clubs

[Dutch Uncle]

Didnt Scarborough get Chelsea in next round?

Not quite

We lost to Scarborough in the first round. They went on to beat Port Vale and Southend before losing to Chelsea in Round 4.

[albie]

Ebbsfleet were formed from Gravesend when they tried an experiment in wider ownership, "My Football Club";
What happened to MyFootballClub – the club where fans decided everything? | Football | The Guardian

Interesting tale. The ownership model might make a comeback someday, with all the rough spots ironed out.

[steve@dcfd]

We need to play the best eleven we can in what ever formation DF decides.
Houghton should be available, Kongolo is not. As other have said will Toffolo and Whiteman be allowed to play. DF will know which players he can pick from so let’s hope he gets it right. We need to win and carry that momentum into the Rotherham game. Messing around with a under strength side out of choice will not help.

[ravenrover]

I love the FA cup, and always want us to have a decent cup run and get to the third round so I'd love to see a full strength team out at Ebbsfleet on Saturday.

You can pretty much guarantee that this will be the season that we have a storming cup run and draw a massive Prem team in the third round away from home - mainly because it is something I have been waiting for all my life and this is the one season where I wouldn't be able to go to the game!

But you will have far more memories and enjoyment from your little bear cub, congratulations by the way

[bpoolrover]

Whatever team we play I think marquis and Williams should start both games and hope they can bag a couple of goals, both are confidence players and it might just kick start there season

[sheffield exile1]

Frickley was FA Trophy

We have all 5 up there:

3 when we were a league club:

Wigan 1965-66
Scarboro 2003-04
Exeter 2004-05 (after beating Tiverton as mentioned)

and twice when we were a Conference club:

Rushden & DS 1998-99
Southport 2000-01

In our Football League seasons prior to WW1 we have been beaten twice more by non-league teams:

1927-28 by Carlisle (who were elected to the Football League for the next season)
1904-05 - Mexborough - that was the league season only won 8  points all season, so probably not a huge surprise

So we have been 'giant-killed' in the FA Cup 5 times by non-league clubs

Although we weren't actually knocked out we had replays against Gainsborough 59-60, South Shields 62-63, Scarborough 64-65, and Brandon United 88-89. The Wigan 65-66 we were knocked out at was also a replay. Dire period the late 50's early 60's with successive relegations....

[les@donr]

Definitely Scarborough, I was there!

It was Baltic freezing that day, then came the announcement for home supporters about the mini bus for the next away match had some places left,
warmed me up laughing for a few mins.

...mini bus to Leigh RMI. The highlight of the match! Walking back to the station I watched with amusement that the local plods were keeping an eye on our hoolies.

[RoversAlias]

Ebbsfleet were formed from Gravesend when they tried an experiment in wider ownership, "My Football Club";
What happened to MyFootballClub – the club where fans decided everything? | Football | The Guardian

Interesting tale. The ownership model might make a comeback someday, with all the rough spots ironed out.

An interesting read, saw it the other day, but to clarify one thing the MyFootballClub takeover had nothing to do with the club's name change, that was made by the previous ownership the year before to link with the supposed international appeal of the new Thames Gateway.

[selby]

  After last nights game against Scunthorpe,Mason,Alcock,and Mandeville look well capable of making the team or the sqaud. I hope we play our strongest team and have a strong bench.
  I hope that Williams is fit,but he looked in a bit of pain after being clattered by a heavy tackle from behind that  went unpunished,and in general play he was looking good,bringing other players into the game well and offering himself to the midfielders down the channels.
  I am looking forward to the game,it will not be easy,but if we play well we should get through to the next round,its the playing well bit that is the hard part.
   I expect them to come at us hard,lets hope we can go another game without helping the opposition out by giving another bad goal away.
   What do you think?

[anne honemous]

I still hope we chuck a couple of youngsters into the frame for this game, given their performances last night.

