13 August ~ The new Blue Square Premier League season will mark an unlikely return to the non-League top flight for Ebbsfleet United. The Kent side, which was catapulted into the public eye in January 2008 when they were taken over by the MyFootballClub project has had an eventful few years. Initial success in the FA Trophy was followed by financial difficulties, as interest in the MYFC project waned, culminating in relegation in 2009-10 following a season where the club struggled to bring together a full-time team on a meagre budget.

A season in the Blue Square South, however, appears to be just what the doctor ordered. The sensible decision to revert to part-time status allowed longstanding manager Liam Daish to rebuild his team with a blend of discarded youth from the lower leagues and hardened non-League professionals.

A consistent season saw the Fleet finish a strong third in the league, without ever really troubling eventual champions Braintree Town. Taking a strong away form into the play-offs, they trounced Chelmsford City 4-1 before wrapping up the tie 2-1 at home.

The final against Farnborough was played at the latter's Rushmoor Community Stadium, but again away form told with the Fleet opening up a 3-0 lead before resisting a late fightback to triumph 4-2.

Bouncing straight back from relegation is no mean feat in any league, but in the hyper-competitive world of non-League football, where teams rise and fall rapidly and with astonishing regularity, it is all but unheard of. This trend-bucking is almost solely as a result of the astute management of Daish. He has stuck with the club through all their financial uncertainties, and has a proven ability to build a competitive squad on a shoestring.

He also has an uncanny knack of turning a mediocre journeyman player into a top quality non-League performer. Most notable amongst these has been Charlie MacDonald, a former Charlton youth striker who had been floating ineffectively around until developing into a 20-goal-a-season striker under Daish’s tutelage. He has now gone on, after a brief spell at Southend, to be a big success at Brentford. Last season’s revelation was Calum Willock, another striker who lacked an eye for goal until bagging 20 last term.

Above all, Daish has coped with all that the rapidly unravelling MYFC experiment has thrown at him without complaint or criticism. And once again this season, he has put together a capable looking, if small, squad. The continuing MYFC malaise means there is not much financial wriggle room for Daish, and the begging letters have already gone out to MYFC members and fans for additional funds. But pre-season has boded well, with a 3-0 win over Leyton Orient and a 2-2 draw with Dagenham & Redbridge the highlights.

The BSP is a tough league, however, particularly for one of the few part-time teams, and with big names Lincoln City and Stockport County joining a host of other ex-League clubs currently serving time in the non-League pyramid avoiding relegation will be the priority. But with the ingenuity of Daish at the helm, something more might just be possible. David Spencer

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