A brilliant goal from Luke Coulson handed Ebbsfleet their first home win since Boxing Day.

Coulson came off the bench to score the winner against relegation-threatened Solihull Moors at a rain-lashed Kuflink Stadium.

His strike ended Fleet's seven-hour wait for a goal and lifted them to 10th in the National League.

Daryl McMahon has been unable to change personnel in terms of new signings lately but he did use a different system in this game.

Fit-again Kenny Clark took his place in a back three alongside Dave Winfield and Sam Magri, with Lawrie Wilson and Jack Connors providing the width in midfield. Myles Weston was pushed up front with Danny Kedwell and there was a free role for Jack Powell behind them.

Both sides huffed and puffed in the first half but there was more perspiration than inspiration.

Adi Yusuff shot wide on the turn for Solihull before Danny Kedwell glanced a header wide from Connors' cross at the other end.

Sam Magri threw himself in front of a shot from Jamey Osborne and from the corner which followed - a wretched delivery - Ebbsfleet counter-attacked. Powell fed Connors, wide on the left, but Kedwell failed to connect properly with his low cross and was stood in an offside position anyway.

The home bench were furious with the award of one Moors free-kick and there mood would have been even worse if Kwame Thomas' diving header from the cross had dropped inside the post.

Fleet got themselves into some good positions but often their crossing let them down. Wilson over-hit a couple and one from Weston was gathered in by goalkeeper Max O'Leary.

His opposite number Nathan Ashmore saved from Thomas and Kristian Green at the other end before Connors went close for the home side. His first effort struck a defender and the full-back then forced a save from O'Leary.

Kedwell was fouled a few yards outside the box but Powell's free-kick, the last meaningful moment of the first half, struck the Moors wall.

Weston initiated a lively break after the restart but when Dean Rance helped the ball on to Connors, he dwelt on the ball too long and the chance was gone.

Solihull almost punished a communication breakdown in the Ebbsfleet defence moments later. Clark thought Ashmore was coming out to clear a long ball but he wasn't, and Yussuf almost stole in between them.

But the Fleet were starting to go forward with more purpose and when Weston helped the ball on for Kedwell, it took an excellent sliding block from Liam Daly to thwart him.

McMahon sent on Luke Coulson and Andy Drury for the final half-an-hour and it was Coulson who broke the deadlock 18 minutes from time.

Rance, well advanced, did well to keep the move alive by knocking the ball wide for Coulson and he stepped inside his man before bending a brilliant shot across O'Leary and into the far corner.

Having gone more than seven hours with a goal, Ebbsfleet almost scored two in a few minutes as Kedwell charged down Daly's clearance and ran clear. However, Green did superbly to get back and nick the ball off his toe just as Kedwell was about to pull the trigger.

At the other end, Rance was furious to be penalised for a challenge just outside the box and although Osborne's free-kick flew miles over, Rance continued the conversation with referee Alan Dale.

A series of niggly incidents disrupted the flow of the game late on with the officials not endearing themselves to either side, but for Ebbsfleet the result was all that mattered on a day like this.

Solihull threw men forward but they created little and lost their discipline, while Coulson almost made it 2-0 at the death with a low shot which slid inches wide.

Ebbsfleet: Ashmore, Clark, Winfield, Magri, Wilson, Payne, Rance, Connors (Coulson 59mins), Powell (Drury 59mins), Weston, Kedwell. Subs not used: Jordan, Bubb, Bush.

Solihull: O'Leary, Green, Daly, Kelleher, Reckford, Carter (Edwards 77mins), Storer (Carline 90mins), Osborne, Yussuf (Reid 62mins), Hylton, Thomas. Subs not used: Williams, Green.

Attendance: 1,117.