Stuart Lewis says the stick Ebbsfleet’s players take at away games is firing them up even more to win the league.

Fleet are still unbeaten on the road this season and Lewis was the driving force behind their 2-1 win at Basingstoke on Saturday.

The midfielder, 28, had a sensational game as the visitors came from a goal down to take all three points on a dramatic day in the National League South title race.

He said: "We are top of the league and there’s only a few times in your career when you’re in this position to go and win a league – when everyone doesn’t want us to win it.

"Let’s be honest, no one wants us to win it. As a group of 20-25 players, we know that. It is ‘them against us’ really.

"We go away and we get all the rubbish money shouts. The manager probably was doubted about the job but he’s answering his critics.

"All we’re doing is proving people wrong and that does give you that little bit of extra drive."

Ebbsfleet are eight points clear with 16 games left and McMahon knows it’s going to be a battle every step of the way.

He said: "Every game’s hard for us. There’s no easy game here.

"Everyone raises their game that little bit extra to play against us and everyone wants to beat us. Even when we were eighth (last season), it had that thing around it because of what’s happening at the club.

"The fact we’ve been top that long, I think people do raise their game. We are the team to be shot at and people at other clubs aren’t shy of saying that.

"But the mental strength of the group has shown that we can handle that pressure."

Read the full story in the Gravesend Messenger.