Andy Pugh has revealed he almost re-joined Welling before making his loan move to Ebbsfleet last week.

The striker, who left the Wings to join Cambridge United for £15,000 in January 2012, is with the Fleet for 28 days.

Pugh, 24, has not featured for the U’s so far this season and Welling boss Jamie Day had shown interest in bringing him back to Park View Road.

But the Skrill Premier club couldn’t finance that deal and Ebbsfleet subsequently took the former Gillingham man on loan.

Pugh, who lives in Gravesend, said: “A few clubs enquired but I don’t think Ebbsfleet were one of them.

“Jamie Day tried to take me there but he didn’t have any money left in his budget to contribute towards the move.

"I think Jamie spoke to Steve Brown and told him I was available for loan.

“Ebbsfleet is ideal because it’s so local. I know the whole project that’s going on here and I’m aware of most of the players from my time at Welling.

“Ebbsfleet showed interest in me when I was at Gillingham and I was always keen to turn out for them.”

Pugh, who made his Fleet debut against Boreham Wood on Saturday, has found himself out of favour at the Abbey Stadium.

He said: “It’s been frustrating because I want to be playing.

"But the gaffer can only select a certain number of players and the 11 he’s been picking have been getting results, so it’s hard to argue.

“They felt I needed to go and get minutes. I’d been thinking it for a week previously.

"Now I’ve got to show everyone at Ebbsfleet what I’m capable of.”

Pugh has come into a team struggling for wins in The Skrill South but he hasn’t detected any despondency at Stonebridge Road.

He said: “There’s a good atmosphere in the dressing-room and everyone is still upbeat.

"With a project like this, you make yourself a target for other teams. All Boreham Wood wanted to do was stop us from playing our way.

“But with the quality we’ve got, it’s only a matter of time before things click.”