Michael West returned to haunt Ebbsfleet on Tuesday night.

The midfielder earned 10-man Whitehawk a point at Stonebridge Road on his first return to the ground since being released by Fleet in the summer.

Anthony Cook opened the scoring on 20 minutes but Charlie Sheringham missed a penalty after the Hawks goalkeeper had been sent off nine minutes into the second half.

Ebbsfleet's line-up bore two changes from the 1-1 draw at Hungerford on Saturday. Stuart Lewis and Sam Deering both started for the first time this season, with JP Kissock dropping to the bench while Jack Powell wasn't involved at all.

Danny Kedwell was fit enough for the bench, having picked up an injury at Concord seven days earlier, but Matt Fish and Jordan Parkes were again left out of the Fleet squad.

The visitors, almost unrecognisable from their previous visit in the play-off semi-final at the end of last season, were captained by former Fleet favourite West.

Fleet were excellent in the first half, quick to press Whitehawk when they didn't have the ball and inventive in possession when they won it back.

West dragged a free-kick well wide for the Hawks but then came two really good chances at the other end.

Sheringham met Sam Deering's cross with a shot which was well blocked and right-back Marvin McCoy, making his home debut, fizzed a dangerous cross back through the six-yard box as Whitehawk tried to reorganise themselves.

A left-wing cross from Sean Shields then fell at the feet of Sheringham but he couldn't get his feet sorted quickly enough and the chance passed.

At the other end, it took a fine block from Kenny Clark to stop Sergio Torres converting Gabriel Yan's low centre.

Whitehawk spurned a great chance to take the lead when the unmarked Ramon Marimon headed wide from a corner - and they were made to pay for that miss.

Less than a minute later, Cook curled an exquisite shot across goalkeeper Lucas Covolan and into the far corner from 20 yards to put Ebbsfleet in front.

Cook almost had a second when Fleet, again pressing high up the pitch, nicked the ball of Whitehawk in a dangerous area.

Two misdirected headers from Danny Mills reminded the home side how narrow their lead was, although Deering almost made it 2-0 late in the first half with a free-kick from 20 yards which deflected behind for a corner.

Marvin Hamilton and Chris M'Boungou were cautioned for the foul and dissent respectively.

Whitehawk were almost gifted a goal at the start of the second half when Nathan Ashmore dwelt on the ball inside his area and was almost dispossessed by West.

But then came a moment of real controversy at the other end.

Covolan claimed a cross from the Fleet right but then jumped into Deering, knocking the little midfielder to the floor. Referee Alan Dale pointed to the penalty spot and, after a moment's deliberation, sent the goalkeeper off.

Sheringham stepped up but didn't even force a save from replacement keeper Adria Munoz as his spot-kick sailed high over the crossbar.

It was the striker's last meaningful contribution as he made way for Kedwell as part of a double substitution but the Hawks were clearly lifted by the let-off.

West shot over from Torres' pass and Dave Winfield almost sliced the ball into his own net before Yan's free-kick clipped a defender and flashed narrowly wide.

Kedwell cut an increasingly isolated figure up front on his own with Ebbsfleet dropped deeper into defence to protect their advantage. Manager Daryl McMahon yelled at his players to push higher up the pitch but nerves spread around the ground as time ticked away.

Rodrigo Mann brushed through a Dean Rance challenge and fired a shot wide but the Fleet's sluggishness was finally punished six minutes from time.

Whitehawk won a free-kick 25 yards out and, almost inevitably, West's powerful strike flew into the corner to earn his new club a share of the spoils.

McCoy lashed a shot over in stoppage-time with Deering in space and expecting a pass. The howls of frustration from the home fans said it all.

Still the Fleet might have won it but Munoz saved brilliantly from Deering and from the resulting corner, Lewis arrowed a low shot inches wide.

Ebbsfleet: Ashmore, McCoy, Connors, Rance, Winfield, Clark, Deering, Lewis, Sheringham (Kedwell 60mins), Cook (McQueen 79mins), Shields (Kissock 60mins). Subs not used: Greenidge, Miles.

Whitehawk: Covolan, Mann, Yan (Lire De Andrade 88mins), M'Boungou, Marimon (Munoz 54mins), Hamilton, West, Torres, Mills, Abdulla (Culley 56mins), Favarel. Subs not used: Tagbo, Llenga.

Attendance: 933.