Ebbsfleet manager Danny Searle has completed his 11th signing of the summer after adding a new goalkeeper to his squad.

The Fleet have snapped up 21-year-old Dylan Berry after he left Championship side Norwich City.

Berry was unveiled to Ebbsfleet fans before Saturday’s 1-1 pre-season friendly draw at home to League 1 Crawley Town, although the new keeper didn’t play any part in that game.

The arrival of Berry means that Fleet keeper Harrison Firth, who spent time with Chipstead last season, will again head out on loan.

“We’re fortunate that Harrison is a very competent keeper but from our perspective, it was always the plan for him to go out on loan this year and get some more experience,” explained Ebbsfleet boss Danny Searle.

“He had a good loan last year, he’s a young keeper and he needs to go out and learn his trade and be put in difficult situations. We’ve got some good options for him.

“I wanted to bring a different profile of keeper in and Dylan ticked that box in a lot of ways. Mark Cousins has been outstanding for us but he needs to be pushed as well and know he’s got someone there.

“We’re delighted to get Dylan in the building and we can’t wait to see him on the grass.”

So is the arrival of Berry, who has had loan spells in non-league at the likes of St Albans and Chelmsford, genuine competition for player-of-the-year Mark Cousins?

“100 per cent,” responded Searle. “That was the standard we looked at.

“The prerequisite for our recruitment and I’ve probably said it 50 times, so people are getting bored of it, is that we want starters, we want people that are going to come in and affect the starting line-up and that’s no different with the goalkeeping position.

“Mark respects that and knows that, he has earned the right to start the season as the number one but he’s got to also earn the right to keep it. It’s always different with keepers as they have their own little union but he will welcome that challenge.

“If you look at last year with Chris Haigh – he was a great keeper and more importantly for me a great person – there were a lot of similarities between him and Mark, the type of goalkeepers they are. We wanted a different profile this year, someone who can affect it in a different way. I think he is 6ft 6in so he’s got a bit of height about him!”

Berry will undoubtedly be a popular addition for Fleet fans who recall his role in the National League South play-off semi-final against Dartford in 2022/23. Berry saved Samir Carruthers’ spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out for his then-loan club St Albans, who progressed at the expense of the Fleet’s rivals.