Ebbsfleet United striker Rakish Bingham determined to cap return from Achilles injury with side’s great escape from National League relegation

Rakish Bingham insists the final piece of the jigsaw on his road to recovery is keeping Ebbsfleet in the National League.

The 30-year-old striker bagged a hat-trick last Saturday to help the Fleet beat 10-man Gateshead 4-2 and remain four points clear of the drop zone.

It was another personal highlight for Bingham, who missed the first half of the campaign with a long-term Achilles injury that also saw him miss the end of the title-winning National League South campaign.

Bingham has returned at just the right time for Ebbsfleet and he certainly means business after making it seven goals in his last eight games.

“I feel like keeping Ebbsfleet up is the final piece,” said Bingham. “That’s the ultimate objective.

“That even goes before any of my personal needs or wants. Obviously, my personal needs contribute towards Ebbsfleet doing well but the main target is Ebbsfleet staying safe.

“This club has done so much for me personally and a lot of the boys in there. It’s only right that we repay that by keeping this beautiful club up.

“We want to be playing as high as possible. Staying in the league is the objective and next season we can push on again.

“I praise and give thanks to God because without him none of this is possible. It’s just a case of onwards and upwards and trying to push myself and deliver higher standards each time. That keeps me hungry as well.”

While team-mate and best friend Dominic Poleon is a regular in the hat-trick stakes - “He’s got more hat-tricks than I’ve had games!” joked Bingham - the treble against Gateshead was Bingham’s first senior hat-trick.

Amazingly, a player of his calibre hasn’t scored a hat-trick before but it underlines his continued improvement since returning to the side.

“It’s quite a