Garry Hill praised his "special" Ebbsfleet squad after they dug in to beat Wrexham on a day of drama at Stonebridge Road.

There was all sorts going on behind the scenes in the hour before kick-off and the game itself was even in doubt at one stage with Fleet not coming out to warm-up.

But after an agreement was reached between the players and the club's owner, Dr Abdulla Al-Humaidi, who signed the document they put in front of him, the match did go ahead and Hill's side tore into the Red Dragons.

Ebbsfleet were 3-0 up at half-time and they withstood a fightback in the second period to win 4-2 and stay within two points of the National League play-offs.

Hill said: "It's a very special squad, there's no doubt about that.

"I've been in the game a long time and this squad of players conduct themselves in a manner and they have to deal with certain things off the pitch and then have to give a performance on the pitch which people witnessed here today.

"There's nothing I can say apart from the character and the commitment and the performances they're showing at the football club have been different class.

"I've got some very experienced players in there and the changing-room runs itself.

"They're not under pressure getting battered by me through the week, they have a lot of privacy and they're a very close-knit group.

"You've got experienced players who have been successful above this level of football and won honours. They know how to run the changing-room and when I say that, they get their points across, they make their stance - which I respect - but they know, at 3 o'clock, what they've got to go out there and do and they've delivered. They do deliver. That's the group.

"I've had some very good sides and very good squads over the years but they come up with the best.

"I'm not only talking about on the pitch but off the pitch, you'll go a long way to find a stronger, close-knit squad of players who are very private in one way but very professional in another and go about their jobs. They'll get in on Monday morning and go about their jobs the right way.

"It doesn't matter what comes in front of these players as a squad, they won't move. They'll just plough through anything. They've shown it and they keep showing it.

"We've got five cup finals now, so hopefully we can get in those play-off positions and see where it takes us."

Two goals from Michael Cheek and one from Gozie Ugwu got the job done on Saturday after an own goal from Wrexham captain Shaun Pearson had broken the deadlock.

"I'm very pleased," Hill said. "It was always going to be a tough game and it's certainly a game where we had to get three points. Anything less would have damaging to our ambitions of getting in the top seven.

"All over the park, the first 45 minutes was the best 45 minutes I've seen from an Ebbsfleet team since we took charge in November. The movement and the strength and picking so many of the second balls up all over the park, they struggled to contain us.

"The front two were very powerful, very strong, they were winning the headers and second balls as well as being too mobile for the Wrexham backline.

"We had a little bit of luck on the first goal but I felt we deserved it because there were one or two chances before then which had gone begging.

"We didn't come off the gas when we went 1-0 up, we killed the game off by getting the second and third before half-time.

"I didn't imagine that; Wrexham are a good side with a lot of quality and to be in our position at half-time, it was really for us to be a little bit sloppy or silly in the second half, to throw the game away.

"We gave a goal away cheaply which we're disappointed about and the boys know that and their tails were up.

"When you're 3-1 down, sometimes you have to risk losing 5-1 but they got another break and Nathan Ashmore had to make a good save.

"Without doubt, it got a little bit nervy towards the end but we got the fourth and when you say you got four goals against Wrexham at home and a vital three points, it's given us a great lift.

"All we can do is play our final five games, get as many points as we can and see where it takes us."

Read the match report from Ebbsfleet's 4-2 win over Wrexham