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Ebbsfleet United boss Daryl McMahon on the derby against Maidstone United

Daryl McMahon knows Ebbsfleet must be wary of Blair Turgott in Tuesday's derby clash with Maidstone.

Turgott has already scored 11 goals in all competitions this season and he was made Stones captain following Stuart Lewis' departure to Dover.

In fact, Turgott is the only player to have scored in the league for Maidstone since Harry Wheeler was appointed manager in September.

Blair Turgott in action for Maidstone against Leyton Orient Picture: Sean Aidan
Blair Turgott in action for Maidstone against Leyton Orient Picture: Sean Aidan

He's clearly a threat although the Fleet manager has a few trump cards up his sleeve too.

"Blair's playing really well," said McMahon. "He's a talented player.

"He's a very good dribbler with good pace, he's a good finisher and we have to be wary of him, of course we do.

"He's a talented boy but we've got a few ourselves that are quite talented that I'm sure Harry will be looking at: Whitely, Coulson, Weston, Shields, Kedwell.

"We've got a few you've got to stop as well and we've got to make sure we're on the front foot and doing our stuff.

"We must limit the amount of touches Blair Turgott can have if we can."

Ebbsfleet completed the double over Maidstone last season, Luke Coulson and Danny Kedwell scoring to earn a 2-0 win in the home fixture last August.

Jack Powell, who netted both Fleet goals in a 2-1 success at the Gallagher Stadium in January, joined Maidstone last month but a clause in that transfer means he can't play against his former club tonight.

Three straight defeats have left the Stones two points above the National League relegation zone.

Action from the derby at Stonebridge Road last season Picture: Andy Payton
Action from the derby at Stonebridge Road last season Picture: Andy Payton

Ebbsfleet have struggled at home this season, winning just one of their eight league games, although they come into this fixture on the back of two good results.

A 4-0 win against Worthing in the FA Cup was followed by their best performance of the season on Saturday to earn a 1-1 draw at leaders Salford.

McMahon said: "If the players give the same level of effort and quality of performance, that would be great for us.

"We're looking forward to the game. It's a great game, a derby game and we've enjoyed them over the last few years.

"We'll need the fans behind us. We'll need them noisy as ever and I'm sure they will be.

"Tuesday night under the lights at our place is normally a good game, especially in a derby, and the staff and players are fully up for this."

It will be the first time the Kent rivals have locked horns since Jay Saunders left Maidstone.

"They'll be different," McMahon said. "They've got different players and Harry will have different ideas about how he wants them to play compared to Jay.

"We'll be just focused on ourselves, really. We've got to make sure we're at it like we were on Saturday and last Saturday.

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