Ebbsfleet 2-2 AFC Wimbledon
A late equaliser from striker Ross Montague earned the Dons a deserved point at Ebbsfleet.
The forward player – a recent capture from Brentford – netted his first goal for his new club at the ideal time.
He popped up in time added on to nod in Chris Hussey’s left-side cross in front of the 1,000 travelling supporters.
Although this was arguably the worst Terry Brown’s team have played since winning promotion, they were good value for the draw as they once again came on strong in the latter stages.
Their task was made even harder when Jay Conroy was sent off for a professional foul on Jamie Foreshaw two minutes from time.
But the numerical disadvantage didn’t matter as Montague grabbed the late glory.
Brown said: “That’s the thing about these boys, they don’t know when they are beaten.
“It’s a cliché to say it’s the Wimbledon way but yet again they kept playing until the final whistle. When you do that, sometimes you get your reward.
“We didn’t play well but we got a point.
“Ross came on and showed why we brought him to the club in the first place.”
The manager would certainly have been delighted with the point as the clock ticked past 90.
But a draw when Luke Moore struck against his old club would have been the last thing Brown wanted.
Moore scored on 28 minutes – a fine finish after Fleet had already struck James Pullen’s crossbar through Dean Pooley.
But Liam Daish’s men were on level terms and it was another player biting the hand that use to feed him.
Luis Cumbers, who played a pivotal role in getting the Dons out of the Ryman Premier two years ago, found the net with the visitors slack.
It seemed to be going all wrong when Brazilian Magno Viera’s run and shot went all too easily through Pullen.
Conroy received his marching orders in the closing stages but the drama wasn’t over as Montague turned the ball beyond Lance Cronin and into the net to the joy of the excellent away contingent.
Fleet manager Daish moaned: “We can take heart from the performance but why was there so much time added on?
“We didn’t let ourselves down but need to hold on to wins like that when we have the three points in our grasp.”
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