Dean Rance turned down several offers from higher-ranked clubs to sign his new deal at Ebbsfleet.

The midfielder was a man in demand following Fleet’s play-off final defeat to Maidstone and many thought the 24-year-old could be off to the Gallagher Stadium for 2016-17.

Stones never came in for Rance but other clubs did and he was faced with a big decision – spend another season in National League South or start a new chapter higher up the pyramid.

Scroll down for video

And when it came to the crunch, Fleet’s longest-serving player couldn’t turn his back on Stonebridge Road.

Rance said: "I had a few offers in the league above and there were a few words in the league above that (League 2).

"But I came here to get promoted with Ebbsfleet and haven’t achieved that yet. I felt like I needed to give it another go.

"I’ve got unfinished business here. I want to get promoted with Ebbsfleet because I can see the potential at the club. Although it’s not happened now, it will happen.

"I spoke to a few people and the phone calls came in but at no stage did I feel like I was ready to leave."

VIDEO: Rance says fitness for the squad is key

If you believed fans’ forums and social media, Rance to Maidstone was a done deal but he insisted: "There was no truth in that.

"I didn’t hear anything from Maidstone and they didn’t hear anything from me. I’m friends with (Stones manager) Jay Saunders, we get on well and talk but there was no talk about going there.

"It might have come from a friend. I live in Maidstone, so you hear friends talking and they said ‘it would be good to see you come to Maidstone’ and I said ‘you never know’.

"They’re my hometown club but that’s one day in the future. People obviously read into it, thinking it was going to be happening in the next couple of weeks.

"I was on holiday when I saw what was going on so I couldn’t reply to anything until I got back. Once I got back, I was just waiting to speak to Macca (Ebbsfleet boss Daryl McMahon).

"I’m happy to be on board for another year.

"We need to get out of this league. We should have done it last year and need to prove people wrong again.

"We need to do it for the fans because they’ve stuck by us in the last couple of years and we let them down a little bit last year."