Interaction with his defenders ensures goalkeeper Mark Cousins stays alert despite Ebbsfleet United's early-season dominance

Mark Cousins may not be the busiest of goalkeepers at the moment - but he still feels involved during Ebbsfleet’s games.

Cousins, a summer arrival from Bromley, has started eight of their nine matches so far this season and has only conceded six goals.

But with the style of play used by the Fleet, who have won all nine games this term, the 35-year-old feels part of the action - even if he doesn’t have lots of saves to make.

He explained: “Being a goalie, you always do have to focus constantly for 90 minutes - whether you are involved or not. But it’s, obviously, a lot easier when you are dealing with crosses and shots.

“You don’t have to concentrate as much because you are just in the game all the time. When the balls at the other end, I stay switched on by talking to my defenders.

“The way the team plays, they involve me quite a bit so you do feel like you have to be moving around, creating options so the defenders can pass to you.

“It’s not too hard [to stay concentrated]. With the way the team plays, I always feel involved.”

Cousins admits some of the defenders in front of him help to do the hard work for him, too, with the keeper only having a couple of second-half saves to make in the FA Cup win over Dover.

He said: “They read the game so well and they’re in the right positions to stop through-balls or any kinds of passes.

“It’s great to have that experience in front of you.”

Early National League South frontrunners Fleet return to league action with two games in four days. They visit Hungerford this Saturday before a trip to Oxford City.

But Cousins isn’t overly concerned about two relatively long journeys in quick succession, saying: “It’s a few hours on the coach, it’s not like going to Barrow and Gateshead away.