Dean Rance could make his 100th appearance for Ebbsfleet at the weekend and his lack of cards this Christmas shows how the midfielder has matured during two-and-a-half years at the club.

Five yellows and a red so far this season is an improvement on Rance’s previous disciplinary records and it’s something the 24-year-old has been working hard at.

Rance has been a pillar of consistency during occasionally turbulent times at Stonebridge Road and if he can steer clear of suspension, the National South leaders will be better off.

He said: "I think my game’s changed massively and that’s probably one of the main reasons I’ve enjoyed it so much. I feel like I’m improving every year.

"You can see this year just how much I’ve changed as a player by looking at the bookings. Last year and the year before it was too many.

"Although I don’t want to take that out of my game, it’s something I had to have a look at.

"I’m not a dirty player so I don’t know where the bookings accumulated from. They were always quite soft but this year I’ve not had to make as many tackles because we’ve got the ball a lot more.

"I’m a lot smarter with picking my tackles in the right areas. That comes with growing up a little bit."

Rance has learned from his mistakes, having been sent-off for a needless rash tackle on Bradley Goldberg just minutes from the end of Ebbsfleet’s play-off semi-final win over Bromley in 2013/14.

He had to sit out the final and Fleet lost 1-0 to his former club Dover.

Rance said: "That was personally gutting. As soon as I was off, I knew I was missing the final. It’s the worst game of football I’ve ever had to watch. I couldn’t do anything to help. It wasn’t in my hands.

"We missed a massive chance there to go up at the first time of asking. It still bugs me because it’s frustrating knowing we could have done it two years ago.

"We’ve had to work doubly hard to get back where we were that year after the disappointment of last year.

"I can’t let it slip again. It was in our grasp and the way I got sent off, the 84th minute, we were through to the final.

"Maybe it was a bit of immaturity on my side but I’ve grown up massively as a player and I just want to get out of this league now."

Read the full interview in the Gravesend Messenger.