He may not have played a single minute of league football yet but Anthony Acheampong insists he feels as much a part of Ebbsfleet’s scintillating start to the season as any other player.

Acheampong is being kept out of the team by captain Tom Bonner and Kenny Clark, who are expertly marshalling the second-best defence in National League South.

But the 25-year-old certainly hasn’t been sulking on the bench.

He said: "As a footballer, you want to play every game and you want to do the best you can.

"But I see the bigger picture and I want the team to do well. If the team does well, I do well. That’s the attitude I’ve got and it’s the attitude every single person in the squad has.

"I feel a big part of it. I train hard every day, I want to improve and I think that me pushing myself also pushes the other boys to do better.

"Tom and Clarky have been immense this season and I think I’ve contributed to that by pushing them. They know that if there’s one slip from them, I slide in.

"But I’m always there supporting them because we’re a team – and we’re pals outside football as well. I’ve always got their back."

Acheampong, an England C international, joined Ebbsfleet from Barnet in January 2014 and has made 55 appearances for Fleet.

He was signed by Steve Brown and also played under his former Welling boss Jamie Day at Stonebridge Road but Acheampong has forged a real bond with current manager Daryl McMahon.

He said: "He’s a good man-manager and I think he’ll do very well in the game.

"He’s more than a manager to me, to be fair. He’s my friend. I’m willing to do what he asks me to do and I’m ready to step in when called upon.

"I’ve spoken to Daryl on many occasions and he’s always encouraged me, he’s always been there for me and supported me. That’s definitely helped me during this period.

"This is the best environment you could have at a football club and it comes from the top down. Macca has always encouraged healthy competition and that’s why I think we’re so together and also pushing each other to do better.

"This is probably the best squad I’ve been involved in. We’ve got competition for places in every position.

"It’s not just me as a centre-back, we’ve got midfielders and strikers on the bench who are ready to step in.

"We’ve set ourselves high standards and now we’re ready to kick on."