Although Ebbsfleet will be a different, more physical, kettle of fish, it'd certainly do no harm for Amos, James, Prior, etc, to be involved in some capacity and would only aid their development.

[NickDRFC]

People are calling the game a potential banana skin, but surely every game against a side in the leagues below you is that? They're not exactly pulling up any trees in the conference so hopefully there isn't too much to fear as long as we prepare properly and don't get complacent.

I'd be happy to play a mix of the team that turned out last night and the first team - I'd be tempted to give Alcock more game time and Mason another go at CM, possibly Williams and Mandy up front again, and if Ben Khemis doesn't start I'd definitely give him half an hour from the bench.

[selby]

  Nick,I think that would be going back to changing the team too much,injury allowing I would start unchanged with a strong bench.
  I would expect Mandeville to feature off the bench,but we cannot take them lightly,they have had a good couple of years and are used to doing well.
  If we get a hold of the game,then yes bring on a couple of subs late in the game,but we are not that good that we can take anything for granted.
  It is not that often that we have been in the position of the team to be shot at,if we think it will be easy we will make a mess of it.

[deebee]

Their best striker is one Fabian Brandy ex Man U still only about 29 so might be a threat.

[IDM]

Some of our younger/fringe players won't have the worry of poor performances in league games and poor form though?  might have less fear of an upset??

[The Red Baron]

I don't think the team v Ebbsfleet will be much different from the one that started at Bury. Whiteman in possibly but otherwise the same.

[NickDRFC]

  Nick,I think that would be going back to changing the team too much,injury allowing I would start unchanged with a strong bench.
  I would expect Mandeville to feature off the bench,but we cannot take them lightly,they have had a good couple of years and are used to doing well.
  If we get a hold of the game,then yes bring on a couple of subs late in the game,but we are not that good that we can take anything for granted.
  It is not that often that we have been in the position of the team to be shot at,if we think it will be easy we will make a mess of it.

Unchanged from the weekend? We won but hardly set the world alight. A team of, for example, Lawlor, Alcock, Butler, Wright, Baudry, Toffolo, Mason, Houghton, Rowe, Mandeville, Williams is a line up that wouldn't look out of place in a league game, and allows Mason, Alcock, Mandeville & Williams to build on promising showings from last night. Equally you'd have plenty of potential game changers in Copps, Marquis, Blair etc from the bench.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should underestimate them, but they are in their first season back in the conference after 4 years out of it, and they're not tearing the league apart. I just don't see why we shouldn't put out a couple of fringe players or why it would harm us to much - it's an equivalent situation to Huddersfield or Brighton drawing Plymouth and saying they should put out their strongest team or else face getting knocked out.

[RoversAlias]

Their best striker is one Fabian Brandy ex Man U still only about 29 so might be a threat.

They only signed him a week ago, last playing in the Thai leagues. Not a player who has pulled up any trees anywhere bar a brief spell at Walsall a few years ago. If he's their "best" striker we have nothing to worry about.

[selby]

What  do you think Fergie will be thinking? for a full week before the Bury game a fair number on here were calling for his head,even when we had won away some were not impressed by the way we did it.
  Now people want him to play some youngsters against one of the best non league sides in the country. Some of our younger first team players will be in an environment they will not have experienced before, never mind youngsters.
  It will be full blooded, especially for the fist 20 minutes and we need to be as up for it as they are.
  We will have to earn the right to play our football,and untill we do every advantage,the crowd,the conditions, and the media will be on their side. It is not a game for inexperienced youngsters.

[drfchound]

Totally agree selby.
Ebsfleet will be on a high going into this game.
Their players will want to make a mark on the history of the FA Cup and will be crashing into our boys from the off.
Not a match for the faint hearted.

[Heffs right foot]

Totally agree first twenty minutes will be competitive to say the least...my concern is where the goals are going to come from. Think Mandie will start alongside Marquis as he looks the only front player likely to hit the target. Be nice to see them shoot on sight rather than trying to walk it into the net. Fergies formation will be interesting.

