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Manager Kevin Watson has insisted Ebbsfleet United’s destiny is in their own hands.
The Fleet head to Chesterfield in the National League on Saturday and then visit Maidenhead on Tuesday night.
Victory over bottom side Chorley at a windswept Stonebridge Road last Saturday extended the Fleet’s unbeaten run in the league to four matches – and they’ll need to extend that even further if they are to have any chance of survival.
Ebbsfleet are still five points away from climbing out of the bottom four but they can move to within a point of Chesterfield, the team immediately above them with victory at the weekend.
“We’ve got to go to Chesterfield, then we’ve got a game in hand against Maidenhead and effectively we’ve put it in our own hands which is all we can ask for,” said Watson.
“We don’t have to rely on other people and it’s all about what we do. I’ve always said it’s all about what we do.
“I think you’re probably going to need at least 50 points. Teams are playing each other but everyone beats each other.
“It’s a strange season the way it is panning out but that was a huge win against Chorley and it’s given us a chance.
“I’m absolutely delighted for the boys, it’s got to give them confidence.”
Indeed, Fleet’s ability to pick up three points against Chorley, knowing how tough survival would have been on the back of a home defeat, has shown Watson that his team have the capacity to beat the drop.
The Fleet boss is hoping his squad draw inspiration from those efforts.
“It should stand us in good stead for the next week,” said Watson. “It will give us a lot of belief and heart. The pressure was on massively. It would have let Chorley catch us up and we would have stayed quite far away from the pack we’re chasing.
“It was a huge game, the biggest for the club this season and we’ve got over the line.
“We need to be better with the ball and we did have chances to get it down and play. It takes some bottle to do what the boys did, but it’s no good for my ticker.
“I said I was going to be calm but that lasted until the last 10 minutes and then they got the penalty. But we got over the line and that’s all that matters.
“Players do get edgy, as much as I chill them out and calm them down to play, it’s down to them when they are out there to make good individual decisions.”
Fleet could hand Michael Timlin his long-awaited debut at Chesterfield – nearly a month after he first signed for the club.
Former Stevenage midfielder Timlin has had to sit out the last five matches due to a transfer embargo following an unpaid tax bill.
