Signing Andy Drury was a case of right time, right place, Ebbsfleet manager Daryl McMahon insisted.

Drury returned to Stonebridge Road from Eastleigh on a deal until the end of the season last Friday.

The 33-year-old midfielder previously played for the Fleet between 2003 and 2006 before going on to feature for Stevenage, Luton and Ipswich.

“It was a case of he wanted to get back to Kent,” said McMahon. “The travelling was too much for him to Eastleigh, he has two young children and a wife here. He was leaving early and not getting back until late.

“We moved quickly once we knew. I played with Andy at Stevenage so I know what a good player he is and we’ve kept in touch since.

“He is having a good season but it was just the fact that he wanted to get back here so it fell into our lap, really."

Drury scored 19 goals in 118 games for the Fleet in his first spell after joining for a nominal fee from Sittingbourne.

The signing certainly raised eyebrows in non-league circles about the Fleet’s ambition this season but McMahon, who also added defender Yado Mambo to his squad last week, was not getting carried away.

“We’ve signed Yado from Bishop’s Stortford, Darren McQueen from Maldon and Bradley Bubb when he didn’t have a club,” said McMahon.

“You can make of it what you want but we wouldn’t have signed him if he didn’t want to come back to Kent.”

Read the full story in Thursday's Gravesend Messenger.