[NickDRFC]

What  do you think Fergie will be thinking? for a full week before the Bury game a fair number on here were calling for his head,even when we had won away some were not impressed by the way we did it.
  Now people want him to play some youngsters against one of the best non league sides in the country. Some of our younger first team players will be in an environment they will not have experienced before, never mind youngsters.
  It will be full blooded, especially for the fist 20 minutes and we need to be as up for it as they are.
  We will have to earn the right to play our football,and untill we do every advantage,the crowd,the conditions, and the media will be on their side. It is not a game for inexperienced youngsters.

One of the best sides in the non-league? They're currently sitting in 13th with 5 wins from 18 games. That's as many wins as we've had all season, a season that has been universally recognised as pretty disappointing so far, in 2 more games than we've played. Prior to this season they finished  the equivalent of 26th for the last two seasons, and 32nd the season before that. I'm not sure what in there qualifies them as one of the best.

As for "wanting him to play some youngsters" - Alcock and Williams are experienced pros and 29 and 31 respectively. Mason has played pretty much all season as well as all of last season. Mandeville has been in and around the first team for a couple of years. That's not playing youngsters, it's being pragmatic and recognising that it's a game where some fringe players would benefit from a game without being too detrimental to the team.

I think some people are getting carried away with the hyperbole of the FA Cup. This is a game that we may lose but should undoubtedly win, even allowing for a few changes to the team.

[RedJ]

Their best striker is one Fabian Brandy ex Man U still only about 29 so might be a threat.

They only signed him a week ago, last playing in the Thai leagues. Not a player who has pulled up any trees anywhere bar a brief spell at Walsall a few years ago. If he's their "best" striker we have nothing to worry about.

Not that I'm arguing with your point, but Theo Robinson somehow managed to earn a move back into the Football League off a couple of decent performances in the Cup and the man is an absolute fraud.

[RoversAlias]

Their best striker is one Fabian Brandy ex Man U still only about 29 so might be a threat.

They only signed him a week ago, last playing in the Thai leagues. Not a player who has pulled up any trees anywhere bar a brief spell at Walsall a few years ago. If he's their "best" striker we have nothing to worry about.

Not that I'm arguing with your point, but Theo Robinson somehow managed to earn a move back into the Football League off a couple of decent performances in the Cup and the man is an absolute fraud.

That is very true RedJ!

[Lesonthewest]

  Much more important than the Scunthorpe cup tie.The F.A.cup holds many memories for me as a youngster,the Mathews final was the first game I saw on our own T.V. as a seven year old,the T.V.being bought to watch the coronation of the queen.
  The Tottenham tie at Belle View a few years later was the first game I was allowed to go to on my own from Askern,mum and dad would probably do time now for letting a youngster go to a match with over 20000 people there.Being taken to Hillsborough to watch one of the famous replays against Aston Villa,the Liverpool replay when the Doncaster area galvanised despite the political scene of the time.
   The depths of despair of Frickley,Wigan,and other non league sides beating us.
   And that is the reason I had an "OH NOOOOOOOOOOO" moment when I heard we had drawn EBBSFLEET AWAY.
  They  are a team that won promotion to the National league last season and are used to doing well, having lost only 13 games out of the last 101 games under their present manager.
  They have a rich benefactor who has started to redevelop their ground, and have just signed Fabian Brandy, a guy who has given us a hard time in the past.
  Will we take it seriously?will we play our strongest side?I do not want to come out of the ground, as I did at Oldham last season, thinking why did Fergie pick that team?and we could have done better.
  Could we be the team the cameras are following because we are the giant killers this season?I do not want to hear Fergie say "I picked a team I thought was good enough to win the game BUT".
  I want to be a supporter of a club that has had a great cup run,not one that the Barnsley,Rotherham,and Sheffield supporters can gloat and laugh at Saturday evening,or that Jeff can tell the world there has been a cup shock at Ebbsfleet.
   What do you think?

