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Ebbsfleet United boss Dennis Kutrieb says midweek red card for opponents Dulwich is a reminder for the need to keep discipline

Ebbsfleet manager Dennis Kutrieb will remind his team to keep a cool head as the battle for league points hots up.

The Fleet moved three points clear at the top of National League South on Tuesday night with a comfortable 3-1 win at Dulwich.

Ebbsfleet boss Dennis Kutrieb wants his players to keep their cool in the face of provocation. Picture: Keith Gillard
Ebbsfleet boss Dennis Kutrieb wants his players to keep their cool in the face of provocation. Picture: Keith Gillard

The hosts finished the game with 10 men after Sanchez Ming saw red for kicking out at Dominic Poleon off the ball. Kutrieb was pleased his team maintained their discipline in response.

“You can see a few teams are struggling in our league just because of their discipline,” noted Kutrieb.

“We are not. We’re very disciplined, I think we’re second-best in the league with cards and that’s a key point.

“You need to be focused, don’t get distracted and let the referee deal with it. Fortunately, on Tuesday night they dealt with it very well. That’s not always the case and you can feel a bit different on the pitch.

“But you need to be focused and don’t get distracted with any stupid decisions or yellow cards. So far, so good, we’ve been good this season and we need to make sure it stays positive.”

Kutrieb and his opposite number Paul Barnes were both booked by referee Stephen Parkinson, who got all the big decisions correct.

But the Fleet boss explained those cautions were more for the benches reacting to the flashpoint which occurred right in front of the away dugout.

“The referee said he had to book me as both benches were going at each other a little bit and I have to sort it out,” said Kutrieb.

“I couldn’t sort it out as I was taking care of Dom, I got the booking like the other manager as well. It was just because we’re responsible for our benches and he was not happy how they reacted.

“I just wanted to make sure Dom did nothing stupid. It was a clear red, a nasty kick, so well done to he referee. He had a really good game, he booked someone for a nasty foul early on in the game and it’s not often in this league that referees book someone before half-time.

“The linesman saw the kick. Dom should do better but he only pushed his opponent so it’s not a red card, it’s a yellow. I would say it was a really good decision from both the referee and the linesman.”

The result and performance were a far cry from Ebbsfleet’s last trip to Dulwich, which ended in a 5-2 defeat last season.

While the contrast underlined how far the Fleet have come under Kutrieb’s tutelage, he was quick to point out that Dulwich are a different outfit from last term.

“Last season the team for them was different as well,” said Kutrieb. “We have to be honest and we don’t get carried away comparing the result from last season to this season.

“They had a very good team last season, just one example is Darren McQueen scored for them last season and then scored for us this time.

“It was a much more mature performance from us this season. Last season we gave it away cheaply, conceding stupid goals early in the second half.

“This time it was much better, especially after the third goal and red card it was game over.

“If I have to moan about something then we have to score more goals once it goes to 3-1 and 10 men, but I understand the boys have to play again on Saturday so that’s fine as we wanted to keep the ball.”

Ebbsfleet have won their last four league games and host relegation-threatened Concord at Stonebridge Road this Saturday.

The Fleet boss added: “We had nine wins in a row at the beginning of the season and everyone was saying how good we were.

“We got battered twice on Boxing Day and New Year’s Day and everything was bad, [people said] we needed to change everything and get new players.

“Now four wins is fine but we know exactly what we need and what we want. The next three points are up for grabs on Saturday and we need to make sure we’re as sharp as we were on Tuesday.”

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