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Ebbsfleet fielded two new players as they returned to National League South action with a welcome home win on Tuesday night.
Volunteers spent all of the afternoon clearing the Stonebridge Road pitch of snow and their efforts proved worthwhile thanks to first-half goals from Rakish Bingham and Alfie Egan.
Fleet handed on-loan Huddersfield teenage goalkeeper Giosue Bellagambi his first start with Jordan Holmes joining fellow stopper Tom Hadler in the treatment room.
Forward Dominic Poleon, who spent time at Dover last term, came off the bench for his Fleet debut late on and nearly scored with his first touch.
Ebbsfleet took the lead on 18 minutes. Lee Martin, back in the side for the first time since the start of January due to injury, twisted and turned to make room for himself in the box and when keeper Alan Julian pushed away his effort, leading scorer Bingham was able to fire home his 10th goal of the campaign.
The lead was doubled when a quickly taken throw-in found Jack Paxman, who fed Alfie Egan and he beat Julian at his near post from the edge of the box with a well-taken right-foot shot.
Hampton pulled a goal back on the stroke of half-time when a Kyron Farrell left-wing cross was headed in by David Fisher from eight yards out.
Martin went close to extending Fleet’s lead on more than one occasion while Poleon’s shot was blocked just moments after his introduction to give fresh legs in attack.
Hampton, who had won their last seven away league games, almost snatched an equaliser at the death but Nico Muir sent his shot wide with just the keeper to beat.
The result moves the Fleet up to eighth in the table, four points outside the play-off places.
Ebbsfleet: Bellagambi, Adebayo-Rowling, B Taylor, Kahraman, Goodman, Payne (West 63mins), Egan, Paxman, Dobson (Mekki 46mins), Bingham, Martin (Poleon 76mins). Subs not used: Allen, Wood.
Hampton: Julian, Donaldson, Inman, Wassmer (Carvalho 74mins), Cox, Deadfield (Rodney 46mins), Gray, Muir, Fisher (Minhas 74mins), Farrell, Vilhete. Subs not used: Brown, Smith.
