Nathan Ashmore has been backed to rise above the abuse coming his way from the terraces.

Ebbsfleet’s goalkeeper has become a target for opposition fans this season and things boiled over in the draw at Chesterfield.

One fan stood over Ashmore in the goalmouth before his team-mates rushed in to back him up as more supporters swarmed on.

Fleet captain Danny Kedwell said: “It was mad. I haven’t seen crowds run on the pitch, coming for players, especially our goalkeeper.

“No matter if he was time wasting, you’ve got to manage your supporters and I don’t think they did.

“You’ve got to worry about your own players. We were protecting Ash, who was on the floor.

“You go into the next game and it can affect people: ‘I don’t know if I fancy this any more’ with fans getting aggressive – especially Ash, with the amount of stick he’s been getting lately.

“It’s not right and that could affect him but luckily he’s a strong-minded man.”

Ashmore’s made the headlines several times this season, having gone into the crowd at Boreham Wood and been the subject of alleged racial abuse on more than one occasion.

Kedwell said: “I heard the one at Boreham Wood. What they were saying wasn’t right so I’m not surprised Ash did what he did.

“We try to banter with Ash to make it easier for him. It’s the best way to deal with it.

“He has a laugh and he’s taken it on the chin.”

Terrace abuse has commanded plenty of column inches this season with Raheem Sterling bringing the discussion into the mainstream.

So is life tougher for footballers now or are we just talking about the subject more?

Kedwell said: "To be honest I think it was worse when I was younger, the amount of abuse I used to get.

"It depends how you take it. I just shove it off and laugh about it but nowadays with more social media, it gets out there too much, out of context.

"In my day you’d get abuse off the side and think nothing of it but now people will video it and make it a massive thing. Words then get muddled up - he said this, he said that - and people get away with it."

Everyone has an opinion on Twitter and players are an easy target.

"I had criticism from fans when I first came to Ebbsfleet," Kedwell said. "I saw it all but it doesn’t affect me, it pushes me.

"It will affect other people and it could cost them their careers, no matter how much ability they’ve got and I think that’s the main problem with social media. You see what people are saying and sometimes it’s not nice.

"Fans want to get in your head. I always say to the lads when we’re in the changing-room, if they’re abusing you it means you’re a good player. If they leave you alone, that means they don’t rate you.

"That’s what I say to people and that’s what I think in my head. Why are you coming for me? It must be because I’m a good player. You’re a threat to their team."

Danny Kedwell was speaking on the KM Football Podcast which you can listen to here.