Ebbsfleet boss Dennis Kutrieb believes the confidence from their recent return to form came to the fore in midweek. The Fleet needed a goal in either half from Rakish Bingham and Luke O’Neill to overcome Chelmsford at Stonebridge Road on Tuesday night and return to the top of National League South.
It was a third successive league success for Kutrieb’s side. “We said after Dartford we’ve got 23 games to go and we need to put points on the board,” reflected Kutrieb. “The wins against Weymouth and Dover added confidence and you could see it.
The boys that came in weren’t shaky. Alex Finney - just one example of a few - had so much confidence. “If every player has enough confidence, then we don’t need to be worried about opponents, we just need to be worried about us and that we put a performance in.” Kutrieb described the Fleet’s opening goal, converted by Bingham, as one of the best goals he’s seen this season. “Three points, well done to the boys again for a great shift,” said the Fleet boss. “We played a good game and we needed to because they’re a very good side.
I wouldn’t be surprised if they end up in the play-offs. “It was a great team goal that started with the goalkeeper. It was one of the best goals I’ve seen this season as every pass was perfect, good timing, we switched the play and it was a great finish. “As a manager you always like to see those goals as they are amazing.” Josh Wright returned to the Fleet line-up for the first time in over three months, and Kutrieb explained why he was replaced early in the second half rather than at half-time. “It’s easy to sub someone off at half-time but after half-time when you get cold a bit, to then go again for a few minutes and take him off was the idea,” he said. “