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Garry Hill on the comings and goings at Ebbsfleet United

Garry Hill says affordability is the key at Ebbsfleet United following the departure of three players in the past week.

Kenny Clark, Sean Shields and Darren McQueen have all joined other National League clubs as Hill works to bring his wage bill down.

It's been yet another busy week at Stonebridge Road and as the Fleet's new financial structure is rolled out.

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Kenny Clark has signed for Dagenham & Redbridge Picture: Chris Davey
Kenny Clark has signed for Dagenham & Redbridge Picture: Chris Davey

Hill firstly paid tribute to Clark following his move to Dagenham & Redbridge.

He said: "Kenny Clark is a top professional player, on and off the pitch. He's got a great attitude, he's very loyal, very supportive of his team-mates and he thought a great deal of Ebbsfleet United Football Club.

"It was a big decision for Kenny. It's no secret Dagenham came in and made an enquiry and you have to let players know and be honest with them.

"I wouldn't want a player to hear somewhere down the line, at a later date, that a football club has come in for him and he hasn't been informed.

"Kenny asked if he could speak to Dagenham & Redbridge and all credit to the board for letting him have that choice.

"At his age, with a baby coming, even though we've done a lot of things at the football club over the last two weeks, Kenny still had to have a long hard think about it.

"He's had a sore calf, he hasn't been 100% fit and he's come back with the conclusion he feels - for his family and for his football - a new chapter's got to begin at Dagenham & Redbridge.

"I wish him all the best and I know all the Ebbsfleet United fans do.

"But I have to assess the squad and when you think we've got four centre-halves who can fit in there, whether it's Dave Winfield or Jack King or Sam Magri or Chris Bush, there's four there.

"There's 10 midfielders at the club: six wide players and four central players so something has to give.

Sean Shields is now on loan at Maidstone Picture: Andy Payton
Sean Shields is now on loan at Maidstone Picture: Andy Payton

"Sean Shields has gone out on loan to Maidstone with a view, hopefully, of going there (permanently). That's the agreement in place and we'll assess our own squad.

"We won't change things for the sake of it. I've always said quite openly and it's been publicised that we have to cut our numbers.

"We had too many players at the football club and too many staff.

"You've got to realise that in just over two-and-a-half weeks, seven people have gone away from the football club and only one has come in.

"Some people will turn round and say 'wow, Cody McDonald's come in, I thought Ebbsfleet were having trouble' but we're balancing the books for the wellbeing of the football club, long term.

"Certain things have gone on at the football club, too many players, too many staff, but if that's been given the green light in the past, it's nothing to do with me.

"Where we are now, going forward, me and Ian Hendon are fully aware that we have to ensure stability of the football club, playing in a structure where it's affordable."

Hill's side drew 1-1 at Maidenhead on Tuesday night, Michael Cheek's early goal cancelled out by a Reece Cole free-kick.

Hill said: "We started quite bright and from 1-0 up, I was hoping we'd push on and have that drive after being very good on Saturday to continue and go on to win the game. But we never reached the heights after going 1-0 up that I was hoping to and I wasn't 100% happy at half-time after the start we had.

"It was a great opportunity for us against a team who got a very good result on Saturday but their current form overall... It was the ideal start we wanted and we never pushed on.

"I said to the boys at half-time the last 20 minutes of the first half wasn't up to the standard in respect of work-rate and drive we needed to have to ask enough questions. I knew it would be a tough game second half and they got the ball forward quickly, were picking a lot more second balls up but we had two or three chances in good positions to ask questions.

"Michael Cheek, I know he took his goal very well but he found himself one-on-one against the goalkeeper and I thought he was going to put it across the goalkeeper but he's gone to the near post. A couple of headers went across the box and on another day, someone gets on the end of them.

"The game becomes a little bit stretched on a heavy pitch and it was very interesting seeing our fourth game in 10 days. You see certain things and you look at certain things out there in respect of where we are.

"They've got a cheap free-kick given to them and all credit to the lad. If anything, Nathan Ashmore looked like he was too far over to that side, where the ball's gone, but it's a great free-kick in the top corner.

"Then you lose Dave Winfield the skipper, having lost Andy Drury in the first half - whether that had an impact, I don't know - and you've got your three subs on and it's 1-1. Their got their tails up, attacking their favourite end, so I look at it mixed.

"From being 1-0 up, you'd like to think you go on and win the game but you've got no given right to do that in this league. They're sitting in the bottom reaches of the league but they don't become easier games. When you see Boreham Wood losing 1-0 at home against Dover, it tells you teams at the bottom are battling.

"It's not an easy pitch to play on, It was heavy but we can't be too despondent.

"In the last 10 minutes we've ended up playing with 10 men, with Danny Kedwell at centre-half, and we haven't got beat.

"If someone had offered me four points from Halifax at home and Maidenhead away, it's not a bad return."

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