Tonbridge turned the formbook upside down with a magnificent derby win at National League South leaders Ebbsfleet.

Goals from centre-backs Ben Swift and Sonny Miles inflicted a first defeat of the season in any competition on the Fleet, who remain top after Dartford lost at Farnborough.

But it was all about Jay Saunders’ Tonbridge side at a club he used to play for, with the Angels defending brilliantly throughout.

Ebbsfleet were given an early warning by the visitors when inside the second minute, home captain Chris Solly had to block Dejon Golding’s shot.

Louis Collins’ effort from a Jamie Fielding cross was diverted behind for a corner before Tonbridge took the lead on 10 minutes.

A cross from the right fell perfectly for Ben Swift, who needed no second invitation to drill home his first Angels goal.

It needed a cynical Ben Chapman block on Joe Turner, which earned him a yellow card, to deny Tonbridge a promising break but thereafter the remainder of the half was more about the visitors keeping an excellent shape and trying to catch the Fleet on the counter attack.

Tonbridge keeper Jon Henly produced two excellent first-half stops, the first an instinctive arm to keep out Luke O’Neill’s close-range header from an Omari Sterling-James free-kick.

Henly then denied Bingham on the half-hour and leading scorer Dominic Poleon somehow blazed the rebound over from close range.

Tonbridge’s Tariq Hinds was booked for a foul on Greg Cundle and Henly’s timewasting antics earned him a yellow card five minutes before half-time.

It was a perfect half for Jay Saunders’ men who frustrated an Ebbsfleet side that lacked their usual fluidity.

All that good work was wiped out within two minutes of the second half, however, when Kieran Monlouis headed in unmarked from close range from Omari Sterling-James’ left-wing corner to level up the scores.

The goal sparked an immediate mood change among the home fans, and Ebbsfleet should have been ahead when Cundle’s cross fell perfectly for Rakish Bingham but he shot over under pressure just before the hour mark.

But the leaders were on the backfoot again on 63 minutes when cross-shot fell perfectly for skipper Sonny Miles, who couldn’t miss from close range at the far post, much to the delight of the travelling Angels fans.

It took another incredible save from Henly to deny Fleet an equaliser on 73 minutes when Poleon connected at close-range with a left-wing cross, somehow the Tonbridge keeper kept it out.

Ebbsfleet turned to substitute Shaq Coulthirst and Henly turned his low shot behind for a corner within a minute of coming on.

Tonbridge as a team were magnificent, especially the back three of Miles, Swift and Jamie Fielding.

Ebbsfleet had six minutes to preserve their unbeaten record, and Coulthirst forced another good stop from Henly at his near post before Bingham’s shot was blocked as the visitors held out for an outstanding victory.

Ebbsfleet: Cousins, O’Neill (Domi 71mins), Jombati, Sterling-James, Bingham, Tanner, Poleon, Cundle, Solly, Chapman (Edser 46mins), Monlouis (Coulthirst 81mins). Subs not used: Romain, Paxman.

Tonbridge: Henly, Fielding, Braham-Barrett. Hinds, Miles, Swift, Gard (Aransibia 81mins), Wagstaff, Collins (Gavin 89mins), Golding (Soares-Junior 59mins), Turner. Subs not used: Wood, Parkinson.

Referee: Callum Walchester.

Attendance: 1,506.