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Assistant boss Ian Hendon praised the character of Ebbsfleet’s squad on Tuesday night.
The Fleet silenced their critics with an emphatic 3-0 win over Barnet in the National League – just three days after losing to Barrow by the same scoreline.
Scroll down to hear from Ebbsfleet's assistant manager Ian Hendon.
“It was very difficult to do a lot of work in that period when you’ve only got 12 senior players available,” explained Hendon.
“Gozie (Ugwu) was on the bench, he’s got an eye infection. He came in and said he wanted to be on the bench but he was nowhere near fit to play.
“There were a few harsh words said after the game (on Saturday) and the lads have responded how they should do to be fair.
“That was minimum requirements, that work-rate and work ethic.
“It’s funny, when you work hard you seem to get that little bit of luck as well. I think going forward that’s what we’ve got to be.
“It’s all about our work-rate and performance. We’ve got the players in there, good experienced players, as we keep telling them.”
Hendon praised full-back Lawrie Wilson for his display, as he played despite picking up a leg injury against Barrow.
“Wilson played, he had a bit of a problem over the weekend,” said Hendon. “He showed a lot of character and, for me, probably played his best game for us.
“He was solid at the back and they are the sort of characters that we want.
“First and foremost it’s about your character on the pitch. We had a bit of a to-do in the dressing room as you’d expect.
“Garry doesn’t mix his words and rightly so after that performance.
“It’s been a tough few days for everyone at the club but that’s the response we were looking for.”
Another player to impress was Myles Weston, who continued his impressive form with a key role in the Fleet’s first two goals, scoring one and setting up another.
“I think Westy has been our most consistent player this season, without a doubt,” noted Hendon.
“Especially first half, he kept getting in and putting balls in the box. He scored one, it was a fantastic ball in and deceived the keeper and went straight in.
“He has been performing consistently this season. Reidy has been scoring the goals as well from the other side so they are pulling their weight.”
Hendon was performing post-match media duties instead of Fleet boss Garry Hill, who let his assistant take the glory against his former club.
“Garry is delighted with the result and being it’s my old club he has let me have a go tonight,” joked Hendon.
“When you play against your old team, whether you are playing, coaching or managing, you always want to get one over on them.
“Nothing against anyone at Barnet, I had a fantastic time there for many years as player, coach and manager. It’s always sweet when that happens but I wish them well now.”
