Fleetwood boss Scott Brown pleased to progress with battling FA Cup victory

Fleetwood boss Scott Brown praised his side’s professionalism after their 1-0 FA Cup win at plucky Ebbsfleet.

The National League South side were looking to reach the third round for the first time since the 1995-96 season, but Ged Garner’s second-half solo goal ended the minnows’ hopes.

Brown’s boys secured their place in the third round for the fifth time in seven seasons after frustrating first-round defeats in the last two years.

“For us the main thing was getting through to the third round,” admitted former Celtic midfielder Brown. “Did we play our best? No. But we managed to get through and that’s the most important thing.

“Sometimes you’ve got to grind out results like that away from home.

“We knew they would throw absolutely everything at us and they had a couple of chances. They’ve had a fantastic season so far and are top of their league for a reason.

“I think our quality in the final third could have been better to be fair.

“Changing our shape at half-time really did help us.

“The second half was more like us with the shape and the structure.

“We’re in the third round and we have to make sure whoever we do get we’re ready for.”

The gutsy hosts had their chances but a plum third-round draw slipped through their fingers.

Former AFC Wimbledon striker Dominic Poleon twice squandered great chances to earn Fleet at least a replay.

Boss Dennis Kutrieb said: “It’s a disappointing result but we’ve had a great run. We gave it a good go and I’m really proud of the players.

“It was a great occasion and on another day who knows? We had some good chances.

“We have to focus on the league now and we’ve had a great season so far.

“We can’t let this result get us down. We gave it a good go and on another day you never know what might happen.

“We had our chances. It just goes to show the difference in level because it was a great goal. We could have done better, but fair play to the lad.”