Fit-again club captain Dave Winfield is determined to repay Ebbsfleet for helping him overcome a serious knee injury.

Winfield ruptured his medial cruciate ligament in August and was out for four months before returning to action in the win over Guiseley on Saturday.

He wasn’t expected back until Christmas at the earliest but is now ready to play a significant part in the second half of the National League campaign.

Winfield said: “When you first do a long-term injury you struggle to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“But when you see the progression and you work hard, away from what everybody can see, you slowly start to see that opening at the end.

“The club have been absolutely fantastic with how they’ve supported me – the medical staff and conditioning coaches. It’s all been because we’ve got a good set-up here.

“There’s no secret, you’ve got to want to work hard and do things right and listen to the professionals. When the surgeon advises you to do things, you’d better do it otherwise you’re going to break down.

“The club wants to do things the right way, which is brilliant for the players at the club and the players coming to the club in the future.

“I’ve been lucky in that I am where I am at this stage of my career. They’ve looked after me and I want to give them something back when I return.”

Winfield returns with Fleet just three places and four points outside the play-offs heading into Christmas.

He said: “There’s still a few clubs within touching distance of where they want to be and I would put us in that bracket.

“It’s a positive position to be in and one I’m sure myself and the boys are going to relish in the second half of the season.

“I had a goal at the start of this campaign and, fingers crossed, if we work hard and maybe have a little bit of luck along the way, we might achieve what we want to.”

Danny Kedwell was waiting for Winfield in the centre circle when he replaced Jack Connors as a 78th-minute substitute on Saturday. Kedwell handed over the captain’s armband and the pair embraced.

“That was fantastic,” Winfield said. “We had a conversation after the game because it takes a lot to do that.

“He said ‘I wanted to congratulate you on how hard you’ve worked’ which was fantastic. It goes to show not just the players we have at the club but the team spirit.

“It’s fantastic for everyone to see but that wasn’t why it was done. It was done from one player to another to show the respect of what one’s been through.”