Ebbsfleet United boss Dennis Kutrieb hopes professional status can help them through busy period ahead of trip to Hemel Hempstead

Manager Dennis Kutrieb hopes Ebbsfleet’s professional status can help them through a busy period.

While most clubs in National League South are part-time, the Fleet are full-time.

They are set to play eight matches in all competitions in a 24-day period between last Saturday and Tuesday, November 15.

Asked if their professional status gives them a slight advantage, Kutrieb said: “Hopefully. I can’t tell you at the moment, we will see after the eight games.

“This is the first week of four weeks where we’ll have eight games in total. We’ll have a one-week break then and we’ll know exactly where we are.

“It’s a crucial time for everyone at the moment because there’s so many points to grab.

“We just need to make sure that we are there from game-to-game and, hopefully, it will give us a little advantage.

“But we will know exactly by mid-November.”

It’s been a sensational start to the season but recent matches have shown Ebbsfleet won’t get everything all their own way.

Two-goal top scorer Dominic Poleon and defender Haydn Hollis put them 3-0 ahead at half-time on Tuesday but, despite St Albans having an outfield player Huw Dawson in goal in the second half, the Fleet failed to really test him and the visitors even pulled a goal back. Meanwhile, Ben Chapman was sent off for two bookable offences.

But Kutrieb didn’t want to be too critical of his troops and was happy to see the side look largely resolute defensively.

It followed Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Welling, who finished the game with nine men.

“Maybe just a bit of the mentality where you can’t switch off,” he said, on what caused their second-half issues against St Albans.

“It’s not mentally wrong because, as a human being and a footballer, you kind of know you have to