EBBSFLEET boss Liam Daish insists he is taking one game at a time - starting with Hereford on Saturday.

Fleet will face fierce local rivals Dartford twice over the festive period as they look to fight their way out of the relegation zone.

Despite the supporters eagerly anticipating the derby clashes, Daish is eager to get a positive result this weekend against the Bulls before worrying about any other game.

“We look forward to every game and look to win every game starting with Hereford on Saturday,” Daish explained.

“The Dartford games are massive, but we are solely focused on this weekend rather than looking at Boxing Day or New Year’s Day.

“The supporters will be really up for the Dartford double header of course and so will I.

“It is a local rivalry the players should relish.”

Fleet are 22nd in the league and have just one point from their last four league games.

Not many people expected Daish’s men to finish in the top half but looming relegation will be a concern to the supporters.

The Conference strugglers will now face five of the top 12 in the next three weeks but Daish wants to show the long-term progress the club has made since he arrived.

“It has been a tough season so far and it gets harder every year,” he said.

“Getting the players to full fitness and working on a budget like ours is difficult, especially battling clubs who are full-time.

“But we have been in the Conference for all but one of my seasons here and that is progress.

“You look at teams like Rushden & Diamonds and Kettering who are established clubs that have fallen into oblivion in recent years, which shows how well we have been doing.

“We need to be judged overall on our performance rather than a run of bad results.”

The league is extremely tight and Ebbsfleet are only 10 points away from seventh-placed Kidderminster.

Hereford visit Stonebridge Road on Saturday and after a fortnight off Daish has confirmed he has some key players returning to his squad.

“With a week off last week it was good to get some players back fit like Nathan Elder and Ram Marwa,” Daish explained.

“Paul Lorraine is also available after missing three games suspended and he has something to prove now.

“I can’t see Moses Ashikodi being fit though.”

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