Manager Josh Wright praised Ebbsfleet's "sensational" back three after their FA Cup exit at Grimsby.

The Fleet boss opted to move Ben Chapman back to midfield and that left his most inexperienced defenders in Ronny Nelson, Mustapha Olagunju and Maxx Manktelow to try and contain League 2's most expansive attack.

That it needed a red card and a contentious penalty call to give Grimsby a helping hand to progress underlined just how far the trio had come from their last outing together in the defeat at Enfield Town last month.

"That's the thing you get with younger, not hungrier, boys but a younger, fearless-type mentality," explained Wright.

"What all three of them have got is athleticism, height, pace that comes with it, but they're all eager. They're all eager to defend well, they're all eager to play, and that's exactly what I want in my centre-halves.

"You can talk about experience and I'm one for experience. I like it. When I'm picking a team, (at) a daunting place (against) a team that score a hell of a lot of goals, and you're thinking, the age of our back three.

"I thought they were sensational. They were front-footed, aggressive in their defending, calm, composed, and all three of them had a really good game.

"Max came in there, who hasn't played much this year for us, and to play in that role, he put in a great shift. Ronny's getting better and better and Mustapha's been ever-present all year.

"But the whole team, the shape, what I asked them to give me in possession, out of possession, the press, the compactness, the discipline, everything was on point up until, obviously, what happened towards the end of the first half.

"It's a shame that it unravelled from there, but we have to take a lot of positives."

Ebbsfleet's goal came from wing-back Charlie Seaman, who has impressed with his crossing ability since making the summer switch from Maidstone.

But Seaman showed his goalscoring prowess, and Wright wasn't surprised that he got on the scoresheet.

"Charlie's got great ability and he's got that in terms of when you're doing a bit of finishing because obviously he plays wider, so quite often it's him delivering the balls from set plays," said Wright.

"But when you do a bit of finishing or you do some small-sided games and you see how hard he can strike the ball, and we all see it sometimes from his direct free-kicks, he's got that in him.

"I understand they might look at it and think the goalkeeper should do better, but if you don't shoot, you don't score.

"The way he drove in and obviously scored the goal, I'm really pleased for him because he's really started to get going in recent weeks and he's started to look the player that we signed.

"He's a fantastic kid, fantastic character. I've got a lot of time for him and he can improve still. He can still get better, but he's getting better and better.

"I know he's done fantastic with what is a stonewall penalty, where he's drove in, he's shown his power, he's shown his pace and he's won the penalty. He's told me it's as clear as it can be. We've seen it, we've seen it back and we've been told by many people, and it is what it is."

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Ebbsfleet now face rivals Maidstone in a tasty National League South derby at Stonebridge Road on Tuesday night.

Playing with 10 men for 45 minutes against Football League opponents could prompt changes, but Wright revealed he's already picked a side for the FA Cup with one eye on the forthcoming league clash.

"It's not ideal," admitted Wright. "But you saw my team selection. I picked a team that I felt would and could beat Grimsby and they showed a lot of that for a long spell.

"But I also had a little eye on Maidstone, and even with my substitutions, I was thinking that at the right time, when I can get some fresh legs on.

"It's not ideal, but they've played in the league as well. I'm sure they've had a tough game.

"It's all about recovery now. We recover right after this on the bus. We get the right fuel into us. The team will be working with them now. We'll recover well tomorrow, do all the right things and we'll be back in Monday to work towards Maidstone with a lot of work that's already been going on behind the scenes already.

"I'll pick a squad and a team that will be as fresh and as ready as they can be to go and beat Maidstone on Tuesday night. That's what you have a squad for. I signed players in the summer and I built a squad that I feel everyone's competitive and could be a starting player in my team."

When asked how big the derby clash with the Stones - who lost 2-1 to Tonbridge on Saturday in the league - is, Wright insisted that it's big for the fans but the squad need to treat it as any other match.

He said: "Every single league game is big, whether it's Maidstone, whether it's Tonbridge, whether it's Dagenham or whether it's Chelmsford. I could name all the teams.

"They're all big games. It's just another football game that's worth the same amount of points, three points.

"I know it's a big one for the fans and obviously the local side of things, but we'll go into it just like any other game and we'll be raring to go.”