Michael West has revealed that an Xbox chat with goalkeeper Preston Edwards was behind his surprise transfer back to Ebbsfleet.

The midfielder was unhappy at League 1 Crewe when he first inquired about a move back to north Kent – from the comfort of his own sofa.

West said: "I play Xbox a lot with Preston and it came up in conversation on Xbox. I was like, 'I need to do something to get my confidence back, I’m not playing and I’m rotting away, not even on the bench.'

"That was basically it, speaking to Preston and then it went from there. I spoke to my agent, he said he’d see what he could do and in January they let me go."

Other clubs were interested in West, but the 22-year-old insisted Stonebridge Road was always his desired destination.

He said: "In my heart, deep down, I knew I wanted to come back here because I knew I’d be comfortable. It’s like my second home.

"I want to see my local team do well and being part of that, I want to do my best for me and for the team."

Read a full interview with Michael West in the Gravesend Messenger.