Ebbsfleet matchwinner Alex Lankshear knew what he was letting himself in for after carrying on following a dislocated shoulder last Saturday.

The 22-year-old was in agony after going down injured in the first half at home to AFC Fylde, before amazingly carrying on and scoring the winner.

But it’s not the first time he’s suffered a dislocated shoulder - and carried on playing!

“I think it was a bit of a weird one,” said Lankshear. “It was just the way I landed with my arm being forward, it just popped out.

“It has happened before. But this one was like, it popped out completely and it didn’t come back in, whereas before it popped out and then went back in.

“But credit to our physio and also the Fylde physio, they popped it back in and it kind of just relieved the pain.

“I kind of knew what was going to happen [pain-wise] so I just thought, if I can strap it up and just not be careful with it, but just mind what I do, then hopefully it will be all right.”

Lankshear’s bravery was rewarded with his first Ebbsfleet goal, a close-range finish that proved to be the only one of the game.

It ended the club’s long wait for a league win.

“It’s my first goal here so I’m delighted with it and hopefully many more to come,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter how they come, it’s a part of my game that I want to improve on, getting goals and assists.

“It's been a long time coming (the win), especially coming here in January. I feel like as a team we’ve done well, but got unlucky with some results.

“I’m just happy for the fans really, I feel like they deserve that one.

“I’ve really enjoyed it here. It’s great for my experience as a player and to get experience in this league.

“It’s a tough league. I mean, only being young to play against players like this is quite good.

“I’m thankful for the gaffer and the teammates I’ve got around me, they’re helping me a lot.”