Ebbsfleet are gearing up for a month which manager Steve Brown believes could define their season.

Promotion rivals Sutton, Bromley and Dover are all due to visit Stonebridge Road in the next four weeks, with the Fleet also travelling to Bromley on Boxing Day.

And that means Saturday’s home game against lowly Whitehawk is one that third-placed Ebbsfleet must win if they are to reach the turn of the year in touch with the Skrill South leaders.

Brown said: "We’ve got a very difficult period coming up over Christmas. If we continue to stay in the top five, I expect us to push on in the back half of the season.

"The Whitehawk game is an opportunity to keep a buffer zone between us and the teams outside the play-off positions.

"It’s an extremely important game. It presents a chance to add to our tally and to push ourselves towards the two teams above us."

Centre-forward Ben May remains sidelined with a neck injury and has not trained this week but Ebbsfleet have no other injury concerns.