Sean Shields announced his return to the Ebbsfleet team in style on Saturday.

The 24-year-old winger scored the equaliser as Fleet came from a goal down to to beat Chelmsford 3-1 and keep their National League South title hopes alive.

Shields was named man-of-the-match and left the pitch to a standing ovation when he was substituted.

It was his first league start at Stonebridge Road this season, having spent much of the campaign out on loan after picking up an injury late in pre-season.

Shields said: "It’s literally what I’ve been waiting for all season.

"In the last few games since I’ve been back, that’s what I’ve been building up to do, really explode into a game and have that sort of impact on it.

"It’s an amazing feeling and it’s what I’ve been waiting for all year. I’m delighted that I’ve got my chance because I love it here.

Ebbsfleet were 1-0 down at half-time but scored three goals in seven minutes after the break.

Shields said: "The gaffer was calm as usual (at half-time). He said that we were going to score at some point and hopefully it would be early. He told us to be relaxed, we'd played some good football in the first half so keep going and once we get that goal, we’re going to go on and win it.

"Once we equalised, that was 100% the case. We felt them drop massively. They’d put in an awful lot of effort to keep it at 1-0 and it knocked the stuffing out of them.

"We were so strong going forward at the end of the game."

Shields' goal was a precise low strike from the right-hand side of the penalty area on 53 minutes.

He admitted: "I don’t actually remember it too well. I think I picked it up in the box, earned my half-yard and drove it back across goal into the far corner.

"I was delighted to get it and it really helped us drive forward.

"It was such a great feeling and you could see from all the players’ reactions just how much it lifted everyone. Everyone was buzzing with it and then we got the second and third goals not long afterwards."