Tranmere welcome Ebbsfleet United to Prenton Park on Saturday with a place in the play-off final at Wembley up for grabs. We take a look at the Ebbsfleet squad, and look at five players you may be aware, and three you may not be.
Ebbsfleet’s squad boasts a huge amount of Football League experience, and with a couple of old heads among them, it’s no surprise they have performed so well this season.
Here are some of the players we may face at Prenton Park this weekend.
Five you know
Danny Kedwell – Now 34, experienced striker Danny Kedwell was an excellent signing for Ebbsfleet in the summer of 2015. He helped the club get promoted from the National League South last season, and has been influential once again during this campaign.
He played 119 games for Gillingham in League One during a four-year spell, scoring 40 goals. He’s already on 33 in his 105 appearances for Ebbsfleet. He joked after the play-off elimination match at Aldershot that he will see how his ‘old legs’ are ahead of the Tranmere game, but make no mistake, he will be raring to go and is going to be a genuine threat.
Style-wise, he’s a big lad, slightly more mobile than he may appear. The battle between him and McNulty should be bruising.
Aaron McLean – Another forward with plenty of experience, former Hull City and Peterborough striker Aaron McLean has locked horns with Tranmere may times down the years, and is never far from a goal. He sat out the Aldershot game on Wednesday, but if he’s involved on Saturday, expect him to be an awkward customer.
Nathan Ashmore – Goalkeeper Nathan Ashmore has been a stand-out performer for Ebbsfleet this season, and after taking a bang on the head in the league game at Prenton Park, he played a blinder there too. Ashmore is 28 now, but looks to have the ability to play at a higher level.
Myles Weston – Experienced winger Myles Weston is probably a familiar name to many staunch Football League fans. The 30-year-old has played for a host of clubs amassing well over 250 senior appearances across spells with the likes of Notts County, Brentford, Gillingham and Southend. H
e joined Fleet last summer and has been a useful player, scoring twice and weighing in with some assists to boot. He’s often used from the bench and is one of those wingers that never looks to be fully in control of the ball, but will put a team to the sword by producing quality if given an opportunity to do so.
Febian Brandy – A name that sticks out among the Ebbsfleet squad is striker Febian Brandy. The 29-year-old was a hot property last time Tranmere were in League One as he scored regularly for Walsall before joining Sheffield United in 2014. The ex-Man Utd man joined Ebbsfleet in October after a host of brief spells at clubs all around the country. He has only two appearances to his name for Daryl McMahon’s team, but if he does feature this weekend, he has a proven record of scoring goals and will likely be an awkward customer.
Three you may not know
Dean Rance – Midfielder Dean Rance may not have had the high-profile career some of his team mates have enjoyed, but he’s been at Ebbsfleet since 2013 and is a key player for them. He’s an energetic midfielder that keeps the team together and has a keen eye for goal, most recently scoring a beautiful curling effort against Macclesfield in early April.
Lawrie Wilson – Defender Lawrie Wilson has certainly been around the block, and still just 30 years old, he has a lot to offer. Most recently of Port Vale, Wilson played more than 150 games for Stevenage before moving to Charlton in 2012 and playing nearly 100 times for the Addicks. He’s also played for Bolton, Peterborough and Rotherham.
His experience has been vital in Ebbsfleet’s astonishing end-of-season form. In fact, he only joined the club in January, his arrival coinciding with his club’s rise up the National League.
Marvin McCoy – Right-back Martin McCoy is a bit of an unsung hero in the Ebbsfleet team. He joined in 2016, playing a key role in the promotion from the National League South and has since shown himself more than capable of playing at National League level. He’s got pace, loves to throw a tackle in and can be useful from an attacking point of view.
It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise given that he does have Football League experience having played 91 times for Wycombe. He was also a member of the York City team relegated from League Two in 2016. He’s an international for Antigua and Barbuda and was on Arsenal’s books as a young player.
