Three-time promotion winner Andy Drury believes he can go back-to-back for the first time in his career this season.

Drury, in his second spell at Ebbsfleet, won the Conference South title with Lewes in 2008 and then helped Stevenage into the Football League as Conference champions two years later.

But he left both clubs following those successes so this season represents a first-time challenge for the 33-year-old.

Drury said: "It’s more motivation because I want to kick on again and help this club get into the Football League.

"With everything that’s going on around it, I definitely think we’re capable of having a good season.

"The squad’s good. If you compare it to what I had with Eastleigh in the last couple of years, it’s better than that. I think we’ll do well.

"With six teams in the play-offs this year, I think we’ll definitely be there.”
Eastleigh are one of four clubs Drury’s represented in what used to be the Conference so he knows this level better than most.

"It will be better quality than what we had last year – but we’ve signed better players," he said. "It’s definitely a tougher league than it was years ago.

"There’s not a lot between League 2 and the National League these days. If you put the top 10 from this division into League 2, they’d all do pretty well.

"Teams are full-time and it’ll be a challenge but we can do well.

"Top seven is more than achievable and with the quality we’ve brought in and the quality we’ve already got here, we can even aim higher.

"You see it all the time with teams that win promotion. They start well (the next season) and the way we did it, though the play-offs and the run from January onwards, it will stand us in good stead for the season."

The chance to play at big grounds in the National League is the big draw for most Fleet players but not Drury.

He said: "I get more of a buzz playing at home now with what’s going on around the ground.

"I’ve played at all the grounds now so I get more motivation playing at home in front of our fans."

Read the full interview as part of our season preview coverage in the Gravesend Messenger.