Greg Cundle might not be playing the leading role for Ebbsfleet but he’s still doing his best to grab the limelight.

Cundle has been the Fleet’s most-improved player this season, playing in the unfamiliar role of left wing-back.

It’s a position that is totally new to the former Gillingham youngster who has always seen his future as a centre-forward until the past year.

“If you’d told me three years ago that I was going to be playing left wing-back, I would have laughed at you, but here we are,” said Cundle, who marked his return from a groin injury with the winner against Concord in National League South last Saturday - his third goal of the season.

He can still rely on those striker instincts even when playing in a totally different position and the chances will come, albeit on a less frequent basis.

“You’ve got to work hard first and foremost, you’re not going to score every week, I know that but you’re going to get your chances in the team,” explained Cundle.

“The way we play, the boys are still going to create chances so I can still get on the scoresheet and help the team.

“If I get myself in the box I am going to get goals still. I’m not going to be the top scorer but I will chip in with a few goals during the season.”

It’s been a remarkable turnaround for Cundle, who seemed destined to be leaving Ebbsfleet at the end of last season.

Injured disrupted his campaign and he was never able to establish himself as a regular in manager Dennis Kutrieb’s plans before he caught the eye in a series of friendly matches.

“I’ve been a striker pretty much all my life and last season I got back fit and the season had been finished,” said Cundle.

“We played friendly games here and I said I’d use it as fitness. I was told that I was being let go and the gaffer stuck me out at left wing-back in a few of the friendlies and I looked good.

“I was out injured last season for large parts of it and when the decisions came around to players being kept on or being let go, they said no to me.

“I was still doing my rehab here to get fit. They said I was more than welcome to do it, I got fit, took my chance and here I am.

“I was comfortable out there, the boys helped me out and I went from strength to strength.

“I’m still learning the system and the position, playing with Ben Chapman on Saturday was different to having Joe Martin there (behind me). We kept talking to each other and tried to be as solid as we could.

“Since the start of the season I’ve just tried to prove to the manager what I can do and it’s working out well so far.”

Cundle admitted last weekend’s win over Concord was a massive relief as Fleet ended a mini-slump of three league defeats and a FA Trophy exit at lower-league Cray Wanderers.

They survived a late scare to hold onto maximum points, a win that was well deserved in Cundle’s eyes.

“We pushed hard all second half,” he noted. “They scored probably against the run of play in the first half and we had to regroup at half-time.

“It was one-way traffic for most of the second half until we scored and then we held on for dear life at the end. We had to work hard and go back to basics really and it worked for us.

“I missed a chance five minutes earlier where I probably should have scored and that spurred me on to get the winner.”