Three months on from their dramatic play-off victory over Chelmsford, the highlights from that game will still bring a beaming smile to the face of any Ebbsfleet supporter.

They’re not the only ones.

"My little boy wants to see the re-run every five minutes at home," said Dave Winfield, whose towering header got Fleet back in the game at 1-1 after they’d gone a goal down with 10 men.

"It had everything a game of football should have. There were trials and tribulations throughout the 90 minutes that we had to overcome.

"It was fantastic from the players’ point of view and everyone who works at the club but also the fans. Everything you’d want to see from a football match to be entertained was there."

But promotion wasn’t the only thing on Winfield’s mind at the end of last season. His wife Jenna was pregnant and she gave birth to the couple’s third child, Dottie, on June 4.

Throw in a house move and this summer’s been anything but a holiday.

"We were looking to get away but it didn’t pan out like that," Winfield said. "But I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was fantastic to gain promotion and the family are settled now, which is an added bonus going into this campaign.

"There was a good buzz around the boys when we first came back in. The new players have settled in tremendously.

"The squad’s decent. We’ve definitely improved from last year, which is what you look to do when you gain promotion and you’re in a higher league.

"There’s going to be challenges we face this year that we didn’t face last year but we feel prepared."

Winfield will lead Fleet out at Guiseley on Saturday after taking over from Danny Kedwell as club captain.

He’s held the same role at other clubs and stood in as skipper for several games at the end of last season when Kedwell was injured.

Winfield said: "It’s an honour and it feels like it comes naturally.

"It’s part of my make-up regardless of whether I wear the armband or not. I’m exactly the same player and I’d like to think the majority of the boys would say that as well.

"Whenever you put that armband on, you represent the club directly. I’m happy with it."

Winfield rejected a new contract at York last summer and his decision to join Ebbsfleet has so far been vindicated.

The Minstermen will play in National League North this season after back-to-back relegations while Winfield and Fleet are on the up.

He said: "I don’t ever want to see football clubs I’ve previously been at get relegated or not do as well as others. But in hindsight, was it the right decision? Yes.

"I’ve enjoyed my time here and I knew there was enough of a set-up behind the scenes to want to drive and achieve things as well as I did.

"When those two things match, it helps the situation. I continued to drive to achieve what I wanted to last year, as the boys did, and the club as a whole.

"It was fantastic to see that come off."