Ryan Walmsley reports on the new signings at Ebbsfleet United…
Two consecutive defeats over the Christmas period saw Ebbsfleet United drop out of the play-off places, and this stumble has led to the Kent club recruiting six new players to put their promotion campaign back on track.
Manager Jamie Day, who made the 12-mile switch from local rivals Welling United to take over at Stonebridge Road following Steve Brown’s sacking in December, has been heavily backed by the Kuwaiti owners since arriving.
The new boss had already signed veteran keeper Jamie Turner from his former club to add competition for number one Preston Edwards and he has since picked up Woking attacking midfielder Theo Lewis for an undisclosed fee.
And Fleet’s spending wasn’t complete there. In the last two weeks United have bought striker Danny Kedwell from League One Gillingham who scored 40 times in 118 appearances for the the Gills, whilst also managing to lure former Wycombe Wanderers captain Stuart Lewis to the club.
Despite United having the second best defensive record in the Conference South, Day’s overhaul of the Fleet squad has seen two defenders brought in too. Right-back Matt Fish has also made the switch from Gillingham and 29-year-old centre-half Kelvin Langmead has signed on a free transfer after his contract was terminated by Northampton Town.
Day admitted that after such a swelling of the squad that players will have to leave and he believes that the increase in quality of the playing staff will lead to a promotion challenge.
These signings have come as a real statement of intent from Ebbsfleet’s Kuwaiti owners who feel the club should be striving to be in the Football League within three years. The owners and fans will be hoping that such financial muscle will be enough for them to be promoted to the Conference Premier and recover from their play-off final heartbreak last season.