Ebbsfleet are back in Conference South after two years in the top-tier of non-league football. The challenge of staying up on a shoe-string budget proved beyond even the abilities of the masterful Liam Daish who has done so much for the Kent club over the years. The enthusiasm around the club was high after comfortably beating the drop the previous season and a dramatic 5:4 win in the season opener made it a winning start. But there was little for the Fleet to celebrate in the weeks to come as they won just one of the next 14 games in the league and were stationed firmly in the bottom four. The lack of defensive spine and stability was a huge issue for them while the lack of end product up front was not helping either. The players were giving their best but it was clear from an early stage of the season that the quality was just not there to get consistent good results in a division where there were so many good clubs. There was a lift in November when the Fleet went six games without a loss and put some very good displays against top sides like Grimsby and Macclesfield while coming back from behind to beat direct rivals Hyde 3:2 but things were back on the slide in December when two points gained in a run of seven games left them at the foot of the table. The manager had limited funds to address the deficiencies in the squad during the winter market and was left relying on the presence of Nathan Elder up front and the heroics of Preston Edwards on goal to give the team a bit of spine. By February, it already looked very difficult to see Ebbsfleet beating the drop despite putting some encouraging performances at home and getting the better of the likes of Gateshead and Hereford. The gap to the safety places was just too big while the complete lack of form on the road, where the team gained just two points from November until the end of the season, was having an impact too. A very tough run of away games in March against most of the sides battling for the title took away any momentum from the team and it was little surprise the they failed to pick any points. With the end of season looming, Ebbsfleet had a lot of games in hand but also a number of points to make and a small squad failed to cope with the pressures, winning none of the last ten games and going down on a complete whimper with a 3:1 loss at the hands of Telford a week before the end of the season. And given the problems off the pitch, it may be a while before Ebbsfleet play football at Conference Premier level again.
