Anthony Cook may not be on top of his game yet but the winger insists there’s a togetherness inside the Ebbsfleet changing room which can underpin their title charge.

After impressing supporters and confusing full-backs for most of last season, Cook’s made a slower start this time around.

But having opened his account at Hayes & Yeading on Saturday, the 25-year-old believes both he and the team are only going to get better.

Cook said: "It was a massive relief because I hadn’t scored this season. Hopefully, that opens the door for more goals.

"I’ve set myself some levels and expectations and I don’t think I’ve reached them yet. As a team, we haven’t reached the heights which we expect to get to.

"It’s not easy to always play well and sometimes you might have to get behind the ball and sacrifice a bit of your game - but everyone’s working together.

"After losing to a last-minute goal (at Weston-super-Mare), we were disappointed. We made three mistakes but we worked hard in training, spoke about things and it showed on Saturday – especially after going down to 10 men – that we’re sticking together.

"We grafted out a brilliant result."

Ebbsfleet will need Cook to rediscover his best form if they are to win the league and he’s working hard to find it.

He said: "I’m a harsh critic (of myself). Even if I play well, I look at what I could have improved. Regardless of whether we win or lose, there’s always bits you can improve on, pick up and look at to analyse your game.

"We’ve got videos we can watch and I often go back to the gaffer and have a conversation with him about what he wants me to do."

Cook picked up a knock in the Hayes & Yeading game but he played the full 90 minutes against Charlton in the Kent Senior Cup on Wednesday night. Ebbsfleet lost that game 2-0.