I clearly remember us getting out of jail at Whitby Town when a young untried striker came on and got us a late equaliser - I believe he was called Brian Deane? Yes we have had some scares over the years.

Was also at the Whitby game, we looked down & out, that's the FA Cup. Since a kid & still now I get that extra feeling of anticipation the day before the first round as opposed to a league game. Games like Whitby, Rochdale etc still live fresh in the memory.

As for the game, if we can get through to the 3rd round & get a plum tie it's a no brainer. We should field our strongest side, & match Ebbsfleet for effort & commitment, if we do I'm sure our extra quality will see us through, anything less & we're asking for trouble.

[selby]

   Nick,they are one of the best non league sides,they play in the non leagues highest division,and by the way with Dover have lost only 3 games all season the lowest number in that division.
  Under their present manager they have got into the playoffs for promotion to the N.L. twice and have only lost 13 games in 101 matches,quite a record at any level.
  The National League is a hard division,has improved since we were in it,and most of the teams have the ambition to get better,and always see the F.A.cup as a competition for exposure to a wider audience on T.V.
  It will be a hard game we are more than capable of winning,but  if we are off it,or do not have the right attitude, we will be batting on a sticky wicket.

[VivaRovers]

Their best striker is one Fabian Brandy ex Man U still only about 29 so might be a threat.

They only signed him a week ago, last playing in the Thai leagues. Not a player who has pulled up any trees anywhere bar a brief spell at Walsall a few years ago. If he's their "best" striker we have nothing to worry about.

Might be worth looking beyond the latest signing - they've some real experience up front in the squad in Aaron McClean and Danny Kedwell, bit of raw talent in Darren McQueen and Danny Mills is a right handful and was key to Whitehawk's cup run a few years ago.

There's a lot of league experience in midfield too in Myles Weston and Jack Payne.

Basically, whilst we should have enough to beat them, to right them off as nowt to worry about would be churlish.

[DMnumber4]

This has all the makings of an upset. Ebbsfleet are only three points off the play-offs, and are above "the likes of" Tranmere and Orient and only two points off Hartlepool.

Make no bones about it though, even if they are only 'mid-table' this will be their standout fixture and a chance to put some real shine on their season. You'd, naturally, expect them to raise their game 10 / 20% and try to make a name for themselves by knocking a league club off their perch. On a rainy November afternoon south of the Thames, it could be a case of who has the most battlers.

No doubt they'll have done their homework and seen Rovers are susceptible at set pieces. Just got to be patient and hope that class and fitness show through in the end.

It won't be easy!

[RoversAlias]

Their best striker is one Fabian Brandy ex Man U still only about 29 so might be a threat.

They only signed him a week ago, last playing in the Thai leagues. Not a player who has pulled up any trees anywhere bar a brief spell at Walsall a few years ago. If he's their "best" striker we have nothing to worry about.

Might be worth looking beyond the latest signing - they've some real experience up front in the squad in Aaron McClean and Danny Kedwell, bit of raw talent in Darren McQueen and Danny Mills is a right handful and was key to Whitehawk's cup run a few years ago.

There's a lot of league experience in midfield too in Myles Weston and Jack Payne.

Basically, whilst we should have enough to beat them, to right them off as nowt to worry about would be churlish.

Oh I wasn't writing them off, although it may seem that way. I know this will be no cakewalk at all, was more commenting on the notion that Brandy, a career flop who's been there a week, would be their best striker. I believe McQueen is injured at least at the moment.

McLean is responsible for one of the worst misses I've ever seen live, straight in front of goal at Hull with no keeper to beat and he contrived to send the ball backwards somehow. Although I can't remember if we ultimately got anything out of that game or not.

I don't think this will be an easy game at all nor do I think Ferguson or the players will take Ebbsfleet lightly. But we should have more than enough quality to see them off if we play a strong XI.