Moore inspires Fleet’s sinking

The 25-year-old, who joined the club for an initial month-long period on Friday, set up two goals as Harriers roared back from 1-0 down to sink buoyant Fleet.

His introduction provided Harriers with cutting edge and repaid manager Mark Yates’ persistence in trying to secure the former Aston Villa FA Youth Cup winner.

Moore had been training with Harriers for two weeks and the club’s management persuaded chairman Barry Norgrove to spend more money to sign him, despite his pleas last week that the safe was empty at Aggborough.

But as the final whistle blew and the delighted, and slightly relieved, home fans cheered their team off the pitch, Harriers’ chant writers must have wondered what songs to adapt for the striker.

Certainly, the chorus to Billy Idol’s 1980s classic ‘Rebel Yell’ (With a rebel yell, she cried more, more, more) would be a prime candidate.

Or the Andrea True Connection’s party staple ‘More, More, More’ would be another.

No doubt there are tons of other appropriate songs, which Harriers’ fans can think of to serenade the forward with.

But while Harriers’ song writers can now concentrate on a new chant, they could have been left without inspiration, as Fleet’s swash-bucklers called the tune in the first half.

Liam Daish’s side knocked Harriers out of their stride early on and the hosts, missing the focal point provided by an injured Justin Richards up front, looked to be sinking fast.

The home defence offered little protection and looked all at sea when they backed off in the 15th minute and gave Jamie Hand too much space on the left.

The wideman had time to square the ball to pacey forward Ricky Shakes, who blasted a shot beyond keeper Adam Bartlett.

Harriers continued to give the ball away in the final third, with Neil MacKenzie the most guilty of that crime in the first half, which allowed Ebbsfleet to hit them on the break.

Harriers worked hard but looked incapable of opening up the visitors.

The industrious but diminutive Darryl Knights struggled to latch onto the high balls played up to him.

He had a goal disallowed for offiside after neatly controlling Lee Baker’s pass and beat Lance Cronin with a fierce shot.

Harriers were indebted to their shot-stopper Adam Bartlett late in the first half, when he dived down to his left to push Michael Stones’ shot behind.

The alert Bartlett kept his side in the game again when he denied striker Luke Moore after another Ebbsfleet counter-attack.

Harriers started the second half with more composure but still lacked the cutting edge to break through Ebbsfleet’s blockade, despite a series of teasing crosses by Martin Brittain.

MacKenzie, starting his first non-league game, improved dramatically and pulled the strings as Harriers began to stretch the visitors.

The on-loan Notts County player saw a shot blocked on the edge of the area and another deflected wide, but he finally made the breakthrough in the 64th minute, with a little help from Moore.

The striker had replaced Knights less than a minute before and his first act was to touch the ball to MacKenzie, who drove a low shot across goal into the bottom left corner.

Four minutes later Moore played an integral part as the hosts took the lead through a lightning counter-attack.

He raced onto Brittain’s through pass and drilled in a low cross, which Brian Smikle buried with accomplished ease to increase the winger’s tally to five goals.

The turnaround was completed in the 75th minute when Matthew Barnes-Homer’s persistence paid off.

MacKenzie’s long pass ricocheted off left-back Peter Hawkins and the forward deftly controlled the ball, sped past the bewildered defender and slammed a shot beyond Cronin.

Moore almost sealed his debut with a goal but he was twice denied by the agile Cronin.

First, he was picked out by the accurate Brittain at the far post but his crisp volley was straight at the keeper.

Ebbsfleet’s shot-stopper was made to work much harder late on, when a desperate stretched out hand just got to the forward’s effort, after he had sped around Mark Ricketts.

Harriers: Bartlett 7; Baker 6; Creighton 6; Jones 6; Knights 6 (Moore, 63); Barnes-Homer 6; Penn 6 (Bennett, 90); Smikle 7; Brittain 7; Lowe 6; MacKenzie 8 (Ferrell, 80).

Unused substitutes: Coleman (GK); McDermott.

Ebbsfleet: Cronin; Hawkins; McCarthy; Gash (Ibe, 83); Stone; Pooley; Barrett; Ricketts; Shakes; Moore; Hand (Purcell, 75).

Unused substitutes: Smith; Slatter; Mott.

Referee: Jock Waugh (Yorkshire). Attendance: 1,512
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