Different league, same challenges

Christmas came and went with some scouting research on the side and a few player reports written. January bought another trip to Tonbridge Angels on a cold Tuesday night, day one of my FA Talent ID Level 2 course at Stadium MK and a short drive to rock bottom Ebbsfleet in the National League. 

Visiting a new stadium is always a bit daunting, not knowing where to park, what the access to the stadium will be like, etc. After parking in the train station car park I made the short walk to the Kuflink Stadium. Sitting 24th in the league and staring relegation down the barrel, the mood around the place was pretty sombre and the state of the ground matched. Run down, with paint peeling in most corners, The Fleet supporters will be happy with the news that plans for a new 8,000 seater stadium have been approved. However, this means the current home in Stonebridge Road will be demolished and it’s always sad to see an historic football ground disappear.

Undercover Scout

It took a while to get my complimentary ticket from reception, but once issued I was free to go in and find my own seat. I had a walk around my new surroundings and decided to sit in the Old Stand, which seemed fairly relaxed with room to manoeuvre. Then just before kick-off a group of kids, who had been on the pitch during the warm-ups, came round with what looked like some club coaches. Maybe they were part of the academy, but whoever they were they were loud and hyperactive! I was struggling to concentrate over the noise of children shouting and as a few of them became more restless they noticed I had a notebook and pen in hand. One of them then suddenly pointed at me and shouted “HE”S A SCOUT, HE’S A SCOUT!” I remained calm and with a wry smile gave him the ‘shh’ celebration!

A Family Affair

We often see players from ex-pro’s follow in the footsteps of their footballing fathers. Kasper Schmeichel, Justin Kluivert and Erling Haaland immediately spring to mind. In this match, Ebbsfleet’s opponents Braintree Town also had a former players son in action. Kyrell Lisbie was the speedy left-winger in question, his dad being former Charlton and Ipswich striker Kevin Lisbie. The plot actually thickened later on in the season when Kyrell’s twin brother Kyreece actually joined Braintree on loan from Colchester United in March.

I was actually asked to keep tabs on Gibraltarian defender Louis Annesley, among a couple of others. But after he sustained a head injury early in the first half, he was forced to go off, with the bleeding looking quite bad. It’s always disappointing when a target you’ve come a long way to watch is a substitute, or goes off injured. But this allowed me to watch others more intently and Lisbie looked to be the shining light on the day, as the game finished 1-0 to the away side. 

Brothers as Well as Sons

The family links from the day didn’t end there either. At the beginning of the second half a left-back came on for Ebbsfleet and he looked remarkably familiar. There was something about his physical build and his broad shoulders that reminded me of someone. Then it clicked, it was the brother of Tottenham striker Will Lankshear! This was Alex Lankshear, on loan from Blackpool and he put in a decent shift for 45 minutes. His sibling was currently on loan at Championship side West Bromwich Albion, but it just shows that football really is a family sport. 

JP Scouting player in Focus: Kyrell Lisbie

Lisbie’s performances gained attention for Cray Valley Paper Mills in their FA Cup run last season, where he scored in every round they played in, including against Charlton Athletic. He scored 29 times in all competitions for the Millers, as they won the Isthmian League South-East. 

Not an overly amazing performance, but potential over performance showed in this match. In the first 30 seconds, Lisbie created a goalscoring opportunity, demonstrating his effectiveness down the left wing. John Akinde probably should’ve done better with his mistimed shot.

He always looked a threat out wide and tormented the Ebbsfleet defence with his runs and 1V1 ability, which created the decisive goal of the match. He was less effective in the 2nd half as Ebbsfleet pushed for an equaliser and he may of been carrying a slight knock, as he was subbed off with 10 minutes to go. I would definitely advise watching him again.