Sean Shields is confident Ebbsfleet will emulate Sutton’s run to the title – if they can cut out the individual mistakes which are hurting them.

Shields has started the season in fine form but is sharing Fleet supporters’ frustration after a run of three successive draws.

Ebbsfleet are one of only two unbeaten sides in National South, however, and are just three points behind early leaders Maidenhead.

Shields said: "Everyone here knows it’s a long, hard season. There’s a lot of games so we’re not going to get too disheartened.

"We know we have to cut out the individual errors because if they carry on, we’re not going to be helping ourselves.

"We’re confident in the squad, the players we have here and our aim is, of course, to win the league.

"It’s still August and hopefully now we can rectify these little mistakes, turn them into wins and keep getting stronger as the season goes on.

"We saw what Sutton did last season. We’re not trying to copy them in any way because we’re concentrating on ourselves but they got stronger as the season went on and that’s what we want to do."

Shields capped his latest bright display with a goal against Hemel Hempstead at Stonebridge Road on Saturday.

It looked like the 24-year-old winger had won the game for Fleet but within a minute of him putting them 2-1 up, Hemel had equalised.

"You can’t beat that feeling," Shields said. "I was pleased to score my first of the season, it’s what I’m in the team to do, be expressive, get into those areas and it was great to cap it off with a goal.

"But for it to be cancelled out seconds later was gutting. It was almost surreal.

"You don’t take anything for granted but there were 10 minutes to go and having scored you think ‘surely that’s it now,’ you’ve won the game for the team.

"I felt dead on my feet at the end of the game. To not come away with three points is hard to take."

But he added: "I have been happy with my form. Like I’ve said before, I love playing under this gaffer (Daryl McMahon) because he lets me go out, express myself and get in attacking areas.

"He wants me to be positive, take my man on, cross it and get into scoring positions so I can’t ask for much more.

"This is what I would have been looking to do last year, having had a strong pre-season.

"I got injured a week before the season started but hopefully now I can carry on showing this form and helping the team to wins instead of draws."