Club captain Tom Bonner is itching to return for Ebbsfleet this weekend after serving the first red card ban of his football career.

Bonner’s sending-off in the FA Trophy defeat at Oxford City on December 12 saw him miss two games against Concord and one at Whitehawk over the Christmas period.

He said: "I’ve never missed a game through suspension like that before as it’s the first red card I’ve ever had.

"I’ve been injured before but being suspended, being fit to play and not able to, is really bad.

"I’m not good at watching football and desperate to get back out there."

At the time, few people knew why Bonner had been dismissed.

"The forward came in late on me and I did pull him a bit," he revealed. "But the ref sent me off for grabbing him round the neck and I’m not that sort of player.

"It definitely shouldn’t have been a red card."

Bonner’s team-mates picked up seven of a possible nine points in his absence to leave Fleet eight points clear at the top of National League South.

He said: "We’re in a strong position. Anyone at the club would have taken that at the start of the year.

"Our goal has always been to win the league. The hardest part was getting to the top and now we’ve got to maintain what we’ve been doing. I’m confident we will.

"I’ve probably never enjoyed my football this much in my career. The gaffer’s brilliant, the players are brilliant and everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet."