Tom Phipp is ready to repay Ebbsfleet’s faith in him and fire the club back to the top table of non-league football.

The midfielder was thrust into the world of men’s football by former boss Liam Daish as a 17-year-old and kept on by his successor, Steve Brown.

Phipp signed a new deal last week, becoming the fourth member of last season’s Fleet squad to come on board with Brown and the new Kuwaiti owners.

He said: “There were a few sniffs (from other clubs) but nothing concrete. With the fact there was a takeover, it was looking like it could be a bright future for the club.

“I didn’t want to miss out on the opportunity to put the club back where it should be, in Conference Premier.

“At the end of last season, the club was in a situation where they could have gone into administration or liquidation. We just sat back and waited. No-one really expected much to happen.”

What did happen was the KEH Sports takeover and Daish’s departure.

Phipp said: “I was surprised because I knew he had a year left on his contract but with the relegation, I wasn’t 100% shocked. I was disappointed for him but it was possibly a good thing for the club.”

Read the full interview in the Gravesend Messenger.